Make Time to Wash Your Makeup Brushes with this Simple Tutorial [PHOTOS]

The grossest place in your bathroom may not be the toilet--it might be your makeup brushes. Dirt, oil, and bacteria--they can literally be right under your nose if you're not regularly and properly washing your makeup brushes. I'll show you how with this simple tutorial!

We spend so much time and money making sure our faces are clean, but the majority of women neglect to clean their makeup brushes. Your brushes come in contact with your face every day, so why wouldn't you want them to be nice and clean? I wash my brushes once a week, usually on Sunday night while my husband's watching "The Walking Dead." Seeing a bunch of filthy people survive the zombie apocalypse may not be the most ideal reminder for me to focus on brush care, but that's how my twisted mind works. DON'T YOU JUDGE ME.

ANYWAY. If you use a creamy foundation or blush, consider washing your brushes or sponges daily. I wash my Beauty Blender every day (well, maybe every OTHER day). Use a professional brush cleanser (like the one I got from Bare Minerals) or just plain old baby shampoo. I didn't even use a name brand; it's not like you need to--and saving money is awesome. Here's what you need--

--And here's how it's done:

1. Wet your brush with hot water.
2. Place a small amount of cleanser on the bristles of the brush.
3. Work up a good lather.
4. Wash for 60-90 seconds.
5. Rinse the brush under hot water until the water runs clear.
6. Fan out and flatten the bristles of the brush (for larger makeup brushes).
7. Lay flat to dry.
8. Let dry overnight or until completely dry.
9. Repeat at least once a week.

It's that easy! You won't believe all the gross gunk that's all up in your brushes. I purposely closed my sink drain so I could snap this pic--look at all the product and dirt that was trapped in brushes that looked clean.

Nasty, right? Here's the sink after I drained it.

EEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWW. I finished washing my brushes last night; they're currently drying as we speak. I just lay a towel down on top of the toilet or the counter (if I can spare the space) and let them dry for a good 24 hours.

Set an alarm on your phone or pick a weekly TV show as your reminder to WASH THOSE BRUSHES, GIRL. I mean, really. WASH THOSE NASTY BRUSHES. Take care of them so they can take care of you!