DIY Beauty: How to Recycle / Re-use your old Mascara Wands / Brushes

Sunday 6 January 2013

I've been having a clear out of my make-up this weekend in preparation for my new Muji make-up storage drawers which are due to arrive next week.  Whilst some things have gone straight into the bin (erm sweaty lipsticks and dried out eyeshadows from my teenage years anyone?  Honestly, I had a bit of a Chelsea Wears moment when I was throwing stuff out!), I decided to keep a few old mascaras to one side in order to re-use their wands.  

If you fancy doing the same, here are some pointers to start you off:- 
  1. Pick out which old mascara wands you want to re-use.  Not all of them will be suitable, but it depends what you want to use them for.  The ones I find the most useful are the traditional bristle tree shaped ones.
  2. Take off any excess mascara with some kitchen paper or an old cloth.  This will make the cleaning process much easier.
  3. Put the mascara wands into an old mug/glass full of hot water and leave them soak for 10 minutes or so, and then rinse under a tap.
  4. If needed, use a little of your waterproof eye-make-up remover to take off any stubborn mascara that may be still left.
  5. Allow to dry and you're ready to re-use them!

5 easy ways to re-use your old mascara wands:-
  1. Have a mascara that you love the formula of but hate the brush?  Simply discard the rubbish brush and use with one that you do like, or experiment to create different looks with different brushes and mascaras.
  2. Use one as an eyebrow comb when applying eyebrow pencils or powders or helps to just tidy them up if they're a bit unruly.
  3. Use one to coat eyelashes with castor oil to help them grow.
  4. Comb through lashes after applying mascara to separate and remove clumps.
  5. Around the house, you can use them to clean hard to reach and fiddly areas like taps, in between bathroom tiles and that bit in the windowsill that always gets grubby quickly!

Do you re-use your old mascara wands / brushes?  
If you have a tip to share, feel free to pop it in the comments below!

[Follow me on:  BlogLovin' - Hello Cotton - Twitter - Pinterest]
Next Post Next Previous Post Previous

28 comments

  1. Great idea! x


    www.ofbeautyandnothingness.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great idea! I'll leave some to comb through my eyebrows for sure! X

    mademoiselle-lala.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great idea Evelyn! I often wondered how to do this! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great idea, I have a mascara that is rubbish but the brush is amazing, so I keep seperate, might use my others for some of this x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're so useful for swapping and using with different mascaras x

      Delete
  5. Such a great post! Never thought of using them for eyebrows!

    caperepulchra.blogspot.com xo

    ReplyDelete
  6. I always re-use my as eyebrow combs but I've never thought of using them any of the other ways. I will definitely have to try them all out, great post :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Carys, it's surprising how many different uses there are for them :) xxx

      Delete
  7. Love this idea :D Great post

    sofairisshe.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great ideas, i'm definitely going to reuse some of mine!

    Zoe | zozeze.com
    x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Fantastic tips! Never thought to reuse wands, but seems like a nifty idea especially if you really like a particular wand :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've done it a few times with wands that I really like :)

      Delete
  10. This is so handy!! I have random and old mascaras in my make up collection too. I am definitely going to re-use them now :)
    Tolu from Fashinate Me

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great post! I'm definitely going to save my wands now rather than chucking them away! Especially to apply oil to the eyelashes xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Brilliant post! I've been wanting to get castor oil for my brows and lashes but didn't know how i was going to apply it other than straight from my finger.
    xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's SO much easier (and less messy!) to use an old mascara wand :) xx

      Delete
  13. I love using wands for brushing my eyebrows! xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great idea! I had some disposable wands left over from when I worked for the Body Shop At Home and used them to clean my false eyelashes if glue had got a bit caught up in them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a great tip, haven't heard that one before!

      Delete

Thank you for your comment! For a faster reply you can tweet me @beautywolfgirl

Powered by Blogger.