Initially, I brought home this $5 Burt’s Bees Mango & Orange Energizing Body Bar from Target 1) because I can always use a little extra energy, and 2) because I thought it kinda looked like food, ha!
I ended up liking the invigorating citrusy scent so much that I started using it to clean more than mah bod.
When I used up the last little slivers of my bar of Becca Brush Soap, I grabbed Burt’s Mango & Orange bar on a whim, using it to clean a couple of skunk brushes that I’d used with a bright blush and a MAC 239 brush crusted over with concealer.
As luck would have it, Burt’s invigorating body bar worked wonders on the brushes, removing all of the funk from their stinky ferules and the gunk from the handles and brush heads themselves.
I’d like to shake the little hand of the bee who developed this bar and thank him/her for doing such a great job. Not only do I think it’s one heck of an energizing, moisturizing body bar, it’s also one of the better brush cleansers I’ve used in a while.
And fast, too. It cuts through hard-to-remove products like dried foundation just as quickly as Becca’s Brush Soap does and rinses without putting up a fight. After air drying, my brush bristles feel soft, clean and malleable, not crunchy or stiff.
For the Mango & Orange bar, Burt and his bees whipped up a 100% natural French-milled bar soap made with mango extract, sweet orange oil and cocoa seed butter to soften, invigorate and energize skin.
What a great find! — and all for just $5, which is $10 less than Becca’s Brush Soap. On top of how well I think it works on both bodies and brushes, it’s available at most drugstores and grocery stores, so it’s also pretty easy to find. 🙂
PRICE: $5
AVAILABILITY: Available now at drugstores, grocery stores and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. It’s almost time for kickoff! I wonder… Should I finish the latest episode of Downton Abbey (aka Downton Tabby) or watch the big game??
Awesome idea! I have been wanting the becca brush soap, and I’m excited about this inexpensive alternative! Thank you for the post!
Sure!
Ooooh thanks for this alternative! I have been trouble getting my skunk brushes to stop smelling so funky.
You’re welcome, Aimee!
Thanks for the great find Karen! At the moment I’m using what I bought from Aesop several years ago to clean my cats to clean my brushes, but once I go through the bottle (or maybe I shouldn’t go through the bottle, just in case cats need a bath sometime) I’ll look into this one!
Have fun watching the big game!
Are your kitties cool with bath time? It’s Tabs least favorite thing in the entire world, LOL!
Oh gawd no Tango is not! He doesn’t try to claw me or anything, but he does meow in the most miserable way (to the point that I’m really worried the neighbors will call the police for animal cruelty) and try to escape when he can! Muffin the kitten hasn’t been given a bath yet, but she actually likes water so I hope she’ll be cool with it! Must be a tough job giving Tabs a bath. He’s such a big boy!
SOOO getting one of these baybehs! Now that I’m in makeup artistry class, I have to clean brushes ALL.THE.TIME. This bar would definitely come in handy!
Me too! I do it at least once a day.
Thanks for the review! It’s great to know this can be used to clean brushes.
I decided to watch the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. 🙂 They had a kitty half-time show, which was basically a bunch of kittens playing with toys. Cute overload alert!
You’re welcome, Ruchita!
I spent most of yesterday sleeping on the couch, but I caught a little bit of the Puppy Bown and the Kitty Half-Time Show. Yay for cuteness!
I love Burt’s Bees! I will be picking this up.
Me too! They make some great body products.
Wow, what a surprising alternative. Need to try this. 🙂
casual-beauty.blogspot.com
Hope you do!
I don’t understand how you clean brushes with a hard soap… 🙁
Here’s an explanation from my review of Becca Brush Soap:
It couldn’t be any easier to use. Just wet a brush head with lukewarm water, swipe it across the soap until it lathers, rinse with tap water, squeeze (I like to also blot with a dry washcloth), reshape, then leave to dry on a clean towel. Presto-change-o! New(ish) brush.
HTH!
Oh! Lol, I feel dumb now! Thank you for explaining it to me! You’re so nice! ^-^;
No worries! 🙂
Thank you for sharing! Becca isn’t available in Japan, but Burt’s Bees certainly is; I’m going to look for this next time to use for my brushes!
Sweet! How are you enjoying living in Japan? I have some extended family there!
Ooh, I’ve been using left over cleansers I don’t like to wash my brushes lol, so I’m definitely going to grab one of these next time I’m at the drugstore!!
Karen, please tell me you watched the Animal Planet Puppy Bowl?!! In particular the kitty halftime show!! I feared I was going to die of cute overload.
I watched a little bit of it! I was on the couch napping for most of the day (fighting a cold).
Oh no, I hope you’re feeling better! You know, there’s no better cure for a cold than watching a room full of kittens! My gf recorded it for me and I sent pretty much the entire halftime show squealing with delight and cute overload lol.
Alright, I’m a little relieved now that I know I’m not the only one with stinky ferrules. I have the 187 brush, and ever since I used the Studio Fix Fluid foundation, I can’t get that smell out. I clean my brushes with the MAC brush cleanser, and even tried using Dial anti-bacterial soap. I try my best to keep the water from going into the ferrule because I heard that sometimes causes the issue, let alone damages the brush. Now that I’ve read this, I’m definitely going to my local pharmacy to get this. ::sniff sniff – smells brushes:: Eew!! LOL
LOL! I used to use the MAC brush cleanser back in the day. I go through those bottles FAST!
Hmm, just in time! I’m heading to New York in a few days and I wanted to hunt down the Becca soap (which I’ll probably still do), but it’s nice to know there’s an alternative. 🙂
How fun! What will you be doing in New York?
Hmmm! I’m not seeing this yet on the Canadian Burt’s site, but I’ll have to keep an eye out for it ;o) I’ve been thinking about giving the Becca bar a try, but something I can pick up in-store (and for a fraction of the price) is definitely preferable!
I hope you can find it. It works great!
ive been on a bar soap kick lately and this is right up my alley! 🙂 want!
Sweet! I really love them for cleaning brushes now. So fast and cheap!
bar soaps do end up being cheaper, both for body and brushes! i dont know how i managed to forget that. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this alternative Karen! I’ve been wanting to try the Becca soap but I’ll get this instead 🙂
You’re welcome, Krystie!
Have you tried using just baby shampoo?
I have, but I’m not too crazy about it. I know a lot of people like it, but it doesn’t seem to remove product as fast enough or rinse out as cleanly compared to other brush cleaners I’ve tried.
Oh how I love to find cheap alternatives to products! This fits the bill; I have been using shampoo on my brushes, but then they require a conditioner. This may work quite nicely. Thanks for the tip!
Awesome! I’m always looking for a good brush cleaner. Every time I wash mine they have a residue left over. Like hair that hasn’t been washed in three days or something. The only thing so far that works is baby shampoo with rubbing alcohol, but I’m afraid that will dry out my natural hair brushes.
A few years ago I use a burt’s bees soap (Garden tomato) for my makeup brushes and it turned my 30-dollar Anna Sui cheek brush into an Afro…now I kind of want to try this since it (sounds like it would) smell a lot better and I use synthetic brushes anyway so they will less likely to get poofed…
Karen, I suffer from severe dark circles and, being pale as I am, cannot find a good concealer! Can you recommend a good drugstore one? Please also give tabs a nose kiss from me.
I love that you tried washing your brushes with it – and that it was a success! I’m looking for something to clean my brushes with, as I am a bit hesitant using hand soap. Any other soaps you recommend for cleaning brushes (that is, before you found this gem)? Thanks Karen!
Karen, do you find that this works to get off difficult cream products (thinking of my angled liner brushes with gel eyeliner on them), or is there something else you’d recommend for that?
Thank you for the great suggestion and review. I picked up a bar yesterday and it works great to clean my brushes, better than anything I have tried thus far. I agree that it left my brushes soft and clean, and swirling my brushes on the bar helped to dislodge the gunk.
Hi Nicole,
So glad that it worked for you! YAY!
Are the ingredients between the Becca and Burt’s Bees products similar?
I have been trying so hard to find the Becca soap but every store is sold out online. Do you know anywhere else I might find it? I live in Georgia. Thank you!
You said you clean your brushes once a day, but What’s the longest you think you can go between cleanings? And I v
I vote for Downton Abbey!
i bought a big bottle of dr. bronner’s soap a while back, and it’s taking a while to actually make a difference in the level line. i’ve been using it to clean my brushes. it makes them feel clean, and cuts through the concealer that has caked on to my brush. but it does have a weird after-feel. :/ thank you for this post! i love the smell of citrus. adding this to my “pick-up” list 🙂