Makeup Brush Cleaning – 101
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Is It Time To Clean Your Makeup Brushes?
If you had asked me earlier today when it was I last cleaned my makeup brushes… You and I both would have been embarrassed at my answer! This proves I need to be WAAAY better at cleaning those things! I looked up a couple of resources on how to best clean makeup brushes, and I’m here to pass on the information to you.
What You Need
I found that a small glass bowl with warm water, some brush shampoo or gentle cleanser, and your hands, work great for cleaning those makeup brushes. Now, I happen to have some e.l.f. brush shampoo (#ad) on hand. But if you don’t, you can also use Dawn dish soap. It is gentle and works well to break down oil and grease from all the bristles. Lastly, of course, you need your dirty makeup brushes!
How To Gently Clean Makeup Brushes
I filled my Pyrex to about 1 1/2 to 2 cups with some filtered refrigerator water. Why? Mainly because it’s filtered and it makes more sense to me when my brushes will have to sit in it. I put it in the microwave for about 45 seconds to warm it up. Then I just poured about a tablespoon’s worth of brush cleaner into the warm water and used one of my smaller brushes to swirl it around and mix. Next, all my brushes went into the warm soapy water and sat for about 1 to 2 minutes.
The water started to change color really quick! I started with my smaller brushes, and simply rinsed them clean under warm water at my kitchen sink. These were the easiest to clean because they don’t have as much buildup as my larger makeup brushes.
When it came to my most used larger brushes, the ones I use for foundation, I had to add one more step. I placed a little bit of brush shampoo in the palm of my hand and rubbed the brush gently in the shampoo. My hand started to also change color to an opaque “ivory.” After one, and sometimes two, of these cleaning sessions by hand, my larger brushes were clean all through the bristles.
I made sure to squeeze any excess water out of the bristles and laid them flat on a clean paper towel to dry. They’ll have to dry overnight, and just to help them out a little I’ll be sure to press out any more moisture tonight with some paper towels before I go to bed.
Rules of Thumb For Clean Makeup Brushes
Some information that may be helpful to you is that makeup brushes can be used for as long as they hold up. If you start finding the bristles are falling out, or the brush doesn’t pick up product well anymore, it may be time to get some new ones. These brushes that I have are Sonia Kashuk that I got a few years ago, and they’ve worked beautifully for me! #ad
They’re still soft and have held up for years, so a great purchase and well worth the price. I also have a smaller travel set of brushes that I got MANY years ago, and they too have held up very well! I used to use them daily because they were soft and cheaper due to being travel sized. They are Ecotools bamboo makeup brushes that I now use solely for when I travel. I got them so long ago that the closest thing I could find to them are linked below. #ad
How Often Should We Be Cleaning Our Brushes?
After researching the best way for cleaning my makeup brushes, I found that I have not been keeping mine clean the way I should be. It is recommended that makeup brushes be lightly cleaned every week, and then given a good wash (like my method above) every month. What’s the difference, you ask? A light cleaning would include applying a daily cleanser on the bristles to saturate and then gingerly swirling the brush onto a paper towel, which will absorb the cleanser and dirt with it. It was also recommended to use a silicone mat or glove instead of a paper towel. Links below in case you want to check those out! #ad
Now that my brushes are clean, my goal is to keep up the weekly and monthly cleaning processes for the sake of my skin and my brushes! I hope you found this post helpful and are ready to go clean your makeup brushes! If you’ve got time, check out my beauty post about how I was able to grow out my natural nails. No more costly acrylic nails to add length when you can grow your own nails to be long and strong!
