Beauty Guide: 5 Steps to Clean Your Makeup Brushes
One of the main things that often gets neglected in our beauty routine is taking care of our tools. With each passing day, your makeup brushes collect dust, dirt, oil, and bacteria that you don’t realize is there.
One of the main things that often gets neglected in our beauty routine is taking care of our tools. With each passing day, your makeup brushes collect dust, dirt, oil, and bacteria that you don’t realize is there. That means when it comes to applying your make up, they’re not as effective. But more importantly, the thing that many of us don’t realize is that you’re applying months of grime to your skin (gross!!!...I know).
Now, before you cringe in disgust, you need to make sure you know how to clean your brushes. Cleaning your brushes can be referred to as an art and we are here to walk you through it! Often times, incorrectly cleaning makeup brushes can actually damage them, causing the bristles to loosen and fall out sooner than you would like or damage the bristles in a way that will affect application (streaky makeup is not fun). Let’s go through the steps on how to properly clean and preserve your makeup brushes. You’ll be a pro in no time.
What you need:
Gentle shampoo or face wash
A silicone beauty cleaner (a silicone kitchen mat does the trick)
Vinegar
Water
A small bowl
Two hand towels (lint free preferably)
Step 1: The Wash
Begin by rinsing the bristles of the brush in lukewarm water. It is best to always keep the water running down the length of the bristles. This is important because it prevents the water from streaming into the base of the brush. When the base becomes wet, it loosens the glue and ultimately shortens the lifespan of your brush.
Step 2: The Suds
After rinsing your brush, add a small amount of gentle shampoo or your favorite face wash to a wet silicone mat. With light pressure, swish your brush in a circular motion into the mat to lather up the soap.
Step 3: The Repeat and Rinse
Continue lathering and rinsing, adding more soap if needed. Makeup should stream out from the brush. Continue the process until the water rinses clear.
Step 4: The Disinfect
In a small bowl, make a disinfecting vinegar solution. The solution is one part vinegar and two parts water. Dip the clean brush mid way into the solution and swish it around for about 30 seconds to one minute. Then gently rinse with water.
This step can be done with every cleaning or once every few weeks.
Step 5: The Dry
Take one of the hand towels and lightly squeeze excess water out of the brush, re-shaping the bristles as you go. Place the other hand towel over the at the edge of the sink.
Lay the brush on the dry hand towel (or lint-free cloth) to dry. Let the bristles hang over the edge of the sink, and flip over the brushes after a few hours to ensure the best shape. It is best to leave brushes to dry overnight. Most brushes will dry in 8 to 12 hours so remember to plan accordingly.
And now you are on the road to clean brushes and better-kept tools! Depending on how often you use your brushes, our recommendation is to give them the full spa treatment every one to four weeks.
No judgment from us—when was the last time you washed your brushes? Spill the beans in the comments below!
