How I Clean My Make-up Brushes

Cleaning make-up brushes can be one those chores that you just don't want to do, but know that you have to.  I try to deep-clean (as in properly wash them rather than just wipe them after use) my used make-up brushes every 10 days or so because my skin is a little on the oily side and is prone to breakouts.  Everyone washes their make-up brushes in their own way, so this is just how I do mine. 

Step 1.  Apply your cleaning liquid to a slightly dampened used make-up brush.  Here I'm using Dr Bronner's Baby Mild Liquid Soap that I got a sample of in a Joliebox.  As you'll see below, it works really well!  I always use some kind of baby shampoo because it's cheap and does the job.  

Step 2.  Apply some warm water and create a good old lather.  This helps the cleaning liquid to breakdown all of the make-up on the brush, giving it a deep clean.

Step 3.  Rinse and repeat the above process (if necessary) until the water from the brush runs clear and you can see that all of the make-up has been removed.  Make sure that you tilt the brush head at an angle so that the water doesn't run down the handle; this can damage the funnel and cause brush hairs/fibres to come out.

Step 4.  Give each brush a brief towel dry to remove the excess water.  Reshape the brush heads if needed and then lay them all out on a clean dry towel to dry.  Most make-up brushes will require 16-24 hours to fully dry, some will dry faster (I find Real Techniques brushes to dry quickly) and others might take longer (natural animal hair brushes usually take longer - another good reason to buy synthetic instead!).  And you're done!

Don't forget: to clean make-up tools like eyelash curlers as well!  You can easily clean them by soaking a cotton wool pad in your regular make-up remover to remove any excess, and then steralise them in a saucepan of boiling water.  I try to do this once a month and do it with my eyebrow tweezers too.

General disclaimer: No-one else uses my make-up brushes but me, so I find that baby shampoo works well for my needs.  I have tried using antibacterial washes in the past, but I always found that they made my brushes feel stiff after they had dried and some formulas had a tendency to break me out.  Use whatever suits you and your budget.

How do you clean your make-up brushes?  

What do you use and how often?

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