How I Clean My Make-up Brushes

Wednesday 7 November 2012


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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32 comments

  1. I loved my RT buffing brush (RIP), it dries so quickly!
    X

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    1. It does, I can leave it overnight and it'll pretty much be dry in the morning :) Hope you get a new one! x

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  2. Thank you for this :) I've only just started using proper make up brushes and have wondering the best way to go about cleaning them. Great post x

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    1. Thanks for reading Lauren, glad it's been helpful! :) x

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  3. I pretty much do the same with baby shampoo, works really well! It's such a chore though lol x

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  4. Great way of washing brushes

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  5. Ohh i have one of those liquid soap samples left, didnt really like using them on my body/hands so im definitely going to use mine on my brushes!x

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    1. Yep definitely give them a go on your brushes! x

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  6. This is exactly how I clean my brushes too, I use DR Bronners or any other SLS free shampoo or shower gel that I have to hand. I am head over heels in love with my Real Techniques brushes! x

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    1. They are great brushes aren't they? Happy to hear you're a Dr Bronners fan too! x

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  7. I use Dr. Bronners too! They make brushes squeaky clean. I use the bar soap because then you can brush them back and forth to work the product in, then rise out.

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    1. Yay! The bar soap sounds like a great way to clean them!

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  8. Great post! Do you know if you can buy those little pouches of soap? I'm not keen on baby soap so hunting for something else to use to clean my brushes.

    http://talesofapaleface.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. I'm not sure that you can, but they sell them in small bottles for about £1.50 from Holland and Barratt if that helps?x

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  9. I really like the Dr Bronners soap for washing brushes. I was using the tea tree version for a while and it worked really well.
    xo

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  10. I usually try to clean my foundation and powder brushes once a week as I am pretty sure a breakout on my jawline was caused by not so clean brushes! eye shadow brushes I don't clean so often. I usually use anti-bacterial soap as that's what I usually have to hand x

    http://missjaynebecca.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. I usually wash my eye ones less often than my face ones too x

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  11. omg the eyelash curler one is genius. Thanks for the tip!

    xx

    http://samram1214.blogspot.com/

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  12. Great tip about the eyelash curlers - I don't know why I never think to clean them! I think I will have to give my trusty Shiseido a once over with my Bioderma or someting :p I clean my brushes pretty much the same as you except I use Johnson's baby shampoo :)

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    1. I was the same for ages, it's only recently that I started to clean them after I saw another blogger mention it :)

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  13. I clean my eyelash curler after each use because I don't know, mine just looks so nasty? I know most people use baby shampoo or a mild shampoo to clean their brushes but I'm soooo lazy - I barely clean my brushes, bad, I know - that I always end up using a plain old bar of soap ahah!

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    1. It's probably best to do that with eyelash curlers - they can look pretty gross!
      Naughty naughty, though there's nothing wrong with using a bar of soap! x

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  14. I never wash my eyelash curlers! I really should.
    I do the same with my makeup brushes but use baby shampoo xx

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  15. I'm using the baby shampoo normally too but I want to try the Dr Bronner's soap next... it looks like it does a great job! xx

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  16. I've actually been using snow fairy to clean mine, I had too much left from last year, they come out so clean and soft :| Anti-bac makes mine crispy too.

    Lucy x
    http://lucyywrites01.blogspot.co.uk/

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    Replies
    1. I love the scent of Snow Fairy, never would have thought to use it to clean my brushes - great idea :) x

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