I can remember one time back in college (I’m going way back – Lol) when I was in the big shared bathroom of my dorm hall cleaning my makeup brushes. A friend of mine came in and told me she couldn’t believe I took the time to actually do that! Yes, I am an admitted neat freak!
Even so, it is a good idea to clean your makeup brushes regularly. So, this post is all about how to clean your makeup brushes.
E.L.F Makeup Brush Set Here & Here
While doing research for this post, I read several places you should clean your eye makeup brushes at least once a week. Cleaning the brushes you use around your eyes should be done at least twice a week. Yikes! I don’t always clean mine that often. I mean who has the time?! Working at home, I also don’t put makeup on everyday either though.
Yet, I do try to clean mine as often as I can to keep them bacteria free, and a clean brush helps your makeup go on smoothly too. So, here are some steps for cleaning and caring for your makeup brushes.
STEP #1
This step for cleaning is pretty obvious. You need to wet the bristles of your brushes with water and add some type of cleanser.
Always try to keep the bristles of your makeup brushes pointing downward, so water and soap don’t run into the metal piece where the bristles are glued onto the handle. This is to prevent the hairs from getting loose and falling out.
I often clean my brushes by wetting the brush and swirling it in a little cleanser in the palm of my hand. If you have a lot of brushes to clean, you can fill a bowl with some water mixed with cleanser.
I have always used my hair shampoo or a gentle facial cleanser to clean my makeup brushes. I would avoid using regular soap or anything harsh. If you like, there are cleansers specifically designed to clean makeup brushes like this Clinique Cleanser and this E.L.F. Makeup Brush Shampoo.
You could also use a Makeup Cleaning Pad too.
STEP #2
Rinse the soap out well aiming down the hairs of the brush.
STEP #3
Gently blot the excess water out on a clean towel. Then, reshape the brush.
STEP #4
Let your brushes completely dry before using them again. I use this Makeup Brush Holder my mother-in-law got me to dry my makeup brushes. It works great to keep the water from running back into the handle.
Makeup Brush Holder | Similar Makeup Brush Holder Here
Your next best option for drying your makeup brushes is laying them flat on a clean towel. Again, try not to dry them in a brush holder with the bristles pointing upwards.
Another helpful product I found was this Color Switch Dry Makeup Cleaner. It lets you switch makeup colors without having to switch brushes. I also think this Spray would be handy to apply when you need to clean them in a hurry.
I hope these tips were helpful for caring for your makeup brushes! So, do you make a regular habit of cleaning your makeup brushes?