How to clean makeup brushes
Out of the millions of people who use makeup, very few know how to clean makeup brushes. Not cleaning makeup brushes is one of the least sanitary things you can do when using makeup. Especially on a daily basis.
We all know we’ve looked at our dirty brushes and said “Oh, I’ll do it later” well later turns into days, weeks, maybe months later and that’s definitely not good. Keeping your makeup brushes clean helps to prevent acne on your face and bacteria from building up in your brushes.
How often should I clean my makeup brushes?
It may surprise you that if you do your makeup every day, your makeup brushes for foundation and concealer should be cleaned at least once a week. Eyeshadow or powder brushes should be cleaned about once every two weeks. Not cleaning your makeup brushes can often lead to new breakouts.
What do I use to clean my makeup brushes?
This is the question that is on everyone’s mind at least once in their life if they use make-up brushes regularly. The answer is relatively simple. You want to use gentle soap on your makeup brushes especially if they are made from natural hair. There are also brush cleansers that you can get. Most cleansers will come with an instructions card on how to use them. Usually, you don’t want to put the cleansers directly on your face because they are makeup brush cleansers, not facial cleansers, you want to wait to use your brush until it is completely dry.
What to do to clean your makeup brushes
Most people will use the gentle soap because it’s a little cheaper than a brush cleanser and will do the same thing. When using the gentle soap you want to take your brush and wet it with water, then you want to either take a makeup brush cleaning mat or the palm of your hand. Wash your hands before doing this. Put soap in the palm of your hand or on your brush cleaning mat and take your brush, gently rub the brush on the palm of your hand or the mat in a circular motion.
When you're rubbing the brush, the soap should be turning the color of the makeup that was on the brush. At this point, you can put your brush back under the water. You want to be making sure the makeup is coming out of the brush. You may need to repeat this a few times. When you can squeeze the water out of the makeup brush and it is not soapy and the water is transparent your brush is now clean.
Repeat this process until the brush is clean and for any brushes that need cleaning, eyebrow brushes, lashes brushes, blush, you name it!
How to dry your cleaned makeup brushes
When you go to dry your makeup brushes the first thing you want to do is find a surface that if you happen to get a little damp it's not going to be a problem, a bathroom counter will work. Do not put any wet makeup brushes on any kind of wooden surface, if you must, put a plate under the brushes to protect the wood.
It’s always a good idea to put two paper towels together and lay your wet makeup brushes on them to dry. The paper towels will absorb the water so the surface doesn’t get too wet. About 30-45 minutes after you place the wet makeup brushes on the paper towels you want to flip them 180 degrees. Doing this will make the top of the makeup brush now where the bottom of the makeup brush was. This flips the brush allowing the other side of the brush to air out and dry while also keeping the paper towels from breaking due to the water that is leaving the brush.
If you don’t have paper towels that is totally fine, you can leave your makeup brushes just off the edge of the counter with the bristles hanging off the edge. You may want to put a washcloth on the floor or a bathroom rug so if the water drips your floor is not getting too wet.