HOW TO: CLEAN YOUR BRUSHES
How do I clean my brushes and how often should I do it?
How often you should clean your brushes is up to you, but here are a few things to consider: If you do full glam on yourself, every single day, I would suggest washing your brushes every 7-10 days. The most important brushes to keep clean are your complexion brushes (foundation, concealer, powders, etc). Dirty brushes can contribute to acne and nobody wants that! If you only wear makeup a few times a week, perhaps wash them every 3 weeks. I have multiples of my brushes, so I do a big wash every 3 weeks, but I only used each set a few times on myself. If you use a beauty sponge, I would absolutely do this once a week.
There are two major ways you can go about cleaning your brushes and I will go over both.
Wash, rinse + lay flat to dry method:
You can wash your brushes at your sink, with several options to choose from for the cleaner. You can use dish soap (I’d be careful with something stripping like Dawn, especially if you have expensive brushes, because it can make them dry), hair shampoo, face wash, liquid brush cleanser (not the same as Cinema Secrets mentioned below, as these requires rinsing) or solid cleaning blocks that you wet. I’d also suggest grabbing an oil (could be something you have in your kitchen like coconut oil), a facial cleansing oil or a cleansing balm that you personally use to double cleanse your face.
How To: Rinse the tips of your brushes under lukewarm, running water to remove residual makeup. I don’t suggest soaking your whole brush in a jar of water or cleaner, as the brush head will eventually dissolve the glue that connects the brush head to the handle and it will fall off.
I prefer shampoo or face wash to dish soap, but use what you have. Squirt some soap into your hands (or a glove) and swirl the brushes around so you can really get in there. Rinse until the water runs clean. Squeeze all excess water out and back to their shape and lay flat to dry. They will be dry in about 24 hours. Do not dry your brushes upright in a container, as this will cause the water to run down the brushes, loosening the glue that connects the brush head with the handle. I like to double cleanse my foundation and lip brushes, just like my face. Take a bit of oil or cleansing balm in your palm and melt it with the heat of your fingers, swirl the brush all around to get all the product out. Rinse, then wash with your cleanser as you did with your other brushes.
2. Use a no rinse, disinfecting cleaner. IMO this is best for PRO makeup artists only.
You can purchase a specific brush cleaner that will disinfect your brushes and allow them to dry quickly. One of the most popular (and my go-to) is Cinema Secrets. There are advantages to using a specific cleaner like this. There is no rinsing required, it kills bacteria and the brushes dry quickly. Maybe you painted your kiddos face and forgot that your brushes were dirty, and now it’s date night and you are panicking lol. This would be the way to do it. Unless this situation happens often or you are a PRO makeup artist, this is not the method I would suggest. There is no reason to spend money on something you really don’t NEED. 2. The chemicals that disinfect and allow the quick drying, are not something I would want to use on my hands directly, I always use a rubber glove. I don’t use it for my personal brushes.
HOW TO: Wearing a rubber glove, or a brush cleaning glove, pour some cleaner onto a paper towel and run your brushes back and forth until they are clean. Squeeze out excess cleaner and lay flat to dry. I do not recommend running the brushes back and forth on the counter as it can cause damage and fraying to your bristles. These should dry quickly if you squeezed out any excess. As a PRO MUA, I do method #1, and then once they are dry, do #2 to further sanitize.
I highly encourage method one for your personal brushes, using an option you already have in your house! XO