Beauty Tip: How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes

As you know, if you managed to catch my post last week about the different ways to apply makeup you'll know that I use quite a few different brushes and sponges to get a flawless coverage. But did you know that you should be cleaning your brushes and sponges frequently? Washing your makeup brushes should be a regular part of your beauty routine. When you use your makeup brushes, bits of makeup, oil, dirt and even bacteria can get trapped in those bristles. If you don't clean them regularly you are more prone to break outs and your complexion won't be as fabulous. If you have problem skin or acne, I’d definitely advise that you clean your brushes a little more than others, you may even notice a change in your skin! So while cleaning your brushes may seem basic and a bit of a chore, skipping this step may lead to more problems, such a break outs or clogged pores. And no body wants that. My ever growing collection of brushes are expensive and so it makes complete sense to want to protect those expensive bristles with a regular cleaning routine. 


Luckily, cleaning your makeup brushes and sponges is super quick and easy. The first step to keeping your brushes clean is picking up a cleansing cleaner, I have to say I have used so many different ones and the one that stands the test of time is good ol' Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo, the calming lavender. However, if you wanted to make deep cleaning your makeup brushes less of a chore you could use a daily brush cleaner, the E.L.F Daily Brush Cleaner is perfect for this. An anti-bacterial daily brush cleanser for quick cleaning in-between makeup applications. Disinfects brushes to provide a fresh and clean application every time. 

Begin by running your brushes under some warm water, rinsing out any residue. It is always best to try and focus on the actual bristles while avoiding the part of the brush where the handle meets the head, as the glue can loosen over time. Something that I discovered after last weeks cleanse with my buffing brush. I may have squeezed a little too hard and pull all the bristles back and couldn't get them back inside and the bristles got everywhere. So just focus on the actual bristles. 

Squirt some shampoo onto the bristles and swirl the brush around your hand and then rinse away the residue. I always find that swirling the brush into my hand to get a lather really helps. You could also use a brush cleaner, like this one from Birchbox which has definitely helped take the hassle out of brush cleaning. The specially-designed grooves help to remove every trace of product from your brushes, giving them a deep-yet-gentle clean. 


Rinse the brushes under warm running water, making sure that your squeeze the residue out of them, just don't pull. Then pat your brushes dry with a kitchen roll, then lay them out flat on a clean cloth to dry naturally. And there you have it! Your makeup brushes will be squeaky clean ready for action. Are your brushes in need of a deep clean? Generally speaking ladies, if you are only using your brushes on yourself then give them a good clean once a week. If you suffer from skin breakouts, have any cuts or grazes or have an eye infection then you must clean your brushes every day. Just make sure that you do clean them every week and add them into a regular cleaning routine. 

5 comments

  1. I „try“ to clean my brushes once a week, works more or less sometimes haha! I like to use either the MAC Brush Cleanser for a quick clean and for a deep cleanse I use the RT brush cleansing map and a baby shampoo! Xx

    http://get-ready-with-laura.blogspot.de

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hate washing my brushes so much! I keep using clean brushes until I run out and then do a big wash!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am terrible at cleaning my make up brushes! This would be really handy

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have a similar brush cleaner.. although I have so many brushes it always takes me forever to clean them all haha! x

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm terrible because I don't own any make-up brushes! I just my fingers - eeeeeks!

    ReplyDelete