Makeup Brush Cleaning 101

Makeup Brush Cleaning 101

You might be shocked to hear that there are people out there who have never cleaned their makeup brushes. If you didn't know that it should be apart of your makeup routine, then great! Today we are going to learn something new! 

Why wash them?

A lot of bacteria lives inside of the bristles of your makeup brushes. People have reported that they have suffered from acne as a the result of not cleaning their brushes and even developing cyst like bumps on their faces as well.  EEW David!!! The best makeup application comes with really great skin so make sure that your brush are clean and not working against you. 

Reason two, would be to ensure that you are getting the best results of using your brushes. If you dip your eyeshadow brush into your black eyeshadow on Friday night and then try to use the same brush come Monday morning for a natural makeup application using a peachy-toned eyeshadow, you are not going to get a peachy-tone color on your lid. Clean your brushes after you use dark shades so you can do back to using your lighter tones again. 

Last reason, is for sanitation. Any professional artist should be using a brush cleaner on their brushes between each client. Failure to do that could cause the artist to pass bacteria from one client to another. be sure you know who you are working with. Cheap is expensive. If you hire a cheap artist who doesn't follow sanitation regulations, you're going to pay twice as much after you have to go see a doctor and get a prescription for your pinkeye. 

How to clean your brushes?

There are several ways to clean your brushes. Some people use water and baby soap, but I like to teach my brushes with some shampoo and conditioner. After all these expensive tools are an investment and in their past lives, they were little critters. (Yes, if you didn't already know, many brushes are made of animal hair, so be good to these little pets of yours) I feel that giving them a good shampoo and conditioning treatment once a month or every couple of months,  gives them a deep clean and refreshes them so they feel super soft again. 

- Put a little shampoo in the palm of your hand
- Run your makeup brush thru some water for a moment
- In circular motions, rub your brush in the shampoo
- Rinse with water (the water should run away from the base of the brushes. See images below)
- Repeat if nessessary
- Dry on a towel over night
 

Between deep cleanings, I like to use a disinfecting brush cleaner once a week on my own (or professionally, I use between each client)

-Spray brush cleaner onto your brush
- Using a paper towel or tissue, wipe makeup off brush
- Repeat until the towel/tissue is white and no more makeup comes off onto the towel/tissue
- Dry 15-20 mins before using brush