How To Give Your Makeup Brushes A Deep Clean

Writer and expert3 years ago

Any beauty expert will tell you that one of the cardinal sins committed across the country is a lack of beauty tool cleansing. But let’s face it, your brushes never feel completely clean anyway. You lather, rinse, repeat, spend an eternity waiting for them to dry, and they’re still not that clean. Well, help is at hand. We’ve gathered up the quickest, easiest and most efficient ways to deep clean your makeup brushes. With just a few minutes of effort, you can have sparkling clean beauty tools and get a smoother, more even application from your favourite makeup products.

How Often Should You Clean Your Makeup Brushes?

If properly cared for, makeup brushes can last for many years, so invest in a set you love and make sure they’re well looked after.

The experts tell us that brushes should ideally be cleaned after every use, but at least twice a week for powder brushes and daily for brushes or beauty blenders that are used with liquid foundations or cream cosmetics. While a deep cleanse can be done less regularly, those daily cleanses ensure your brushes don’t harbour bacteria.

Finally, if your brushes’ bristles start falling out or pointing at stray angles, even after cleaning, it’s time to replace your brush.

How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes

Before we look at the various methods for deep cleaning your makeup brushes, there are a few tips that apply across all methods.

When running your brushes under the tap, always point the bristles down toward the plughole. If water flows into your brush it can weaken the glue that holds the bristles in place, shortening the life of your brushes.

When drying your brushes, it’s best to lay them flat or upside down. Again, this is to keep water away from the glue at the base of the bristles. There are tools you can get to hang or hold your brushes as they dry, but laying them on a sheet of kitchen roll does the same trick.

Don’t forget to give your handles a clean with disinfectant too.

Method 1. Soap And Water

This is the method most people use to clean their brushes. It’s labour intensive but all you’ll need is soap, water and patience.

Run the bristles of your brushes under lukewarm water (hot water can loosen the glue), then add a few drops of soap to the palm of your hand. We use the term “soap” loosely here as dish detergent, hand soap, bar soap or baby shampoo all do a similar job.

Taking one brush at a time, swirl the bristles into the soap, lathering it to help lift away oil and pigment. Then, rinse with clean water and repeat if necessary. Finally, squeeze the bristles gently to help remove water, mould the bristles back into place and leave to dry.

Method 2. Brush Spinner

If you’ve been using Method 1 and feel like there has to be a simpler way, this might be the option for you.

There are no end of beauty gadgets available online, and while brush cleaners can be a little hit or miss, there are definitely some great finds out there. Most brush spinners operate in a similar way, with your brushes pointing downward, a little soap and water added to the container and a spring-loaded or battery-operated base that swishes the liquid around the bristles.

Is it entirely necessary? No.

Is it more fun than doing it all by hand? Absolutely.

Method 3. The Dip And Dash

If you haven’t tried this method, do it today. Not only is it the easiest method on our list, but it can be done with household ingredients and only takes 20 minutes from start to finish.

The main consideration with this method is finding the right container. It needs to be deep enough that all your brush bristles will be adequately covered, but not so narrow that the water is forced up into the handle of the brush.

Combine 1 cup of warm water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 tablespoon of dish soap in your container, then drop your brushes in and leave for 20 minutes. Rinse and dry to reveal beautifully clean brushes. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant, so this method gets bonus points for killing any nasties lurking in your brushes.

There you have it, three easy ways to give your makeup brushes a deep clean. Try them all and discover your favourite today.

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