Cleaning your makeup brushes can be a boring task. However, not washing your makeup brushes can cause bacteria, oil, dirt and excess products to spread between your tools and your face, leading to blemishes and skin reactions.

Your brushes are the backbone of your beauty kit. So think of brush cleaning as an essential part of your beauty routine.

Buildup of dirt and oil on your makeup brushes can cause acne breakouts and possibly rashes called dermatitis.

Most dermatologists will tell you to soak your tools, especially foundation and concealer brushes, once a week at minimum to prevent product buildup.

Because these brushes are used on your face, the cleaner, the better.

Brushes that are used around the eyes should be cleaned at least twice a month, while all others can be washed once a month.

Depending on how often you use your brushes, you should be cleaning them anywhere from daily to once a month. with a combination of easy tricks and genius product inventions, even the laziest of lazies can wash their tools with ease.

How To Clean Make Up Brushes

Bacteria and fungi prefer wet to dry conditions, so foundation brushes may accumulate micro-organisms quicker than dry powder brushes. Treat brushes you use to apply liquid textures to an extra wash or wipe. At least two to three times a week, versus once a week for powder brushes.

If you take these steps listed below to clean your brushes each week will not only extend the life and quality of your brushes, but it will also help prevent unwanted blemishes and breakouts. A clean face is a happy face

Wetting Method

Mid-wash, keep the base of the brush head away from soap and water. The bristles are glued to the base, and water and detergent can cause the glue to disintegrate and the bristles to come loose and shed.

Haven’t be aware of this dip each brush individually under hot running water, and then into a bowl of gentle shampoo or soap and rub gently with fingers to get a good lather for a few minutes. Or wet the fibres of your makeup brush with warm water, try to ensure that your brush is facing downwards.

Cleanse

First, you want to choose the right cleanser that won’t destroy your brushes. Many brands sell products specifically designed for makeup brushes, but you can also use a gentle baby shampoo, too. Just pour a little bit of the soap onto either your hand or a plate then lightly swirl the wet brush around and around, rinsing and re-dipping your brush using your chosen cleaning product and allow it to lather.

To get a deep clean, swirl the brush on the palm of your hand or on a specialized brush-cleaning glove. Try not to use a brush cleaner that is alcohol-based, as this can dry out the brushes and the hair can break off. However, mixing a teaspoon of melted coconut oil into your cleansing solution will help remove any dirt from the brushes and keep them soft.

Rinsing Method 

Using warm water, wash the cleansing product out of your brushes until the water runs clearly. If there is still residue on the brush, repeat the process and once finished, gently squeeze out excess wash and use your fingers to restructure the bristles into their original shape.

Drying Method

Lay your brushes out to dry, ensuring that the bristles are hanging over the edge of your surface. Doing this will allow the fibres to dry quickly and evenly, as air can reach the brush from all sides. But is is better to lay the brushes flat to dry as opposed to standing up in a jar, as the moisture can run down the handles.

Daily Light Cleaning

For a daily light cleaning of your make up brush, you just need to take a makeup remover towelette or a antibacterial hand wipe to lightly clean your brush. Gently swipe your brushes back and forth on the wipes to clean after each use. Ensure you keep the base of the brush head away from soap and water.

If using your hands doesn’t feel thorough enough for your deep-cleaning desires, then no worries. You can slip on the Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove or set the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette in your sink, both of which have an insane amount of rubby nubby patches to really wash away grime in the grooves of your brushes. But you have to wash the matt and mitt after each use, too, to prevent bacteria from trying to buildup.

The best (and most thorough) method for cleaning your tools requires only water and either a gentle soap (regular soap formulas can dry out the brush’s bristles, especially if they are made of natural hair) or brush cleanser.

Handy-Dandy Makeup Brush Cleaner

Handy-dandy makeup brush cleaner basically works the same but instead of using the palm of your hand you use this makeup brush cleaner. This little beauty hack works surprisingly very well.

However, there are two different cleaning textures on this brush cleaner; the long and small ridges are meant to clean large brushes and the part with small dots texture are made for smaller brushes. The cleaning textures on this “egg” really take every bit of makeup out of the brushes even better and faster!

Hi-Tech, Brush-Cleaning Machine

Lilumia brush-washing machine is totally an option for people who just really, really hate cleaning their brushes. This is how it works: Insert six small brushes into the slots of the machine (pointed downward so the bristles rest in the reservoir of soap), close the egg-shaped lid, turn it on, and that’s it.The machine agitates the bristles back and forth in soap, then drains, and then does two rinse cycles, basically like a washing machine for your brushes.