I have to admit that I am not the champion in keeping my brushes clean and – shame on me – lately, they got notably dirty because I think I haven’t cleaned them for around two months… Gross!!
Therefore I was looking for tips on how to deep clean very dirty makeup brushes, and here’s what makeup experts recommend!
When should you wash makeup brushes?
Here's a statistic that will leave you speechless: experts suggest it's a good idea to wash cosmetic brushes... after every use. Even though it may appear superfluous, bacteria build-up can occur practically rapidly, thus it is essential to spray an alcohol-based solution on your brushes at least once a day. If you follow this routine, you will only need to deep clean your makeup brushes every two weeks.
I thought that to deep clean very dirty brushes I would need a special arsenal of cleaners… It turns out that the amount of dirt doesn’t matter – all you need are some common sense ingredients such as a glass of hot water, some shampoo (preferably – a baby shampoo), a dry towel, and a little bit of patience.
How to deep clean even da-duuuurrrtiest brushes!
Take a glass or bowl of hot water and add a small amount of baby shampoo.
Place your brushes in the mixture and allow them to soak for around 20 minutes. Be careful not to let them in the water for an extended period! 20-30 minutes are more than enough for proper soaking.
Rinse the brushes thoroughly by keeping them with the handle up, towards the water source. If water goes directly into the brush, you risk weakening the glue that is used to keep the bristles together, and that – trust me – will ruin your brush.
Use some extra shampoo to massage into the brush to remove extra build-up, if needed.
Don’t forget to wash the brushes’ handle too, as that is also a place for bacteria to grow.
Rinse again and make sure any residue of shampoo is removed.
Take a dry towel and place all the brushes on it. This will absorb all the water, yet keep in mind that synthetic brushes require up to 15 hours to dry, while natural brushes will dry in a couple of hours.
If you can, do dry your brushes with their heads upside down to protect the glue! Since it’s very hard to find a way to do that at home, I recommend getting a brush drying holder. They’re not very expensive, and once acquired, will probably last you for many years to come. They look like this:
… And if you want to make your brush cleaning process easier and faster, you can even get innovative products specifically designed for that:
How to clean makeup sponges or beauty blenders?
For cleaning a makeup sponge you can either use a special cleaner or a simple bathroom soap. You will have to do the following:
Place your dirty sponge under warm water, allow it to soak, and squeeze to remove makeup.
Rub the sponge all over the soap bar and make sure is covered completely in soap.
Squeeze and rinse until the water comes out clean. This is a sign your sponge is bacteria and makeup-free.
Place it on a dry towel and allow it to dry for up to 10 hours. Due to its spongy nature, it absorbs plenty of water, which means you will have to be patient to dry it properly!
I admit that at first cleaning your makeup brushes might feel like a nuisance, yet is a must-have to prevent bacteria from transferring on your face when applying makeup. Please don’t wait until you reach a disaster brush situation as I did! Think about your brushes as your hair: you can’t go a week without washing it (unless you have some kind of a miracle secret), and the same happens with brushes. They need to be cleaned regularly both for healthy skin, and the best makeup results. Stay pretty!
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