How to Clean the Makeup Brushes

Cleaning up your makeup tools also means proper hygiene. It is advisable to clean/wash your makeup brushes at least once a month but I love to do it every 2 weeks because of the heavy product buildup on my brushes due to daily use.

Do you know that bacteria are also collected with it? They love to linger on damp areas especially if you use liquid foundation and apply it using a stippling brush or foundation brush. So it really is a must to clean them. Makeup tools can last longer or a lifetime if properly cared for. Mind you, they don't come cheap.

How to Clean the Makeup Brushes
[photo source]

How to Clean the Makeup Brushes

1. Dip your makeup brush on a container with a makeup brush shampoo.

Check out my post on DIY: Makeup Brush Shampoo.

2. Clean it on your hands in a circular motion both clockwise and counterclockwise.

3. Wet the brush with water and continue doing the previous step. You will notice that the foam changes its color. This is caused by the pigments and product buildup on your brush.

4. Place the brush under running water until there are no more foams left.

5. For bigger brushes, I prefer to do steps 1 - 4 all over again to make sure that my brushes are super clean. But you can also skip this step if you are already satisfied.

6. Squeeze out the excess water from the brush using a dry towel but I prefer using a tissue because I clean a lot of makeup brushes at the same time. One dry towel might not be enough to dry them out.

7. Lay them on the tissue or on a dry towel while you are still cleaning up your other brushes.

8. Once all are done. Let them air dry upside down and remember not to blow dry them as it will damage the bristles. Be creative on how to do it. For me, I use a brush guard to dry them out.

Check out my post on the brush guards.

TIP

+ You don't have to wait a month or 2 weeks to clean your brushes as you can actually do it every day. But I don't want that because it takes a while to air dry my brushes and I only have two sets of makeup brushes to use alternately when I clean the other set. So while your clean up schedule is not yet due you can wipe your brushes after every use as initial cleaning.

Credits to Michelle Phan for this post.