How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

The secret is out! For a flawless look, you need a selection of high-quality beauty products plus great makeup brushes. Good makeup brushes are a must-have investment in your confidence. Apart from helping you to apply makeup like a pro, they can last for five years or more if you look after them. But, keeping them hygienic means you have to clean them regularly.

This might leave you with a few questions. How often should you clean your makeup brushes? And, dear to your heart once you’ve found a brush set that you love, how can you clean makeup brushes without ruining them?

Why Clean Your Makeup Brushes?

It’s not just a matter of cleaning away makeup residues – although that’s important too. Even fabulous Estee Lauder products can get messy if you’re applying them along with whatever you last used your brushes for.

Cleaning your brushes also rids them of old skin flakes, oil from your skin – and the things that feed on them. Surprised? Our skins teem with microscopic mites, bacteria, and fungi – it’s a whole ecosystem. Don’t worry! Nasty as that may sound, these invisible creatures are mostly harmless, but they can cause acne outbreaks, and that’s definitely something to avoid.

That’s why professional makeup artists clean their brushes after every use. You needn’t, but they’ll still need freshening up more often than you might have realised.

How Often Should You Clean Makeup Brushes?

Brushes that you use to apply liquid makeup will need attention more often than the ones you use to apply powders. Clean the brushes you use for liquids two or three times a week and the ones you use for powders at least once a week.

Luckily for us, it’s just a little chore that takes a couple of minutes, but you may want a few tips to help you get that deep cleaning without damage. Here’s what you need to know.

What Should I Use to Clean My Makeup Brushes?

Plain water won’t cut through the oily residues that build up on makeup brushes. You can get special makeup brush cleaning agents that even condition the bristles, but you can also get great results with some of the soaps you already have around the house.

You do want to choose a product that will work gently. Dissolve the glue that holds your makeup brush together with harsh cleaning agents, and it will start shedding like an Old English Sheepdog in springtime. That’s definitely not what you want from a makeup brush!

Baby shampoo is an excellent choice. Gentle skincare soaps can work well too, and even a gentle formulation of dish soap shouldn’t harm your makeup brushes.

How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes: Step-by-Step

If hearing that you should clean makeup brushes so often leaves you feeling a little daunted, you’ll be happy to see just how quick and easy it is. Simply follow these steps.

Step 1: Moisten the brush under warm (but not hot) running water. To protect the glue, just wet the bristles, not the whole handle.

Step 2: Squeeze a little cleaning agent into the palm of your hand. Brush the bristles through the soap using gentle, circular motions.

Step 3: Rinse the brush under running water, avoiding the handle, until the water runs clear.

Step 4: Gently squeeze out the bristles without twisting or pulling.

Step 5: Lay the brushes out to dry on a piece of towelling.

That’s it! Nothing could be easier! Worried about wetting the handle by accident? It isn’t the end of the world. Professional makeup artists say that they do wash the handles at times too.

When Should You Replace Your Makeup Brushes?

Regular washing will help your brushes to last longer, and storing them upright with the brush side up will help to keep bristles in good condition. Choose a dry environment. Steamy bathrooms will encourage the growth of bacteria and fungi.

But, even when you look after them well, all good things come to an end, and even the best makeup brushes won’t last forever. If the bristles are buckled and don’t straighten out after you wash them, you should probably consider replacing your makeup brush. And, of course, when they start to shed hairs, it’s time to bid even your favourite brushes a fond farewell.

Replacing those essential brushes with even better ones may be easier and more affordable than you think. Visit our Cosmetics Company Store and Beauty Outlet stores for makeup brushes at prices as attractive as the big-name brands we offer.

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