Every beauty enthusiast knows the importance of keeping makeup brushes clean. However, makeup brush cleaning is not a glamorous step of your beauty routine but neglecting it can be extremely daunting. This is why cleaning makeup brushes and other such tools is essential to your makeup routine.
If you’re also looking for a thorough guide on how to clean makeup brushes effectively, you are at the right spot. In the following article, we’ve covered the essential methods, tips, and tricks, how often you should clean your makeup brushes for effectively cleaning makeup brushes. Read more to delve into the intricacies of boosting the quality of your makeup and its products.
How Often Should You Clean Your Makeup Brushes?
What’s in this article?
Regular and thorough cleaning keeps your makeup brushes hygienic and also ensures flawless makeup application. The cleaning frequency might depend on the usage frequency. Nonetheless, certain other factors also contribute to the cleaning requirements of your makeup brushes. Here’s a thorough guideline that can help you:
- Weekly Cleaning: For brushes used with liquid or cream products like basis, concealer, or cream blush, consider deep cleaning them weekly. These brushes tend to harbor extra bacteria. Excessive bacteria is the result of moisture coming from such makeup products.
- Bi-Weekly Cleaning: When the brushes are used with powder products including eyeshadow, blush, and bronzer, you must clean them every second week. While powder products are less likely to reproduce bacteria, everyday cleansing prevents product buildup and keeps brush performance.
- Monthly Deep Cleaning: Regardless of the usage frequency of your brushes, you must deep clean your brushes once a month. Deep cleaning involves thorough washing with mild soap or brush cleanser. This will remove stubborn makeup residue, dirt, and oils.
- Spot Cleaning: You can consider opting for spot cleanups as per your requirements. This becomes even more important for brushes used with special colors throughout the makeup application procedure. Use a brush cleaner spray or wipes to quickly put off extra product among uses.
- Consider Usage Frequency: If you operate your makeup brushes every day, you need to clean them more often. This is pretty high when compared to a person who only wears makeup occasionally.
- Monitor Brush Condition: Pay interest to the condition of your brushes. If they begin to look or smell grimy, it’s time for a clean. This normally doesn’t depend upon the standard cleansing timetable.
How To Clean Makeup Brushes Easily: Step-by-step Guide
Now that you know the importance of keeping your makeup brushes clean, you must learn how to clean makeup brushes effectively. Makeup brushes cleaning not only makes your task easier but also boosts the quality of your makeup application. The following section covers the steps and tips to help clean your makeup brushes.
Step 1: The Supplies Required:
You can’t accomplish the cleaning process without proper tools, supplies, and pieces of equipment. The following list includes the items and materials needed to clean the makeup brushes:
- Gentle Brush Cleanser
- Mild Shampoo
- Warm Water Source
- Bowl or Container
- Clean Towels
- Paper Towels
- Brush Cleaning Mat
- Gloves
- Brush Holder
- Drying Rack
- Microfiber Clothes
- Vinegar
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Tweezers
Step 2: What To Do?
Now, let’s delve into the major steps to ensure a thorough cleaning. The right steps will help you keep the brushes working efficiently and protect your skin from issues like acne, infections, skin irritations, etc. Follow these steps to get an efficient cleaning experience:
- Foremost, you’ve to rinse the makeup brushes. Take all of your makeup brushes and give them a thorough rinse focusing more on their tips. Use lukewarm water to wash the tips to remove all the leftover makeup products.
- When rinsing the entire brush, make certain to use only normal water as lukewarm water can dissolve the glue. This could become an issue as the glue holds the handle and brush together.
- Now take a gentle shampoo or a clarifying shampoo and put two tablespoons of them in a bowl or container. Add lukewarm water to create a cleaning solution. You should not apply soap and mild detergent to the makeup brushes as they can dry them out.
- Take the makeup brushes one at a time and swirl them inside the prepared cleaning solution. You can also consider massaging them on your palms until all the residual components are removed.
- Rinse the brushes under a running water source to get rid of the residual components and excessive mixture debris. You can repeat the above steps until your brush comes clear.
- If the issue persists even after multiple washes, then you use rubbing alcohol or vinegar. Mix any of these components with water to prepare a cleaning solution and simply apply it to the makeup brushes.
- Leave the cleaning solution for a few minutes and then rinse them well under a running water source. This step will remove all the makeup residue, bacteria, dust, and dirt buildup from the brush tips.
- Once you’re assured that your makeup brushes are cleaned, squeeze excessive water from the tips. You can use dry clothes or paper towels for gentle removal of excessive water and moisture.
- Your brushes will dry slightly through paper towels. After that, lay all the makeup brushes flat on any towel or dry cloth. You can also hang them on a drying rack or brush while keeping the tips downwards. Keeping the brushes upright can deteriorate the adhesive nature of the glue.
Step 3: What To Avoid?
While cleaning the makeup brushes, certain things should be avoided to make it more effective and efficient. We’ve elaborated on some worth considering factors that should be avoided throughout the cleaning process. Let’s have a look at some of them here:
- Hot water can harm the bristles of your brushes. This may make them brittle and prone to breakage. Stick to lukewarm water whenever cleaning the makeup brushes.
- Avoid submerging the entire brush into water. Be attentive not to wet the metallic part that holds the bristles. Water can weaken the glue that holds the bristles and may lead to loss and a shorter lifespan in your brushes.
- Avoid using any type of harsh cleansers including bleach, ammonia, or strong alcohol-primarily based cleaning agents to clean your brushes. These can damage the bristles and strip them of their natural oils, leading to dryness and brittleness.
- While it’s vital to give a thorough clean to your brushes, avoid scrubbing them too vigorously. This is even more important when they have delicate bristles. Instead, use mild, round motions to loosen makeup residue and dust.
- Make sure to rinse your brushes very well after cleaning to remove any leftover soap or cleaner. The residue left at the bristles can irritate your pores and skin and affect make-up application afterward.
- Avoid drying your brushes vertically with the bristles pointing up. This can cause water to seep into the ferrule, loosening the glue. Instead, dry your brushes horizontally or with the bristles pointing downward to allow proper airflow.
- Avoid using excessive heat to dry your brushes. This includes setting them close to a heater or using any additional heat source like a blow dryer. High temperatures can harm the bristles and regulate their shape.
- After cleansing, gently reshape the bristles of your brushes along with your palms to preserve their unique shape. Neglecting to achieve this can bring about misshapen brushes that affect make-up utility and application.
Also Read : How To Clean Hair Brushes With Hydrogen Peroxide
Additional Tips and Tricks For Better Efficiency
Once you’ve cleaned the makeup brushes, you need to maintain the cleanliness and integrity of your makeup brushes. Consider following these tips and tricks for better efficiency and enhancing the longevity of these brushes:
- Invest in a silicone brush cleansing mat or glove with exclusive textures and grooves designed to deep clean brushes more effectively. These tools help to agitate the bristles, dislodging stubborn makeup residue and dust for an intensive smooth.
- Foundation and concealer brushes are more susceptible to accumulating extra product buildup than many other brushes. You need to dedicate extra time to ensure intensive cleaning and interest in deep cleaning these brushes, specifically the densely packed ones.
- If you are short on time or want your brushes equipped for fast use, consider using quick-drying techniques.
- Gently squeeze excess water from the bristles using a clean, soft towel or paper towel, then use a blow dryer on the lowest setting to speed up the drying procedure.
- Ensure the brushes are completely dry before storing them.
- Add the makeup brush cleaning to your daily habit right after every use to save your makeup residue from drying and building up within the bristles. This makes the cleansing system simpler and also helps you maintain the integrity of the bristles over the years.
- Rotate your makeup brushes often to increase their lifespan and save you excessive wear and tear on specific brushes. Having more than one set of brushes permits you to use one set while the other one is being cleaned and dried. This ensures you constantly have smooth brushes reachable.
- Set aside committed time at least once every week to clean and preserve your make-up brushes.
- Creating a regular schedule for brush protection allows you to save the bacteria buildup, dust, and product residue, keeping your brushes in pristine condition for longer.
Also Read : How to Clean Your Foreo Device
Final Words: How To Clean Makeup Brushes
Using dirty and contaminated makeup brushes can cause several skin infections, acne, and allergic reactions. You can prevent all these issues by learning how to clean makeup brushes effectively. If you get skin infections frequently, your makeup brushes could be the culprit behind your issues. Don’t hesitate to get professional help in case the DIY methods are ineffective. Adhere to the safety guidelines to keep your makeup brushes efficient for long-term use.