Clean Mac Makeup Brushes

Mac cosmetics is one of the most well known makeup companies, but their products are often quite expensive. You don't want to have to replace a pricey brush just because it is dirty. You can clean a mac brush with a cleanser like baby shampoo or soap. You can then gently clean the handle. Make sure you clean them regularly and dry them in a manner that won't harm the handles of the brushes.

Steps

Cleaning the Bristles of the Brush

1. Rinse the brushes in lukewarm water. Before you begin the cleaning process, you want to rinse out any makeup stuck on the brush. Run each brush under lukewarm water until they're all slightly damp and there is no makeup stuck on. Just run the edges of the bristles under the water, as this is the area where there is likely makeup caked on.
   • Do not get the part of the brush where the bristles meet the handle wet.
2. Choose a cleaning agent. There are a variety of cleaners you can use to clean your brushes. You can purchase Mac cleaner online or at a mac store, but this can be pricey. Household products can also be used to clean makeup brushes.
   • If you use soap, make sure to select unscented white soap.
   • You can also use baby shampoo, which may be more gentle on the bristles of a brush.
   • Olive or almond oil can also be used on brushes, but should only be used on brushes that are heavily coated in makeup. If you choose to use oil, only use a very small amount.
3. Fill a bowl with water and your cleaning agent. Take a small bowl from your kitchen. Fill this bowl up with lukewarm water and add a small amount of your cleaning agent.
   • Remember, if you're using oil as a cleaning agent, you should only use a small amount.
4. Swirl the brush in the bowl. Take your brush and swirl the tip gently in the cleaning solution. Keep swirling until the brush has worked up a slight lather.
   • If necessary, rub the brush on the palm of your hand in order to work up a lather.
5. Rinse the brush and repeat the process. Run the brush under lukewarm tap water to rinse. Then, empty out the bowl, refill it with water and your cleaning agent, and repeat the process.
   • Keep rewashing the brush until the water runs clean when you're rinsing it.
   • How many times you need to wash a brush depends on how dirty it is. If you wash your brushes regularly, it may be clean after only a couple of cycles. If you haven't washed your brushes in awhile, you may have to do quite a few cleaning cycles before they come clean.
6. Dry the brushes. Gently squeeze out the brushes to get out excess water. Then, set all your brushes down on a clean paper towel. Leave them alone until they dry completely.
   • Brushes can take as long as 24 hours to dry.

Cleaning the Handle

1. Pour rubbing alcohol onto a paper towel. You can clean the handles of brushes with rubbing alcohol. The handles of brushes build up a lot of bacteria over time, so you want to clean them after cleaning the bristles of the brushes.
   • Pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel.
   • You do not need a lot of rubbing alcohol. The paper towel should be damp, but not dripping wet.
2. Swab the brush with the paper towel. Gently run the paper towel over the handle of the brush. Swab it lightly to remove any bacteria. Make sure you clean the entire handle. Do not leave any portions uncleaned.
3. Protect the numbers and labels with nail polish. Brushes often contain labels and serial numbers. These are important, as they let you know what the brush is for. They can rub off during the cleaning process, but you can easily protect them with clear nail polish.
   • Simply apply a small amount of makeup over the numbers and labels of your brushes.
   • Set the brushes aside and let them dry. Once dry, they should provide a protective covering that keeps the labels from fading.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

1. Clean brushes after using them. You should not wait until your brushes are very dirty to clean them. In addition to getting makeup caked on, dirty brushes can carry bacteria. Give your brushes a light cleaning after each use.
   • Always give the bristles of your brush a light cleaning with antibacterial soap and water after each use.
   • You can use brush cleaner as well, but it's expensive and not entirely necessary to the cleaning process. Antibacterial soap and water can disinfect a brush just as well.
2. Dry wooden brushes at an angle. You can do a lot of damage to wood brushes if you they get wet during the drying process. If exposed to water, especially overnight, they may crack. You always want to dry wooden brushes at a slight angle to avoid damage.
   • When setting wood brushes down to dry, roll up the end of the paper towel slightly. Then, set the wooden ends of the brushes on the rolled up end, so they're tilted downward slightly.
   • This will allow the water to drip out of the bristle end of the brushes. The water will not roll downward and get onto the wooden portion of the brushes.
3. Use conditioner if your brushes feel stiff. Oftentimes, brushes get slightly stiff after washing them. You can use a small amount of conditioner to get the brushes soft again.
   • Massage a tiny amount of conditioner onto the bristles of the brushes.
   • Then, rinse the brushes completely in lukewarm water. Set the brushes aside to dry.

Tips

• Brush cleaner is not necessary and can be expensive. Things like baby shampoo and soap work just as well to clean brushes.

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Clean Makeup Brushes Using Olive Oil and Soap

What links here

• Apply MAC Makeup
• Clean Makeup Brushes Using Olive Oil and Soap