Wash Makeup Brushes
Dirty makeup brushes can transfer old makeup, germs, and bacteria to your skin each time you use them. You can avoid this by regularly washing your brushes to get rid of buildup. As a bonus, washing your brushes also makes them work better, since when they dry they'll be good as new. Learn a few different washing techniques you can try to clean your brushes once a week.
Contents
Steps
Using a Sponge and Baby Shampoo
- Wet a clean sponge with water and a squirt of baby shampoo. You can place the sponge in a large bowl to make for easier cleanup. You shouldn't need more than a dime-sized amount of shampoo, since a little goes a long way.
- Make sure the sponge you use is either brand new or squeaky clean. Don't use a sponge that's already been used to wash your dishes; you'll just transfer the bacteria to your brushes.
- You can use a mild body wash or face cleanser in place of baby shampoo. There are also special soaps you can buy for the purpose of cleaning brushes.
- Swirl the tips of your brushes over the sponge. This will work up a slight lather and help the soap saturate your brushes. Don't press too hard, since you don't want to damage the bristles; just lightly rub the brushes over the sponge in a circular motion.
- Try not to get soap into the barrel of the brush, where the bristles are attached to the handle. Getting soap and water in there can cause the glue to loosen and the bristles to fall off.
- If you're cleaning a lot of brushes, you might want to start with just two or three, then rinse the sponge and change out the soap.
- Rinse the brushes under a stream of warm water. Hold them under the faucet to rinse off the soap. Rotate the brushes to make sure all the soap gets rinsed off. Again, make sure you don't get too much water into the barrel of the brush; focus on running water over the bristles, and not the upper part of the brush.
- Use warm, not hot, water. Hot water can loosen the glue and damage the bristles.
- If you still see residue after rinsing, clean and rinse the brushes again.
- Lay the brushes flat to dry. Place them on a clean towel and spread them out so there's no overlap. Let the brushes dry completely before you use them again. If you clean your brushes in the evening, they should be dry by morning.
- If you have a brush with a specific shape, such as a fan, gently reshape the bristles before laying it out to dry.
- Do not use a hair dryer to speed along the drying process. The heat can damage the glue holding the bristles in place and cause them to fall out.
Using a Bar of Soap
- Wet a bar of soap. Choose a bar of plain soap without added lotions and other substances that could linger on the brush bristles. Get the bar wet with warm water and set it inside a bowl, so it won't slip away.
- Swirl the tips of your brushes over the soap. Use a gentle circular motion to work up a lather so that the soap is distributed throughout the brush bristles. Keep going until you've worked up a good lather.
- Don't press down too hard as you swirl, since this can damage the bristles. Let the soap do the work of cleaning the brushes.
- Try not to get soap into the barrel of the brushes, where the bristles are glued to the handles. This can loosen the glue and shorten the lifespan of your brushes.
- Rinse the brushes in a stream of warm water. Turn on the tap and let the water rinse your brushes. Rotate the brushes to make sure all the soap gets removed. Be careful not to get water into the brush barrels.
- Be sure to use warm, not hot, water. Hot water could damage the brushes.
- Check the brushes to see if the makeup is gone; if you still see residue, you can repeat the process.
- Lay the brushes flat to dry. Place them on a clean towel and let them air dry completely. Spread them out so the brushes don't overlap with one another. They should be dry within a few hours.
- Reshape the bristles of brushes that have special shapes.
- Don't be tempted to speed along the process with a hair dryer; the hot air will damage the brushes.
Using Olive Oil
- Pour a tablespoon of olive oil onto a clean sponge. Olive oil acts as a gentle cleanser, and it also conditions brushes to help keep the bristles from drying out. It's a great way to clean brushes that are made with natural hairs or fibers. If your brushes are plastic, soap is the better way to go.
- Swirl the brushes over the surface of the sponge. Try to saturate the bristles with olive oil. You can use more olive oil if needed. Swirl the brushes until the residue on the brushes has been transferred to the sponges. Repeat until you can run the brushes over the sponge without leaving a trace of makeup behind.
- Rinse the brushes under warm running water. This removes excess olive oil. Hold the brushes under the water and rotate them to remove all traces of olive oil. Be careful not to get water into the barrels of the brushes, since this could loosen the glue and cause bristles to fall out.
- Lay the brushes flat to dry. Place them on a clean towel and let them dry for a few hours or overnight. Reshape the bristles of brushes that have a special shape. Remember not to use a hair dryer to speed the process along, since this can damage your brushes.
Tips
- When air drying the brushes, let them lay at a slight downward angle so that water will not pool where the bristles are gathered.
- Wash your brushes, at most, weekly or biweekly. Washing them too often will damage them.
- Using conditioner on brushes with real hair will make them soft and keep the quality of the hair, but make sure to rinse thoroughly to avoid sticky brushes.
- To keep your brushes evenly dry; turn them over once every few hours.
Warnings
- Do not soak the handles, as it may loosen the glue that holds the hairs in place.
- Be gentle while washing your brushes to avoid the bristles changing shape or some falling out.
Things You'll Need
- Baby shampoo or mild hand soap
- Warm water
- Small towel
- Olive oil (optional)
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