How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes
It is recommended that you wash your cosmetics brushes weekly. But if you have a busy lifestyle and cannot devote the time to it, then at minimum you should wash them once a month. Washing your brushes removes the oils and dirt that gets on them from your daily makeup. When makeup builds up on the brushes, it is easier for your pores to get clogged. You are also putting old dirt and oils back into your makeup compact, which will not help to keep it as fresh as possible.
Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, associate clinical professor of dermatology at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences says “bacteria including staph and E. coli, along with viruses like the cold sore virus, can live on bristles for a long time.” If that is not enough to want you to make washing your makeup brushes part of your Sunday laundry routine, then hopefully you can at least recognize that keeping your brushes clean is essentially as important as rinsing your toothbrush daily to keep your teeth clean.
Most makeup brushes are either made from natural hair bristles or synthetic ones. Natural hair bristle brushes are the ones that come with your Bare Minerals makeup products, so makeups that are powders and pigments. Blush is usually always applied with a natural hair bristle since it helps spread the pink powder all over your cheekbones. You also probably use natural hair brushes with your banana powder and setting powders.
Synthetic brushes are smooth and almost feel like you are touching wet hair since they are typically made to glide smoothly over one’s face. These makeup brushes are used for wet-type products such as foundations, creams and lipsticks. A cream blush would use a synthetic brush since it would help it blend smoothly into your skin.
It is very easy to wash your brushes without even having to specifically buy a makeup cleaning product. However, keep in mind that the two different types of brushes need to be washed in different ways.
To wash your natural hair brushes, you can use baby shampoo or even laundry detergent. All you need is to mix water and a little of the cleaning product in a bowl. Gently dip the brushes into the bowl moving them around from front to back for about 30 seconds. After dipping them into the bowl, run your brushes under warm water until they run clear, about 2 minutes. Once washed, squeeze any excess water from the bristles and lay them flat on a towel to dry. They will be ready for use the next day.
To clean your synthetic brushes, you will need a bar of soap. Any bar of soap will do, preferably a non-moisturizing soap though since you want to get all the oils out. Wet only the tip of the brush then stroke the brushes back and forth on the bar of soap until they are covered in suds. You can do this for about 2 minutes. Once they are soaped up, run them under warm water until the water runs clean. Once finished, squeeze out the excess water and lay them flat to dry overnight.
To help keep your brushes clean between washings, Tanzi says you should keep your brushes in a closed container. This helps to prevent any dust particles from landing on your brushes while they are laying on your vanity or on the bathroom counter. Some cool ideas for keeping your brushes covered include plastic pencil boxes or art supply containers. One of my favorite containers for keeping my brushes dust-free is the InterDesign Vanity Organizer Rain Cosmetic Brush Organizer from Bed Bath and Beyond. It is clear, so you can see all the brushes in the organizer and with its upright shape makes it easy to pull out the brushes you want and put them right back in.
Born and raised in the DMV, Emma Blancovich has a big appreciation for discovering things to do around town, such as new restaurants to try and supporting the local music scene by attending live shows. During the week she is an editor for trade associations, but on the weekends you can find her hiking up trails with the latest fitness gadgets then getting ready for a night out using the latest beauty and health products.