Makeup Brush Cleaning 101

Back in April I uploaded a post dedicated to brushes and shared my top three picks from Real Techniques.

The post had such a good response, I wanted to follow on from that and let you inside my brush cleaning routine.

Cleaning your brushes is so important. I honestly cannot stress that enough. Not only is product building up in those bristles but so is bacteria. Gross, but true. And if you are a regular brush user and not cleaning them frequently, then guess where that bacteria is going? Straight on your face.

Are you a culprit? Don’t feel too ashamed. I was the worst when it came to brush cleaning, but it’s only when you start to read about how dirty they get that it’s almost impossible not to wash them.

So how do I keep my brushes clean?

There are two types of brush cleaning – spot cleaning and deep cleaning.

1) Spot cleaning - required if you needed to use a brush you’d just applied product with, to apply something else. It’s an immediate clean and doesn’t involve using water. Instead, you’d use a brush cleaner (so many brands do this, but M.A.C’s is probably the most well known) so your brushes are immediately ready for use.

2) Deep cleaning - what gets all that yucky product and bacteria build up gone and should be done once a week. This involves giving your brushes a little TLC. I have recently picked up Dr Bronner’s Magic Unscented 18-1 Soap for deep cleaning, $7.95 from David Jones. I have also used Johnson and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, which does the trick just fine. Mixing soap and water together, along with paper towel to swirl your brushes on to remove all the excess, then leaving them to dry overnight is my preferred technique.

RR TIP: Cleaning your brushes is not only important for stopping bacteria build up, but it will also ensure the longevity of your brushes. Clean brushes wont require as much product for application either, so it’s win win all round.

Whether you use your brushes everyday or sparingly, both spot and deep cleaning is essential for hygienic reasons, not to mention helping your makeup apply better. So stop putting it off and give those brushes of yours some lovin.

Until next time,

ajarose xo

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