Essential Guide to Cleaning Makeup Brushes

I’m not perfect at cleaning my brushes regularly. Though it is recommended to clean your makeup brushes every 7-10 days, I usually only get to it when I realize it’s been a bit too long (gross, I know).

Here are the reasons its best to keep your makeup brushes as clean as you can.

It helps to prevent skin concerns such as breakouts,infection, and clogged pores that occur from bacteria accumulation.
Clean brushes make for the best makeup application.
Brush upkeep. Washing brushes regularly will increase their lifespan.
Dirty brushes can contaminate your makeup products.

My Cleaning Routine to Freshen Brushes

Soap

Bottle of Baby shampoo used for gentle makeup brush cleaning.

I wash my brushes with a gentle soap that is mild and will not disturb the bristles. I used to use hair shampoo as it is more mild than hand soap and that works fine. But you don’t want to use up your shampoo for brush cleaning. So I bought an inexpensive bottle of baby shampoo just for this purpose.

Cleaning Pads

Here are the cleaning pads that I use. They are just cheap ones I got from the dollar store. They come with a suction on the back side so you can suction them to the sink. But I find it easier and more effective to just hold the pad in one hand and scrub with the other.

Cleaning Process

Wet the brush and apply a decent sized drop of soap directly onto the bristles.
Scrub in a circular motion against the cleaning pad.(Be sure to avoid the ferrule as much as possible. The ferule is the part of the brush that connects the bristles to the handle. If it gets wet it can loosen the glue that holds the bristles in place and ruin your brush.)
Rinse and scrub again. I keep Rinsing until the water runs clear.

Pretty self explanatory….I know lol

And for the last step, I lay them flat to dry on a towel. (It’s best not to let them dry standing as that would also put moisture into the ferrule and potentially damage your brushes.) When they are almost dry I brush them against the towel. Then continue to let them air out until they dry completely.