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I’ll be honest, this is an area that I am a little weak in. Not because I don’t see the value in having clean makeup brushes, trust me I can tell a difference, but oftentimes it’s just not in the forefront of my mind. But I am getting super intentional with this, doing better and because of my newfound motivation, I’m sharing with you how to best care for your makeup brushes and linking some of the products I use!
Starting with the basics, your makeup brushes are made up of a handle or shaft, there is the ferrule (or the metal part that connects the bristles to the handle) and the bristles. The handle of your brush is going to be made from some sort of wood, resin, acrylic, plastic or bamboo material. The ferrule, which is made up of a metal anywhere from aluminum to copper, contains an adhesive product under the metal portion which enables the bristles to be attached to the brush. Finally the bristles are made up of anything from natural fibers from animals to synthetic ones.
If you’re someone who has found yourself no longer achieving that smooth makeup application, your skin is experiencing breakouts or something has changed and you just can’t put your finger on it, more than likely your makeup tools are to blame. With each makeup application, regardless of the makeup formula you are using, dirt, oil, bacteria and your products build up on the fibers of your makeup brush. You are then reintroducing those compromising factors to your skin with each application and it could be causing issues. By regularly cleaning your brushes, not only can you improve your application due less build up on the brush, but you can also extend the life of your brushes! Properly caring for your brushes will help clean, sanitize and condition your brush’s bristles and with routine care you could be improving the longevity of those brushes which saves you money in the end.
So let’s talk about brush cleaning, shall we?! There are three main ways to clean your brushes! You can use a makeup tile, an instant dry cleaner or a shampoo/soap and water cleanser. The biggest thing to remember is foundation or face brushes “ideally” should be cleaned weekly and brushes that apply product to your eyes may be cleaned after each use to avoid transfer of pigment between looks but at minimum every other week. That seems daunting, hence why I struggle in this area, but if you consistently care for your brushes, they will thank you (and so will your face!).
These are great for quickly cleaning off product/pigment in between shades. I prefer this method more so for my powder products (mostly eyeshadows) than liquids or creams. You can swirl your brush over the “tile” (essentially it is a sponge) and the pigments will be removed from the bristles and be transferred to the sponge’s surface. I think these work better for brushes that are smaller versus larger face and blending brushes. The downside to this method of cleaning? Due to the nature of the product, again being a sponge-like material, these will need to be replaced somewhat frequently and they don’t actually sanitize or condition your brush. You’d still want to clean them even after using the tile/sponge. I have linked some of my favorites!
This is a commonly used method for cleaning brushes, and probably one of my favorites. The reason being, because you can literally clean the brush right before you apply your products. It's important to know that most of these do contain some form of alcohol to allow it to dry instantly and sanitize those brushes. When using a brush cleaner like this, you can spray the cleaner directly to the brush bristles or spray a microfiber cloth or paper towel. You’ll then clean the brush off on that towel and you’ll see your makeup transfer from the bristles to the towel instantly! This makes for a quick and easy clean and there is no overnight dry time required. This method proves great for those weekly brush cleanings.
This is the more traditional method people are familiar with when discussing brush cleaning. Oftentimes baby shampoo or dish soap is used as it’s a little more gentle on those bristles. This is a great method to use for deep cleaning brushes and is often paired with a silicone brush mat/plate to help remove build up on bristles. There are a few things to consider when using shampoo/soap to cleanse your brushes. First, you definitely do not want to submerge your brushes in water for cleaning. It’s fine to allow water to run over the brush head, but submerging will allow water to get into the ferrule and could compromise the glue holding your bristles onto the brush. Next, you need to lay them flat to dry. This again prevents water from getting into the ferrule. Also consider that if you use this method for cleaning, which it’s suggested to do once a month, there will be overnight dry time so you’ll want to plan accordingly.
That was just a brief overview on how to best care for your makeup tools, I've also linked a quick video below demonstrating each method. My goal in sharing is to help educate you, improve your makeup application, avoid compromising your skin integrity and helping to increase the longevity of those tools! If you use one of these methods and it’s not with a product I’ve mentioned, I’d love to hear what you’re using!
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