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Temptalia Asks You - What do you use to clean your brushes?
What do you use to clean your brushes? Brush cleanser (what brand?), shampoo, what?
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i use mac’s brush cleaner
Nice! I haven’t used it yet, but I finally got some, yay!
I use the method I learned for cleaning my brushes in oil painting class. Wet the brush, rub with the direction of the bristles back and forth across a bar of gentle soap, rinse in water by doing the same motion on you palm under running water. Repeat until the water is clean. Reshape brushes and let dry. I find mini hotel facial soaps are perfect for this.
I agree! I use the same method and it’s the best and much cheaper than “Special Brush Cleanser”!
Hi Chic and Charming,
I haven’t heard about this method before, so thank you for sharing! 🙂
You know, I do the same thing, but I don’t think I ever twigged that I had borrowed this from art class. Since I last took art 20-odd years ago…
What a coincidence, I just cleaned ALL my brushes last night. 🙂
I use the same shampoo I use for my hair because it’s really gentle. It’s called DevaCare Low-Poo, funny name I know..lol. But it’s a very mild one made for color treated hair that doesn’t strip away color or moisture and leaves the bristles so nice!
I just wet the bristles, put a dot of shampoo in the palm of my hand and swirl it around, then rinse. And then I lay them flat to dry on a towel- which is VERY important! NEVER put them upright to dry because the moisture will seep down into the ferrule and the handle and warp it!
Hi Trace,
Very nice 😉 Sounds a lot like how I clean mine! Yes, very good to point out never to put them upright to dry!
MAC Brush Cleanser.
I’m eager to try my bottle of this stuff out!
I use MAC’s brush cleaner, too
Sounds like MAC’s is quite popular!
cheap baby shampoo
This is what I have been using for years 🙂
How weird Trace, I just cleaned all my brushes last night too!! Well, I did a little between-uses cleaning…I have these makeup brush cleaner wipes…they look like face cleanser wipes (that’s probably what they are!) and i got them at Sally Beauty Supply pretty cheap, they’re great for just a quick swipe clean. When I do a deep cleaning, I use the regular unscented baby shampoo, and i looooove cleaning brushes!!
I use makeup remover wipes for quick cleaning between applications actually!
I use baby shampoo once a week, and an unscented oil-free baby wipe for quick clean-ups in between.
Hi Nell,
Nice! I try to wash mine once a week, too. The wipes are great for quick cleanings for sure!
Baby wipes & hand sanitizing wipes. Kills germs, gets all the makeup out, CHEAP, and I can do it while watching TV : D
LOL! I’m with you there 🙂
I use MAC brush cleaner daily and then once a week, I use a gentle conditioning shampoo to throughly clean my brushes. I make sure to lay them flat on a towel to dry.
Hi Silk,
Do you feel that the MAC brush cleaner doesn’t get out all of the buildup on its own?
MAC brush cleanser
face wipes (generic)
Seems like this is what a lot of other readers do, too 🙂
I use baby shampoo.
I also use baby whips in between cleanings.
I just whip the brush over the baby whip and then
whip the brush on a dry towel to get the makeup off
the brush.
Hi Meg,
You ladies are all brush cleaning pros, I swear!
I use baby shampoo on them every 2-4 weeks, and I wipe brushes I have used in emollient products off on a wipe after each use. If I have used my brushes on someone else, or just want to get rid of all bacteria, I use Cinema Secrets brush cleaner, which is the BEST brush cleaner in the world! 🙂
Hi Critty,
I’m all about the baby shampoo too 😀
I use MAC brush cleaner (the pink stuff)
I use intimate shampoo (for girly areas) and warm water. That’s it. 😀
Brush Cleaner by MAC along with the brush cleaning jar I got from Michael’s!
I’m so excited, I just finally got MAC’s brush cleaner!
I’ve been using MAC’s brush cleaner for the past 5 years but just recently my MAC MUA told me that the gentle shampoo works just as good and it’s a lot cheaper. So, now I’m using the gentle shampoo and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two cleansers. I’m really happy and my wallet is happy too! =D
For daily use I use Mac brush cleaner and for intensive use I use Johnsons Baby Shampoo
Hi Crystal,
Hmm, I thought I might be able to replace my baby shampoo method with MAC’s brush cleaner, but it doesn’t sound like it from what you ladies are saying!
I use hand soap and water. It does it just as well as anything else I’ve tried. Although now that I hear all of this about baby shampoo, I think I’m going to try it.
MAC brush cleaner.
I use Mac brush cleaner on a daily basis and I deep clean my brushes with Bare Minerals Brush Shampoo every 1 to 2 weeks.
Hi Jen,
How do you like Bare Minerals brush shampoo? Is it better than say, baby shampoo?
I use MAC Brush Cleanser.
Geez, seems like everybody does, lol!! At least I can join the club now 😀
I originally was only using MAC Brush cleaner, but recently learned about using Shampoo! I felt so dumb after finally cleaning my brushes with Shampoo and realizing how much extra makeup came off (as opposed to the brush cleaner). And it was twice as fast! Now I clean them all the time with shampoo, and it makes you feel like you have brand new brushes every time 🙂
Hi Ariana,
WOW! That is good to know. I’ve always used baby shampoo, but I recently received MAC’s Brush Cleaner!
For a quick clean, Shu’s brush cleaner since it dries off faster. For a weekly deeper cleaning, MAC’s brush cleaner.
Hi Nartian,
Oh, that’s good to know! I might have to check out Shu’s!
I use Jane Iredale’s Brush Shampoo, its a “green” product which I love… it also conditions and extends brush life, I use the anti-bacterial botanical spray for in between washes.
http://janeiredale.com/products/brushes.html
Hi Amanda,
Sounds like a great product! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Johnson’s Baby No More Tangles Shampoo + Conditioner for my deep cleanings, and facial wipes for quick wipe offs in between.
Hi HeavenLeiBlu,
What facial wipes do you use?
I clean my brushes with MAC brush cleaner every time I use them, and once a fortnight or so I deep clean using my regular shampoo and conditioner (it’s salon stuff so its very mild!) I need to pick up some Johnson’s Baby Shampoo and keep forgetting!
Oh, wow! I wish I could get myself to do that, but I am too lazy to do it everyday, lol.
I’m another baby shampoo user! I try to clean my brushes once a week with it. For in-between washings, I use a MAC wipe.
Ahh, don’t you love it? Baby shampoo — cheap and effective!
MAC Brush Cleanser every day, then deep clean with baby shampoo once a week (or two, lol)
Sounds good! This seems like what a lot of people do.
MAC brush cleaner weekly, lay flat to dry on paper towels. I was told by a MA that MAC brush cleaner is made of soy protein (to strenghten the bristle) and alcohol (to disinfect and speed up the drying process).
Hi Macaddict,
This is a great method 🙂 Interesting tidbits about the brush cleaner – thanks for sharing!
mac brush cleaner works so well, but two things: 1) pricey 2) my bottle dribbles down the sides when ur trying to pour it! (is it just my bottle?) but it is sooo annoying. anyways i have switched to baby shampoo (my current bottle is Longs brand), and it surprisingly works just as well. and it’s cheap to boot! highly recommended.
The same thing happens with my bottle! Apparently it can’t be just our bottles then… Irritating, isn’t it?
Hi Can,
Baby shampoo is an awesome way to clean brushes. I think I may use my MAC brush cleaner for quick cleanings or in-between.
MACs Brush Cleanser for quick and in between cleaning
some random baby shampoo once a month to deep clean
Haha, I use a random baby shampoo, too!
puppy shampoo 😛
That I haven’t heard about before!
For daily cleaning, i use Sephora brush cleaner. It comes in a little black spray bottle and smells so good! its perfect for when i wore bright colors and then wear neutral the next day. just a quick spray then a wipe on a paper towel.
For deep cleaning, every 2 weeks or so, i use conditioner. the same i use for my hair. Regular conditioner contains a small amoutn of alcohol so it still disinfects, but doesnt dry out the brushes. Works amazing! plus it keeps my brushes super soft. I just take a little dish, squirt a bit of conditioner, fill sink with warm water, dunk the bursh, dip it in a little conditioner, swirl it in my hand, and rinse it out in the sink, then lay flat to dry. Works amazing! and so quick and easy!
Hi Rose,
Thanks for sharing your technique! Good tips here 🙂
baby shampoo and the homemade brush cleaner i learned from enkore (youtube)
Oh, that’s a great way to do it, Karlenma!
I use the enkore homemade cleaner as well. I make one batch and store it in empty prescription bottles. Cleaning all my brushes once a week, on batch lasts about two months!
Awesome! I’ll have to check out that video!