63 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
xamyx Avatar

I use the same for daily/spot cleaning, but I add a few drops of either Tea Tree or Eucalyptus oil for additional anti-bacterial measure. For brushes used for cream products, I first use Lancome Bi-Facil to loosen up the product from the bristles.

For deep-cleaning, which I do once a week, I use baby shampoo or a 50/50 mixture of anti-bacterial dish soap & olive oil.

Ellen Farkas Avatar

I use Paula’s Choice hair and body shampoo to wash my brushes. Its inexpensive, fragrance free, gentle and easy to use. I drop a little in a container of warm water and soak my brushes in it. I later rinse them with cool water, or soak them in clean water if necessary. No need to buy a separate product. My kids still use this as their main shampoo, especially my son.

Liz Avatar

For most brushes, baby shampoo. I like Johnson’s. For brushes that I’ve used liquid or cream products (i.e. foundation, concealer, eyeliner), I use a mixture of 1 part olive oil and 1 part Dawn liquid soap. It gets the makeup right out.

Kesha Avatar

Sonia Kashuk has been pretty good. I also use a tiny bit of Dermalogica Pre-Cleanse on my foundation brush if I use a hard to remove foundation (such as Lancome Teinte Ultra 24H). Good ole baby oil works great too.

Sarah Avatar

Daiso’s Detergent for Puff and Sponge! I first heard about it on BunBunMakeupTips and all the praise is true! It’s quick and even gets the stains out of white bristles. It is a little harsh, forcing me to condition my natural hair brushes, but now they’re softer than they’ve ever been. Not to mention cleaner. Maybe it’s because I’ve never spent more than $5 on a brush cleanser, but the ones I’ve tried always left some residue behind.

Tam Avatar

Can’t wait for the responses on this because I’m not sure how necessary they are. I need some convincing. If using a cleanser that is specifically for makeup brushes makes them perform well or preserves their quality better, then I will be more inclined to buy one. However, if they are no better or worse than a diluted solution of shampoo and water or dishwashing liquid and water, then I’ll keep using the latter.

Danielle Avatar

I like the Sephora brand brush cleaner just to do spot cleaning. But the best brush cleaner to thoroughly clean my brushes is baby shampoo. I’ll add in a little olive oil every once in a while if their is some stubborn makeup still in there.

Anne Avatar

Some water and my regular soap…? It works just fine for me, and while there’s probably a difference with an actual brush cleaner, I’m not sure I’d be able to see it.

Mariella Avatar

Baby shampoo with a few drops of tea tree oil added, or my foaming facial cleanser from Pur Minerals work well. The only dedicated brush cleaner I have is from Lise Watier and it smells so strongly artificial and of alcohol that I really do not like using it. I do want to try either MAC or Cover FX brush cleaner one of these days.

Alexandria Avatar

I use isopropyl alcohol, 91% to disinfect and clean my brushes after each use, since it leaves no lasting smell, hasn’t altered the feel or look of the brushes it works for me. When I deep clean them, about once a week or so, I use baby shampoo.

Maribel Avatar

I use the MAC brush cleanser daily after use. I bought the small travel containers (2 in a pack) and the little spray thing (purchased separately). I refill the small container as need. Once a week I clean them with plain-ol dawn antibacterial soap and warm water.

chiara Avatar

Dr bronners and some water…its oil based so it conditions and breaks down cream products, smells divine, and is so cheap! It works better than MAC in my experience! As long as you can get past the fanatical raving all over the bottle haha.

Mirka Avatar

Spray of Mixture of IPA with mac cleanser and distiled water 1:1:1 after every use and wiing it in white face towel (so you can see when all the make up is off the brush) or two part eye makeup remover for stubborn creamy, waterproof make up, J&J baby shampoo once in a while. I avoid using sponges as much as I can, however for cream foundations I do use beauty blender and that gets cleaned straight away with the baby shampoo. Since I started using make up more often, sponges with stains freak me out. Soz

Michelle Avatar

Parian spirit is amazing, utterly amazing. It is harder to find so I use a different one, but nothing comes close. In make up school I washed my brushes , disinfected them four or five times a day and then deep cleaned every night. I did this for a year five days a week. It dries quickly yet cleans well with just a few sprays, so you can use the brush almost immediately. I was gentle and thorough but I still have all my brushes from then and it’s fifteen years later. And the brushes weren’t even great brushes. They were fine and decent but not close to most of my current brushes.

Dinitchka Avatar

Dawn Blech Alternative. It is the ONLY soap that will strip the foundation from my Sonia Kashuk foundation brush. I will also use regular dish soap for the other brushes. I then dip all the brushes in alcohol and let them dry.

Jennie Avatar

I like to use MAC brush cleaner to get out the makeup, then I follow up with Free & Clear Shampoo to wash out the brush cleaner and soften the brushes (I have VERY sensitive skin). Makes for a lovely soft touch on those first few uses after washing!

Sierrablue Avatar

I use Daiso Sponge and Puff detergent, not a big fan of the spray cleansers as they contain alcohol and dry out the bristles.

Foundation brushes I clean with a bit of cleansing oil (like the Shu Uemura one), it removes the liquid foundation residue quite nicely.

Miss J Avatar

I use MAC Brush Cleanser to spot clean. I also use MAC Brush Cleanser after I deep clean with baby shampoo just to help thoroughly disinfect and dry the brushes faster. Sometimes I use a baby shampoo and oil mix for really dirty, hard to clean brushes. Also, I wash my “beauty blender” with antibac dish soap and warm water after each use.

This is what I’ve been doing for years, and it has worked well to keep my brushes clean and in good shape.

Jade Avatar

I use both MAC Brush Cleanser and Johnson’s conditioning baby shampoo. I find the shampoo works really well for most powder and liquid products, and if I can’t get a tough product out I use MAC brush cleanser. I would never use normal shampoo, I’m concerned it would be too harsh! I am keen to try normal baby shampoo though, see if I notice any difference.

Raquel Avatar

i spray with alcohol and swirl it in a tissue to get rid off most pigment and wash them with baby shampoo but not that often. only when i feel like they are really dirty and start to compromise color payoff. since i desinfect them with alcohol i guess it’s ok. so far they are good with this routine.

Leigh Avatar

Primarily MAC brush cleanser. It’s the only one that I feel like is conditioning enough. With stubborn foundation or lip products, I use MAC Cleanse-Off Oil. I’m surprised so many people use baby shampoo. It’s so alkaline (to match the pH our eyes and prevent stinging) that its very drying on our skin and is the same for our brushes.

Susan Nevling Avatar

I use a spray cleanser daily when changing colors- Sephora or Sonia Kashuk.

For deep cleaning, about once a month, I use either Beauty Blender cleanser or baby shampoo.

Anne Avatar

The best brush cleaner I’ve tried has unfortunately been discontinued: Clean & Clear’s Makeup Removing Cleanser. You can sometimes find it online on places like eBay and stores like Big Lots. It’s a foaming cleanser that removes makeup thoroughly but is gentle. I stocked up on it for use on my face and only discovered by chance how good it is for brushes.

Heather Avatar

I use The Master’s Brush Cleaner & Preserver because it cleans the brushes great and protects them when they are in my bag. The preserver makes them stiff until you gently flex the bristles. Plus it cleans my brushes better than anything else I have tried

Donna Avatar

I use Bobbi Brown or Trish McEvoy for my brushes, but when there is stubborn pigment or if they need extra cleaning, I use Philosophy Purity (just because I have the 50 gallon drum and I’m trying to use it up), but to get really stubborn pigment, MAC Cream Cleanser works like a charm.

summerbllue Avatar

91% alcohol for a a quick clean. For a deeper cleaning on synthetic brushes either pink soap or Cinema Secrets. For natural hair brushes I rotate between Cinema Secrets, The Master’s Brush Cleaner & Preserver & Enkoremakeup’s cleaning formulas.

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!