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How do you clean your makeup brushes?
I use Dr. Bronners’ liquid soap (unscented). I use about 1/4 part soap to 3/4 part water, mix, and then I use that as my cleanser.
— Christine
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If I’m going to deep clean them, which I ought to be doing more frequently anyway, I mix coconut oil with Suave Clarifying shampoo together, smush that mixture into bristles, working it into a froth, then rinse well, blot dry, lay them on paper towels to dry with brush heads tilted downwards.
But I’m lazy. So there is a lot of Sephora Daily Brush Cleaner and foam from Colourpop orders getting used instead. ?
Lately I have been using equal parts Dawn blue dish soap and extra virgin olive oil and I’ve really been liking it. Gets my really dense kabuki brushes and Real Techniques sponge spotless!
Hi Taylor, I used the same method once before and believe I used the same ratio, but my brushes took a very long time to get completely dried. does that happen to you as well?
Thank you!
I use Bobbi Brown’s Brush Cleaning Spray for regular cleaning and Bobbi Brown’s Brush Conditioning Shampoo when brushes need deep cleaning (esp. for brushes uses to apply foundation, concealer and cream complexion products).
I just use whatever’s convenient. Hand soap or sometimes shampoo. All my brushes are synthetic so they don’t require any particularly special handling.
With baby shampoo and lukewarm water.
likewise =]
I use Dr. Bronner’s too. I just put a couple of drops on a brush cleaning mat and just swirl wet brushes on top.
I used savon de Marseille ( Marseille’s soap) and olive oil
My brushes are pretty cheap quality but a quick wash comprising of a pump of cetaphil and running water usually cleans them up ok. I should probably invest in a proper brush cleaner but I only use brushes for my eyes, blush and powder so they don’t get cleaned very often.
I’ve recently started using Quo’s solid brush cleaner. It is absolutely amazing. I’ve never used a solid brush cleaner before so I’m not sure if it’s better, worse or the same as similar products from other companies but I am so pleased with it (though the tin could do with an air hole so the soap can dry). Before that, on Christine’s suggestion, I was using Dr. Bronner’s (the peppermint one as I have a litre sized bottle of it to use up!) and that was working really well. And before that, Johnson’s baby shampoo, which also worked pretty well, though I found it didn’t get my KvD brushes back to their original white tips.
I’ve been using my face wash – classic Liquid Neautrogena – for a long time. I works great. BUT I ordered a Clean Apothecary solid brush shampoo from Beautylish this week (to boost me up to free shipping course, lol) and I am excited to try that. I bought one of those brush cleaning mats a while ago, but I usually just swirl the brushes in my palm with a dollop of cleaner until they run clear. I’ve also learned that brush guards for drying make a huge difference with natural brushes so they don’t splay!
I use a baby shampoo with water. i never used a brush cleanser because i have heard many famous makeup artists saying that they clean their brushes using cheap baby shampoo.
i use same =]
I use Dr. Bonners Baby unscented bar soap at the kitchen sink. I get the bar good and wet then rub the brush on the bar, give it a good shampoo, and rinse. Then I pop them into a towel covered strainer to dry.
I just use some unscented soap and water as my brush cleanser. I only have less expensive brushes right now, so I don’t take the best care with them. I only take the best care with the few Real Techniques brushes I have, but even then I could take better care in cleaning and drying them.
Sephora solid brush cleanser for deep cleaning, Sephora brush wipes for quick cleaning
I use DHC olive oil cleanser/makeup remover….it emulsifies with water, rinses clean and the oil keeps the brushes nicely conditioned so they stay soft! Just a few drops in my palm and swish the brushes around and it takes EVERYTHING off!
Do you use the DHC Olive Oil Cleanser for both synthetic and real hair brushes?
I use this to remove my makeup and love it, by far my favorite oil cleanser of the many I have tried. I just never thought to use it for my brushes.
I use it for all brushes and have great success with all of them…..I think using an oil cleanser helps with the longevity of my brushes. They don’t dry out like if used a soap based product…..I have used other oil cleansers too but DHC is my favorite
I use mostly shampoo, especially when my current one does not work for me. If I’m not keen on my body or face wash, they’ll get used to. so I can finish them faster.
I’m not deep or spot cleaning brushes, I just give them a good wash every couple of days. I use brushes on my face, I want to have them clean as much as possible, without hording tens of them. And from Real Techniques, to Sephora or MAC brushes, they seem to last through years of washing 2 times a week.
I wipe them with a microfiber cloth immediately after use; synthetic eye brushes get cleaned with alcohol or a fast-drying brush spray like Japonesque or Sephora’s instant-dry spray right after that, as do synthetic brushes with liquid or cream products on them.
When I wash them, I currently use the Beauty Blender solid soap (an unscented cleanser seems least likely to cause problems like bristle deterioration or skin reactions) and running water, holding them tip-down. I have a silicone glove with nubby bits, which is useful for getting stubborn concealer out of bristles. I squeeze out water with a microfiber cloth or paper towel and re-shape; dry with the tips hanging down, in a brush tree, with brush guards where needed. If I have to wash in really humid summer weather I put the brush tree near the air conditioner to speed drying (in the winter, the indoor heating already pulls most of the moisture out of the air). In order to get really stubborn pigments out (some lipsticks and blue eyeshadows) I’ll resort to Parian Spirit, being extra-careful to keep it out of the ferrule.
Sephora brand solid cleanser, brush mat or the palm of my hand for swirling — voila, over in a jiffy. Once a week come hell or high water. 🙂
I use Dr. Bronner’s unscented liquid soap too, i love that is biodegradable and its been my body wash for years now too.
I use Marseille soap or olive soap for my brushes and sponges and baby soap for my powder puffs.
and that reminds me… I really need to make time to clean my brushes ( I havent really been wearing makeup in the last few months due to some skin issues that I wanted to resolve … and lazy). I use the walgreens brand of Dr Bronner’s peppermint soap and water or dawn dish detergent if I have it handy.
I usually use Dr. Bronner’s (any kind).
For brushes that I use for cream or liquid products or that are extra disgusting, I use dish soap.
Shea Butter African Black Soap — really cheap and all natural. One bar lasts forever. Always let them dry vertically in brush guards, brush portion facing downwards. I use the black soap and a tiny bit of cleansing oil to clean my beauty blenders.
I use MAC brush cleaner to spot clean during the week and then also use Bronners (roughly the same ratio but the lavender one) to clean them on Sundays.
Clinique brush cleaner and an old rag. I spray the cleaner on my brush and get some of the color out by hand, then buff it out on the rag with some more cleaner until it stops transferring.
I use dawn soap and olive oil it leaves my natural hair bristles super soft after each wash ?
What’s up with the olive oil? Doesn’t it leave your brushes with an oily residue? I do not understand…
I use Parian Spirit for daily cleans, and a good shampoo up with one of those little knobby brush cleaner pads about once a week or every two weeks for a nice deep cleanse. I use the same shampoo as what I use on my hair to keep them soft and well conditioned, Fekkai or Oribe. I really adore Parian Spirit, it’s tremendous on stubborn cream shadows and foundation, and it smells a good deal better (fresh citrus) than Cinema Secrets, which is a lovely product but has a chemical, solvent scent with an unnatural hint of vanilla that does linger on the brushes.
I put Isopropyl Alcohol in a spray bottle and spray them
I found a ‘recipe’ for brush cleaner which works fantastic. It’s supposed to be the same as Mac’s brush cleaner
*2 Cups Distilled Water
*1/2 Cup Isopropyl Alcohol (The Higher the alcohol content, the cleaner the brushes.)
*1 TBS of clear baby shampoo
*1 TBS Pink Dawn/Olay Hand Renewal soap
*2 TBS Leave-In Conditioning Spray
I put that into a squirt bottle and save the rest in another larger bottle for refills. This gets even fuscia pink eyeshadow out of my Mac 239!
Dr. Bronner’s castile soap and water.
Baby shampoo and water. They’ve held up for years and years.
Believe it or not, I found this on a beauty vlogger’s video & I’ve not gone back since. It’s called “Zote” (pink). It’s actually laundry soap….and it works like a dream! Even heavily-stained beauty sponges get clean, clean, clean.
I saw where some were using the big pink soap bar for .97 at Walmart. It’s Zote and it’s in the laundry isle. I wet it and rub my brushes on it and squeeze the soap through it. Works better than anything I’ve ever tried ! Saw on YouTube a couple of times from make up artists.
I use a shampoo, whichever one is opened, and give them a really good wash. Then I rinse them a couple of times and lay them to dry on a clean face washer in my ensuite.
For in between times I use a cleansing spray from Priceline (our budget beauty shop).
I use a makeup brush cleanser and every other day alternate with soap and water. I have to alternate out my brushes too though. I’m on the road a lot and if I wash my brush in morning after I apply foundation, put it in my makeup case, it sours while closed up. The one washed is now drying and I pack the other one, unless I can wash it in the evening. So, I have a clean brush every day. Win win.
I use Zote Soap, found in the laundry aisle. It’s the best $1 I’ve ever spent. It’s gentle, the bar is huge, and it gets my brushes squeaky clean (and they dry so soft)! It also gets my beauty blender spotless. I just wet my brush/beauty blender, swipe it across the soap a few times, swirl/squeeze it in my hand for a minute or so, and then rinse.
My son is an artist so I actually initially used Da Vinci Brush Cleaning Soap which frankly is easy to use and works well. However, when I am done with this tin (and it will last a good long time), I am switching to Ivory Aloe Bar Soap because if you read the ingredients of the two, they are exactly the same and the Ivory is really cheap for a pack of 10 bars which will probably last forever. Frankly, just about any of the products people have mentioned will work well. Personally, I think that the most important thing is to clean your brushes at least every other week and have a good brush drying rack to put them in. They sell some inexpensive and nice ones on ebay which can accomodate any type of make up brush from the common to the new and very expensive oval paddle brushes.
I use MAC’s brush cleaner.
I use African Black Soap. If I have a bar handy, I just swirl the wet brush on it; if it’s less solidified(and in a small container), I’ll take a little out, wet it, rub my and together(to loosen it up a bit) and rub it in the brush. It doesn’t over-dry my skin and cleans my brushes wonderfully!
I have three soaps going right now, a fourth including a Real Techniques Gel that is awful for brushes but works well on my sponges, is around because I’m just trying to use it up. The others are; a Solid Beauty Blender, Dr. Brother’s Liquid, unscented and Dr. Brother’s Solid, rose scented. I use a silicone scrubbie to agitate the bristles, brush guards to keep any brush with a tendency to splay from doing so, and a Benjabelle brush tree to hang them upside down to dry. The brush tree is priceless as otherwise my brushes become cat toys (since they roll and are apparently fascinating and irresistible :/)
I use MAC brush cleaner in a small spray bottle for spot cleaning and the Beauty Blender solid for deeper cleansing.
For a regular cleaning I use IT Cosmetics cleanser which does a FABULOUS job. For a deep cleaning I use Palmolive antibacterial dish wash detergent with lukewarm water and the Sigma silicone pad. After rinse them very well I hang them upside down to dry for 24/48 hours. For my beauty blenders I first soak them in plain water, them I microwave them (in water still) for 10 seconds 3 times and after that I use the same detergent. The get very clean and bacteria free.
Just the liquid hand soap. I do not own any expensive brushes and I haven’t noticed any get ruined.
If it’s a scheduled brush wash and not just a morning quick wash I use my brush cleaning mat. I group all brushes by size into sets to make the cleaning faster (and save water and soap…) – 1-3 face brushes and up to 5 eye brushes at a time.
For my concealer brush or brushes used with anything liquid/cream/gel or with super staying powers (color tattoos, brush sprayed with makeup fixer) I use my face wash.
Baby shampoo rinse them well until all muddy water runs clear, turn them upside down under running water to reshape again a bit so they don’t loose their form and lay/dry them on top of paper towels. Will try Cetaphyl great tip! Nothing fancy just be gentle handling them and they turn out great all kinds. I love my brushes!
Warm water and a bar of Ivory soap works great. Got this from a pro MUA and it really works and doesn’t harm the brushes.
My holy grail method is a pump or two of blue Dawn and distilled white vinegar in a small dish. I stand the brushes in the dish and let them rest against against bathroom sink wall. I pour just enough of the vinegar to cover the brush head, without reaching up to the ferule (I don’t want to risk damage). Depending on the level of gunk I’m trying to remove, I’ll sometimes add a little bit of hot water. I find the Dawn + vinegar combo excellent for breaking down the chemicals in the makeup and build-up on the brush, especially dense foundation and kubuki brushes. I soak for about an hour, and them work the mix under a spray of hot water brush by brush. A MU artist friend rec’d this message, and mentioned that the Dawn/vinegar combo also works amazing for breaking down deodorant of shirts, as well as other stains. (It does!). Once I went this route, I’ve never gone back. As an aside, I use some pretty high end brushes, both natural and synthetic, and I find that the vinegar is particularly wonderful in maintaining the softness of the bristles (it’s a natural fabric softener as well).
I use Clean Apothecary solid brush cleanser and then hang them to dry bristles facing down on my Benjabelle. Cleaning brushes are a breeze now that I have my Banjabelle. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
For brushes loaded with cream and liquid products I will swish them over a bar of Marseille soap. That get the product out quicker and easier than an bi-phase cleansing solution for me. Other brushes are washed with about a drop of rose scented dr. bronner’s liquid soap each. Hmm. Maybe I should try the 1/4 soap 3/4ths water solution you mentioned.
I use soap (SheaMoisture African Black Soap) and the Sigma brush cleaning mat. It gets them nice and clean, even the white ones.