What do you use to clean your brushes? Share!
I’ve been using EnKore Makeup’s brush soap for the past couple of months, but I’m currently testing Parian Spirit, Make Up For Ever, and Hakuhodo brush cleansers right now!
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Plain old liquid soap. I’d like to test a brush cleanser, but I’m a cheapskate and most of my brushes aren’t really ‘worth it’.
Have you tried using baby shampoo? It tends to be really cheap and is generally more gentle on the brushes than regular liquid soap.
Try baby-shampoo, plain old soap tends to dry up my brushes like crazy and make them prickly and harsh to use. If i have a synthetic brush that I’ve used cream products with I use regular dish-soap to clean off the cream but I use regular schampoo or babyschampoo for all the other ones.
The best and easiest (and cheapest!) way to clean your brushes is with Johnson’s baby soap! Don’t believe me? Try it out!
Cinema Secrets’ brush cleaner is the most effective one I’ve tried so far! It’s hard to find here though so I may need to test a few others out to find a replacement.
This is what I use as well. I have Rae Morris brushes and she recommends not using water on her brushes. She uses a product from Australia but it can’t be sent to the US. Cinema Secrets is the closest I have found. It dries quickly and cleans so well it takes all of the makeup color out of white and light colored brushes. It does have an odor I am not fond of but it doesn’t last long.
What’s the product from Australia? I could try it out!
I usually use sephora brush cleaner, but I’ve recently made a partial switch over to baby shampoo. it’s a lot cheaper haha
I’m with you on that! I’m using Johnson and Johnson’s Natural Foaming baby soap, works like a charm!!
Bar soap for my cheaper, synthetic ones. Baby shampoo and jojoba oil for my natural hair brushes (invariably expensive!). I would switch to a proper brush cleansers but I’ve heard horror stories about allergic reactions… x_x
I’ve ALWAYS used mild antibacterial soap.Like the orange liquid Dial soap you use to cleanse a new tattoo. It’s important to me that I’m using something antibacterial that isn’t as harsh of a solvent as straight alcohol, which is the active component in most brush cleansers. I also like the lather, because I wash the ferrule and the handles as well, not just the brush head.
antibacterial hand soap to kill germs, then a teeny bit of hair conditioner on the natural bristle brushes. keeps them soft and fluffy :3
Soap!
I use Lush’s Olive Branch Shower Gel, a tip I learned from a MAC makeup artist. The olive oil helps to dissolve stubborn/waterproof products and leaves my brushes clean and soft in a short amount of time!
I never thought about using a LUSH product! Usually I go in with olive oil and then clean with baby shampoo, but I’m definitely going to check this out after finishing my bottle. I use LUSH for everything else, why not share the love with my brushes, too?
Hands down the best in Dawn with Olay dish soap. Brushes are squeaky clean with little effort and it leaves brushes shiny, conditioned, and super soft. Better than new.
Please be careful with the Parian Spirit, I ruined a couple of brushes with it, despite it’s great cleaning abilities.
I’ve been using olive oil shampoo from Wal-Mart, it doesn’t clean as well as the Parian, but it doesn’t ruin brushes so it’s give and take.
Parian Spirit contains isoparaffinic, hydrocarbon,d-limonene, ethanol and their proprietary blend of citrus. Which do you think ruined your brushes? What did it do to them?
It’s solvent based, and dissolved the glue holding the bristles in place. It says that right on the bottle, and I thought I was being careful, apparently not careful enough. 🙁
I recently discovered Koh Gen Do Sponge Cleaner and I’m obsessed! Best I’ve tried yet, by far. (To be clear, I have never tried this on sponges, which I don’t really use. It performs beautifully on brushes–gentle, yet SO effective. And it doesn’t have a strong smell like everything else I’ve used.)
I used to use Bare Minerals brush shampoo, but since I ran out, I have been using a mixture of dawn antibacterial soap with extra virgin olive oil to condition them and keep the dawn from drying them out. So far so good.
beautyblender cleanser but really i just use plain ole baby shampoo or hair conditioner.
I use the MAC Brush Cleanser. I’m waiting for my orders of the Sephora Daily Brush Cleaner and the Sephora Purifying Brush Shampoo to come in the mail, though, and I can’t wait to try them!
Has anyone of you here tried both MAC and Sephora brush cleaners? Any thoughts? 🙂
I’ve tried both Sephora and Mac, and mostly prefer mac. I just find its better at removing brown eyeshadow effectively and is much better at spot cleaning. Both are pretty similar if used in deep cleaning, but i still prefer to use baby shampoo to deep clean my brushes, and mac brush cleanser for spot cleaning:)
Well, I guess that’s a plus for me since I don’t regularly have access to Sephora’s merchandise, anyway (I just purchased their brush cleaners out of curiosity). 😆 Thanks for the reply!
I use whatever free shampoo samples I get to wash my brushes. At the moment it’s a Fekkai one. I figure I don’t want to waste my own good shampoo! I make sure it’s a gentle shampoo and not one that’s going to either a) strip my brushes too much or b) deposit any residue on them.
I tried ELF’s brush cleaner a while back- but honestly regular old baby shampoo really gets the job done
Baby shampoo
I usually don’t use a special brush cleanser, but I’m currently using ELF’s Brush Cleanser, which gets the job done. Otherwise, hand soap, dish soap, or shampoo I don’t like will do.
Although I have the MAC brush cleanser, I almost always wash my brushes whether high end or low end ones, with Baby Shampoo. I feel the need of not to splurge.
I use cinema secrets for daily spot cleaning, but for deep cleaning, I use a mixture of baby shampoo and mac brush cleanser. I like the way the baby shampoo smells but I feel like it foams better and rinses cleaner when I mix the mac cleanser with it.
The easiest way, for me, is using antibacterial hard soap. quick, easy & clean.
I’ve been working on a very large bottle of baby shampoo for a while now and it feels like I’ll never get through it! I’d love to use something a little nicer, but it works.
I’ve been using Baby Shampoo! Since I live in Australia, the make up brush cleansers that are popular are really expensive, Baby Shampoo is really affordable and seems to do a great job,
Guerlain national make-up artist Marcus Monson told me to use Johnson and Johnson Baby shampoo to clean my brushes, so I use that.
I use Cetaphil cleanser and find it works a treat. Brush cleaner is really expensive.
I use Sephora, elf, or Model’s Prefer brush cleansing spray for in-between uses — Sometimes I use oil-free cleansing wipes or baby wipes for this as well. For deep-cleaning, I use Sephora brush shampoo, a cellulose sponge, and some paper towels. I almost finish the brush shampoo and has a Dr Bronner’s Castille Soap in Rose ready as a replacement.
If the brushes are particularly stained or have been with long-wearing products, I’d clean them with cleansing oil before I use the brush shampoo. I use whichever one I’m using at the moment, currently it’s between my beloved Kanebo Blanchir Make Off Conditioner (which I ration, since it’s expensive and hard to come by) and Kose Softymo Cleansing Oil Foam. If the brushes feels rough (usually natural-bristled ones), I would use some lightweight conditioner before rinsing and cleansing with the shampoo. Lush conditioners are great for this.
One thing I always, always, always use is to use a makeshift brush guard made of toilet paper to wrap around and reshape the bristles while the brushes are drying. Our beloved Dustin Hunter has a great tutorial for this. 😉
Dish soap and a tiny tiny splash of olive oil mixed in
I have tried Mac’s brush cleanser and I was not really impressed. So I try a classic greek soap of extra virgin oil, it was really good. For now I use Johnson’s baby shampoo. I also use it to hand wash my wool clothes, only them that I cannot wash them to the washing machine.
I use The Brush Guard Shampoo for deep cleanings and right now the Mary Kay brush cleaner for spot cleaning.
I’ve also heard that if your skin is particularly acne-prone, you can use a mild foaming facial soap that doesn’t break you out to clean your brushes.
I use the Dr. Bonners liquid soap for my face brushes, it get everything out (even Kat Von D’s and HOurglasses’ immaculate) and baby shampoo fror mist of my eye brushes and my face brushes that aren’t too dirty.
I just used the Dr. Bonner’s liquid soap (unscented) lastnight as per recommendation from Zabrina and it does an awesome job and very inexpensive.
Baby shampoo!
I put some oil on paper towels and swirl my brush on it, then I clean it with a clear shampoo.
Baby shampoo with a bit of tea tree oil mixed in or my Pur Minerals facial cleanser. Both work well and are mild.
MAC brush cleanser. Its always been the one I use. never switched!
The best brush cleanser, at least in my opinion, is plain Marseille soap. It has more or less the same ingredients as some brush soaps but it´s cheaper.
Christine please do a review on the EnKore Makeup brush soap! 🙂
Parian Spirit. White brushes stay white!
I use Sonia Kashuk eye makeup remover to get rid of cream eyeshadow, lipstick, and gel eyeliner from my brushes and then everything gets washed with 70%/90% isopropyl alcohol. I have been doing this for years and my brushes are all still so soft 🙂
For a quick fix – Sephora spray brush cleaner. Once a week, I clean them with either generic baby shampoo, Philosophy Purity Made Simple (favorite face soap) or Paul Mitchell Original Awaphui Shampoo (I bough a 40 ounce bottle at Ulta and need to finish it).
I’ve used mac’s brush cleanser forever and I have some Mac brushes that are at least 20 years old in perfect condition. That being said, I tried cinema secrets brush cleanser at the recommendation of MUA Tricia Sawyer. It is a miracle product on synthetic brushes. The makeup just flows out when you swish the brush in it. I’ve never tried the cinema secrets on my natural brushes though because I’ve been so happy with mac’s. So I use both.
I use Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Shampoo & Wash (fragrance free) and MAC Brush Cleanser. 🙂
Recently I’ve got into habit of using whichever shampoo I use for my hair.
Soak wash!
Shampoo or handsoap.
Dr. Bronners is my favorite – it gets my white brushes very white. I dilute it a little bit for synthetics and quite a lot for natural hair brushes.
Fairy detergent ! I use the one that is gentle on hands so that it doesn’t damage my brushes, it kills bacteria, is cheap and gets rid of any stains ! I used to use baby shampoo but the stains would never come out, with the Fairy, it even gets stains out of my beauty blender !
Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser. A blue bottle with a white pump. I use it with water in the palm of my hand. I using the palm of my hand and the soap/water out of the handle. No soaking. It’s a facial makeup remover, so why not remove makeup from my brushes with it? I do this at least once per week.
I use baby shampoo. I have tried so many brush cleaners over the years, but I really prefer baby shampoo over everything else.
Dr. Bronner’s for deep cleaning. Lately, I’ve been using the bar form, but I’ve also used the liquid. I especially like the bar for cleaning the Beauty Blender. Lip, foundation, and concealer brushes can be tricky. If the product is really caked on, I use a mixture of 1 part olive oil to 1 part liquid soap (either dawn or palmolive). The oil helps break down the product. For in between deep cleanings, I use Estee Lauder spray cleaner. I’m a little obsessive about clean brushes. I don’t like the idea of dirty, bacteria-filled brushes on my face. And I’ve never used a dirty Beauty Blender.
I’ve been loving the beauty blender solid cleanser for my brushes. It cleans them pretty quickly and leaves them soft.
Baby shampoo
Shampoo! I used to use a brush cleaner but it never really cleaned well and I always ended up having to use shampoo to clean them in the end anyways.
Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap, usually liquid.
I use a detergent that I bought on eBay. It comes from China I think. It’s pretty awesome. Just a little goes a long way. I would highly recommend it.
I use a cleaner/detergent that I bought off eBay. I think it’s made in China and everything on the label is in Chinese but it’s called detergent for puff or sponge. Since discovering it about a year ago, I’ve used nothing else. It’s gentle and very effective at getting my brushes super clean right away. A very small amount is all it takes too. I highly recommend this stuff, especially if you want something that works really fast.
I use Dove soap! My brushes still look and feel “healthy” so I don’t think it’s necessary to use a more expensive cleaner.
I wash my brushes after every use and I use Dr. Bronner Castile Soap.
Normally, I’ve just used hand soap and tap water. (I know, bad, bad, bad…) However, I ordered the BeautyBlender Solid Sponge Cleanser during Sephora’s VIB sale, so I will be using that instead!
I spot clean after each use with MAC Brush Cleaner, then every week or two, I use Johnson’s baby shampoo and warm water. Works great!
I just use baby shampoo dissolved in a cup of warm water and swirl the brushes around in this and then wipe on a clean terry towel and squeeze the excess water out on the towel and hang upside down.For brushes that I have used for cream products or liquid foundation I put a drop of baby shampoo in my palm and add a drop of facial cleansing oil (like DHC, for instance) and swirl the brush head gently in this mixture, rinse well and squeeze excess water out. This combo always takes the product out of the hairs and leaves the brush squeaky clean but not dried out. I have some liquid brush cleaners like the Mac one and Hakuhodo one but I never bother to use them as this process is simple and cheap and works for me. I recently switched to the Benjabelle system of drying along with brush guards. I no longer dread the brush cleaning day!
I use MAC brush cleaner if I need them to dry fairly quickly, but BeautyBlender solid cleanser gets even OCC Lip Tar out of brushes!
I alternate between Johnson’s baby shampoo and Dr. Bronner’s unscented liquid soap. To disinfect I use the Mac brush cleaner (diluted) once a month. I place them in brush guards and let them dry. For some reason, I find washing my makeup brushes to be therapeutic. I actually enjoy it compared to other housekeeping chores.
Baby shampoo!! I thought I would have a hard time cleaning my brushes (esp the ones caked w/ foundation), but baby shampoo works really well for me.
I soak my concealer brush in the soap+water mixture for a bit longer than my other brushes for the pigments to break down.
I also have Daiso Detergent, which is awesome and very strong & quick at breaking down the foundation pigments. But I don’t need this detergent for regular, shadow brushes. I had to buy this on Ebay, but I think I will not re-purchase since baby shampoo is a much cheaper alternative & more easily accessible.
I love my Brush Shampoo from London Brush. It was the first of all them solid cleansers and it is still unbeaten. Sure a bit more expensive but once you see it flushing out dried up Skin Illustrator colors like nothing you know why and the lady who makes it works on half of Hollywood. She has true integrity and I love that approach much more than those cheap copies. Never going anywhere without it again.
I use MAC brush cleaner to “spot clean” and the old Dawn Antibacterial dish soap, and EVOO together it really cleans and conditions my brushes.
Ivory soap and plain water. Then pat the excess water out and let air dry.
Savon de Marseille, with lots of olive oil, in its liquid form, or genuine solid form when I travel.
I use regular antibacterial liquid hand soap. Gets my brushes clean and keeps them smelling good too.
I did an online search for DIY brush cleansers. I found a mixture of water, rubbing alcohol, dish detergent, shampoo, and a bit of conditioner was incredible, cleaned my brushes so well, and didn’t dry them out.
For non oil based products (powders) I use shampoo or shower gel weekly . For lipstick and primer, Temptu airbrush cleaner followed by Enkore’s formula seems to do the trick.
I use the MAC brush cleanser but it’s pretty much all I’ve ever tried! I’d love to test some new cleansers just to get a feel for what else is out there 🙂
I like enkore’s soap bars for brushes a lot but Cinema Secrets has completely stolen my heart. It’s so quick and easy to use.
I’ve been using this foaming Shea butter face cleanser for a few months but I can’t recall the name. It worked really well and smelled okay but I’m always on the hunt for something new. I just recently tried Philosophy’s Purity cleanser to wash my brushes and it worked wonderfully. My brushes are so soft and squeaky clean! I experiment with different brands a lot but I think I’ll be sticking with Purity for a while. I really like it!
Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple is hands down the BEST for cleaning synthetic and natural hair brushes. The same way it removes makeup from your face without stripping, it cleans those grimy brushes lickety split. I’m going to try Dr. Bonners though because it is much cheaper. It just takes a bit of the Purity though.
Dr. Bronners Peppermint bar soap.
I use baby shampoo
Plain ol’ IVORY bar soap!
I discovered Dove bar soap (the white one- original) from another beauty blog. It’s cheap and it works! I just wet the bar and the brush, then swipe the brush a few times on the bar soap, rinse and I’m done. If the brush is extra yucky, I might have to do it again. No sweat!
Shampoo for colour treated hair by herbal essence
Daiso has an amazing puff & sponge detergent, and it gets ALL the gunk off. I swear, it’s the best makeup brush cleanser I’ve ever used.
90% Rubbing Alcohol EVERY DAY! It dries so quick and sanitizes. If I want to use water (why?) I use Arbonne Seasource Rescue Wash in a cup with warm water, swirl and rinse. I do that like 3x a year LOL. My brushes are always clean and dry!
Soap and water.
I just use clear shampoo. Works just fine for me.
Alcohol destroys your brushes. I use London Brush Shampoo (Lemon scent) and they said you can actually eat it, yet most effective. Great!