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What do you use to wash your brushes?


What do you use to wash your brushes? Share!

Right now, I’m using Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap!

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105 Comments

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Hera Avatar

Really not gentle. Hahhaa. Probably disgusting for some. I add a little bit of dettol and dish detergent to a cup of water. Use them in small portions to wash my brushes under running water! 😀

Francesca Avatar

I make my own brush cleanser, and it works!!
– 1 cup purified water
– 1/4 cup alcohol
– 1/2 tbsp washing-up liquid
– 1/2 tbsp mild shampoo
– 1 tbsp hair conditioner (silicone-free)

xamyx Avatar

I use this to spot-clean, as well. I also add a few drops of tea tree or eucalyptus oil for anti-bacterial purposes.

For deep-cleaning, I’ll use castile soap, baby shampoo, or anti-bacterial hand soap for brushes I use exclusively for powder products. For cream/liquid/gel brushes, or those that are extremely dense, I dip them in a solution of 1 cup warm water, 1 TBS distilled white vinegar, & 1 TBS liquid dish soap. Swirl thoroughly, then rinse well. I make sure to also use a dish soap that has a nice scent to cover the vinegar, though!

Maggie Avatar

Awesome! Thank you, Amy and Francesca! Jotted down all of this and will commence experimenting this weekend. Huh…first time I have ever actually looked forward to washing my brushes. =)

Stacey Avatar

The Laundress wool and cashmere shampoo. Amazing. Leaves your brushes SO soft and clean. Very gentle and natural as well. The bottle says it 100% biodegradable, dye/sulfate/phosphate/chlorine free. I’ve tried the Johnson’s baby shampoo, Dr. Bronner’s soaps, mild dish detergent with olive oil…but this is hands down the best.
Plus, if it’s good enough to wash cashmere, it’s certainly good enough to wash your brushes with. 🙂

Shufen Avatar

I use body wash gel/soap to wash my brushes. I never use brush cleanser before! Which method of cleaning brushes will any of you recommend? (I’m a noob when it comes to washing brushes.)

CeeBee Avatar

Either Dr Bronners Peppermint Bar soap (I don’t know why but I never find the liquid stuff as effective) for synthetic bristles and cheap shampoo and expensive conditioner for natural hair brushes. Or whatever hand soap is convenient if I’m really lazy!

Monica Avatar

I’m using Make Up Store Brush Cleansing Soap. It is a bar of soap and it is really amazing. So fast and easy to use, and the brushes get really clean and it doesn’t dry them out. I will never use anything else. 🙂

Aida Avatar

Dr. Bronner Castile solid soap (at the moment I have the rose oil one). I’ve been using it for at least a year now and it’s the best thing out there. It gets my beauty blender perfectly clean, too.

Carrie Avatar

I have Cinema Secrets for daily cleaning and use MAC’s brush cleaner for weekly cleaning. For my foundation brush I totally use a bit of my eye-makeup remover to get the foundation out and follow that up with MAC’s to finish cleaning.

Ryou Avatar

How does Dr. Bronner’s work for you, Christine? I bought a bottle of the rose-scented one, but haven’t used it yet since I’m still trying to finish up my old Sephora brush soap.

xamyx Avatar

I’ve been using the Lavender or Peppermint, but I don’t find the scents linger. I do have primarily synthetic brushes, though, so I don’t know if that would hold true for natural hair brushes. Also, of all the castile soaps I’ve tried, Dr. Bronner’s is by far the best!

becca Avatar

For the most part I use mac brush cleaner. I also use my facial cleanser, philosophy purity, for my softer brushes because it gets makeup out fast and conditions the hairs. For heavy duty foundation brush cleaning I use the blender cleaner liquid soap.

Meghan Avatar

I’ve also been using Dr. Bronner’s in Lavender! I have the mint one too, both in small bottles and I have soo much soap left. I find the brushes get squeaky clean, smell nice (but not overpowering) and you need so little soap to clean brushes. I also use the Sigma spa brush glove which gets in the bristles nicely and doesn’t prune up your hands! 🙂

Alyssa Avatar

I have tried so many different shampoos and cleaners in the past but Johnson’s Baby Shampoo works better than all of them! Plus it’s so much cheaper!!

xamyx Avatar

You can try to find a small, 1 oz trial size bottle for around $2. I often pick mine up at Target, although they only seem to carry Peppermint or Lavender. If you can find them, it’s definitely worth a shot; the brushes get clean, and the product rinses easily!

Lee Avatar

For deep cleaning, I use baby shampoo but for daily washing of eye liner and foundation brushes, I just use non anti-bacterial hand soap. I know it’s not ideal but the regular soap is a lot less drying and the anti-bacterial stuff and it’s right there so I’ll wash them consistently.

Danielle Avatar

Beautyblender solid sponge cleanser. Gets my brushes super clean (even the stubborn white ones), and makes washing my MANY brushes less of a chore.

Phyrra Avatar

I use the Cinema Secrets brush cleaner for the most part. I also use enKore’s brush cleaner. I’ve used Dr. Bronner’s before and liked it too. I just find the Cinema Secrets works best for me because I have hard water in my house and I can skip using water, instead using the CS product.

beck Avatar

oh yeah my fav is MAC brush cleanser its the highest quality brush cleanser i’ve tried. Baby shampoo from Johnson’s or Target brand if they are really dirty with a ton of foundation.

candleashes Avatar

Right now have baby shampoo and Clinique brush cleaner on hand. Will be looking to try something else when that runs out. Not that those products are a bad way to go, just looking to improve and perfect :d

Stella Avatar

I used to wash my brushes in Fairy liquid (washing up liquid) and a little olive oil, but I noticed the hairs on my brushes had become dry and brittle. I’ve recently treated myself to some new luxe brushes and am using Benjabelle brush soap. It’s ok but I think i’d like to try something even gentler/ richer so my next purchase may be Dr Bronners Hemp & Tea Tree soap in a bar or maybe one of the Lush shampoo bars.

Monica Avatar

Clean solid Brush Shampoo – Goat’s Milk in the grapefruit scent or the Olive Oil in grapefruit scent. My brushes are clean and smells devine.

Jecca Brady Albarran Avatar

I used to buy MAC BC & also Parisan Spirits(Water), but w/time I just learned that Baby Shampoo works just as well as anything on my *personal* brushes… The brushes I use on others (I’m frelance Beauty MUA), I make sure to use something that’s cleansing AND anti-septic/bacterial. I forego the alcohol-based stuff on personal brushes b/c I’ve noticed an absolute difference in bristle dryness & ferrules coming unglued, etc.. w/the more harsh stuff. I’ll get a good 3yrs out of multi-person brushes, but using Lavender-Scented Baby Wash for my brushes–it’s been 7yrs (washed 1x/mo) & they’re still awesome. BTW: I use MAC, NARS, OCC Makeup & Qosmedix brushes. Brushes cost so much BECAUSE they can last YEARS w/proper maintenance & care (unlike mascara, for instance) Jecca B-)

Jillian Avatar

Wow! All those replies and I only read 2 that use Philosophy Purity. I have an expensive and extensive brush collection and when I was a newbie a woman at a Sephora told me to use Olive Oil. Literally ruined the 3 brushes I used them on! I noticed if I use any type of cleanser made specifically for brushes I just don’t get the same deep cleanse that I do when I use Philosophy Purity. For my beauty blender the only cleanser that works in the beauty blender bar cleanser. Works perfectly but it does break down the beauty blender bit by bit. Philosophy on all my brushes has not damaged not even 1 hair in the slightest. I’ve invested way too much in my brush collection to risk using dish detergent or shampoo I use on my head (no offense to anyone). Luckily the 3 brushes I ruined with olive oil I was able to exchange and the woman from Sephora who told me to use olive oil on my brushes was immediately sent for a second training on brushes!! Even if olive oil was ok for your brushes (which it isn’t) she should have been promoting something Sephora sells!! Oh- AND the manager of the Sephora store comped me a big bottle of Philosophy Purity 🙂 I deserve it- I’ve racked up over 3,000 points in the last year 🙂

xamyx Avatar

I used the Philosophy Purity for a while, and it is great. I happened to have a sample from Sephora, and after reading the ingredients, I decided it wasn’t a product I wanted to use on my face. Instead of throwing it out, I used it for my brushes. As good aa it was, though, itnis far too pricey to use for brushes (since I clean them nearly every day), and there are comparable products for far less.

zg Avatar

I wash my brushes with Neutrogena facial wash (the makeup removal one). Baby shampoo, as I have heard through the rumor mill, is good too but I feel like I get a better clean with Neutrogena- go figure.

Ashley Burleson Avatar

I use Clinique’s brush cleaner and it isnt a soap form. From what I have heard, it isn’t good to use any kinda soap on your brushes because it causes bacteria to grow and causes the bristles to break off. Lasts a long time and isnt too costly. Hope this helps 🙂

LHOPEWELL Avatar

I USE OLIVE OIL AND DAWN, IT DOES WONDERS WITH THE REMOVAL OF FOUNDATION AND CREAM BASED STAINS FROM SPONGES AND WHITE TIPPED BRUSHES AND CONDITIONS THE BRUSHES…I SEEN A COUPLE YOUTUBE VIDS AND READ A COUPLE BLOGS FROM INDUSTRY ARTIST WHO USE THIS METHOD, AND ITS THE BEST THING IVE EVER TRIED.

Jacqueline Aldama Avatar

For high end makeup brushes like Tom Ford bronzer brush and Wayne Goss brushes. What do you recommend to use to deep clean them once a week?

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