How To Clean Make-Up Brushes
If you thought impeccable-looking skin was the result of good products and a diligent skincare routine… well, you’d be right. But there’s another important factor that many of us forget: regularly cleaning our make-up brushes.
There’s a high chance you might be spreading bacteria across your face each day. Without a set of clean make-up brushes you can’t have nice and clean face.
“If you look after your brushes, they can last for years.”
Learning how to clean your make-up brushes correctly is very important for your skin. “Product can cake or dry in the bristles, meaning that they become less flexible and able to take up product, thus reducing the efficacy of the brush,” explains Julia Stewart, national training manager at Shiseido.
How often should you clean your make-up brushes?
Experts agree that any make-up brush that is being used on skin regularly should be cleaned at least once a week. Brushes that are used around the eyes can be cleaned less often.
What should I clean my make-up brushes with?
For natural hair brushes, use a gentle cleanser. A regular shampoo or baby shampoo is a great choice, mixed with warm water. The aim of brush cleaning is to banish bacteria.
“For a heavily-used fluid foundation brush, I use an eco dishwashing liquid, being sure to rinse it out thoroughly,” Coombes explains. If that sounds a bit severe, try a simple castile soap, but be prepared to deploy a rigorous technique. “You will need to wash liquid foundation and lip brushes more thoroughly in order to lift the oil and wax from the bristles,” he adds.
What’s the right way to clean make-up brushes?
Brushes are best cleaned in the palm of your hand. First, wet the bristles in warm water and put a dollop of baby shampoo or your product of choice onto your hand. Then “massage the bristles with the head of the brush facing downwards,” explains Coombes. “For smaller brushes, place a small amount of cleanser into the cup of your hand and gently swirl, ensuring not to bend the base of the bristles,” Coombes explains.
“Once rinsed, gently flick the water out, wrap in kitchen roll or a towel, and lightly squeeze,” says Coombes. To increase the lifespan of your brushes, you also need to keep the ferrule (the piece of metal at the base of the brush) dry at all times. “Wetting the ferrule can mean that the bristles are loosened from the glue, resulting in shedding,” warns Stewart. “To avoid water seeping into the brushes while drying, lay them on a towel with one end rolled up, lifting the handles and leaving the bristles pointing downwards,” she advises.
When should you throw a make-up brush away?
If your make-up brush is starting to lose its shape, it might be time to say goodbye.