How to clean makeup brushes

Ideally, you’d clean your makeup brushes after each use. But we know that life can be busy and adding another step to your morning routine probably isn’t a popular (or realistic) option. For that reason, cleaning your make-up brushes once a week is the minimum we’d recommend, and should be achievable even for the busiest of us! If you’ve recently had an eye infection or reacted to a product badly, make sure you clean all your brushes thoroughly immediately after.

If you’re wondering what you should clean makeup brushes with, the best thing to use is a gentle makeup brush cleanser. You can buy these at beauty stores, and they’re specially formulated not to dry out the bristles or dissolve the glue that attaches your brush bristles to the base. We’ve seen some advice to use hot water, vinegar, and lemon to clean your makeup brushes, but this runs the risk of damaging the bristles – and it will leave them smelling of vinegar. The best option for cleaning makeup brushes is therefore a special makeup brush cleaner.

Once you’ve got the makeup brush cleaner, we can show you how to clean your makeup brushes:

1. Dip your brushes into lukewarm water so they get wet. Try not to submerge them, as this can damage the glue.
2. Squeeze a bit of cleanser into your hands and lather up your makeup brush gently. 
3. Now run the bristles under water and clean them so there’s no soapy residue on them and the water runs clear. 
4. Using a clean cloth, squeeze out any excess moisture from the bristles and let them air dry by hanging them over the edge of a tabletop or counter.
5. Done!

While makeup brushes can be cleaned and dried, makeup sponges are only meant to be used once. This is because they can harbour skin cells which regular washing won’t remove. However, beauty blenders or sponges made of anti-microbial materials can be washed and dried. This is much more eco-friendly, so spending a little more on a beauty blender might be worth it! However, after four months, these blenders will also need to be chucked out.

That’s it! That’s how to clean makeup brushes. If you’ve found these tips helpful, you might enjoy some of our other articles – how to clean a carpet, how to fold a fitted sheet or Hand washing: why, when, and how to.