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Makeup brushes are the trusty tools that help us achieve flawless looks and express our creativity. But amidst the excitement of experimenting with different shades and techniques, we often forget a crucial step in our beauty routine: cleaning our beloved brushes.
Cleaning your makeup brushes is not only essential for maintaining their performance but also plays a vital role in maintaining your skin’s health.
Save your money and waste, and take better care of your brushes. You definitely want to wash away all the buildup and bacteria that comes after every use, for your skin’s sake.
How Often Should You Clean Your Makeup Brushes?
If it’s been a while since you’ve cleaned your makeup brushes, you should probably go do that after reading this post. It’s best to clean them at least once every two weeks, depending on how often you use them. If you wear makeup really often and have sensitive skin, you may want to wash them more often.
DIY Makeup Brush Cleaner
- 2 tablespoons Dr. Bronners Soap or Antibacterial Dish Soap
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Before we get into the steps, let me explain really quickly why these ingredients work, in case you’re curious!
The soap is obvious- it kills germs and bacteria. The oil is good for breaking down any build-up in the brushes. I recommend always using the oil along with the soap because using soap alone can dry the bristles out and damage them. Okay, now that you know why to use these ingredients, let’s get into the steps!
Step 1– Pour the soap and olive oil into a small bowl. If you’re using Dr.Bronner’s soap, you can get the bottle for a low-waste option or the bar soap for zero-waste. If you’re using bar soap, for this step, just cut a small piece of the bar soap and mix it in water until it melts.
Step 2– Swirl your makeup brush in the mixture, using your hand to separate the bristles to make sure it gets in all the bristles. Do this until it’s clean.
Step 3– Rinse your brush in lukewarm or cold water; ensure it’s not hot. You want to make sure to keep the brush facing down so that water doesn’t get into the shaft, which could ruin the brush. You can also do this by putting water into a cup and rinsing it out by swirling it in there.
Step 4– Softly pat them dry with a towel. There will probably still be some water, or they will still be damp, so to help all the water seep out, take a rubber band and tie them together. Then hang them on a hook or on a faucet handle so that they are facing down. You can even tie them facedown to a cup to keep them standing. This will also help them keep their shape.
There you have it! Now you know exactly how to clean your makeup brushes, zero-waste style. If you want to check out my other post, I just did about where to find ethical and sustainably made makeup brushes; you can find that here!
If you have any more tips or tricks you think that help keep your makeup brushes clean, let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading! 💚
Farah
