How to Clean your Makeup Brushes

How to Clean your Makeup Brushes Effectively

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Your makeup brushes can be storehouses of a whopping number of germs. Though these germs are not visible to the naked eye, they are hiding on the bristles and easily get transferred onto your skin when used. Furthermore, when you use these brushes to apply sticky makeup, the residue on the brushes attracts a lot of dust and dirt as well. It is important to clean your makeup brushes properly regularly to get the best makeup results and to ensure healthy skin. Here are some tips on how to clean your makeup brushes effectively.

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How Often should you Clean your Makeup Brushes?

It is important to soak your foundation and concealer brushes at least once a week to prevent bacteria buildup. Brushes that are used to apply shadow or other eye makeup brushes can be cleaned twice a month.

Soaking up your brushes regularly does not only prevent bacteria build-up, but also boosts the life of the bristles and enables them for a better application. As the brush bristles and sponges are porous, they tend to hold on to bacteria, residue makeup, oils and other debris. This residue, in turn, prevents these brushes from delivering a good application result. Dirty brushes can lead to spotty makeup results and blending will be difficult too.

What Tools should you Use for Cleaning Makeup Brushes?

The best method for cleaning makeup brushes is to use water and a gentle soap. You can even use a brush cleanser. You will find a lot of brush cleansers on the market. The Parian Spirit Professional Makeup Brush Cleaner is a good tool as it is made from food-grade solvents that dissolve makeup powder, liquid and even wax-based makeup without damaging the bristles. You can even use a dishwashing liquid to clean your makeup brushes.

What is the Right Way to Clean Makeup Brushes?

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to clean makeup brushes effectively:

What is the Right Way to Clean Makeup Brushes

  • First wet the bristles with lukewarm water.
  • Place a drop of cleanser on your palm.
  • Gently massage the tips of the brushes on your palm.
  • Rinse the brush properly.
  • Squeeze out the debris from the bristles using your fingers.
  • Rinse them again.
  • Wipe the makeup brushes on a clean towel.
  • Let them air-dry naturally, supporting the handle on a table and letting the bristles hang in the air. This helps them get back to their original shape.
  • Do not let the soap solution touch the base of the bristles. The bristles are glued to the handle and soap and water solution can cause the glue to disintegrate and the bristles will come loose.
  • Also, do not let the brushes dry vertically with bristles at the top, as this will result in water-clogging at the bristles base and this will lead to shedding.

Should you Use Brush-Cleaning Tools?

There are some brush-cleaning tools available on the market that can ensure utmost and thorough cleaning. One such item is the Sephora Collection Vera Mona Color Switch Brush Cleaner that has a stipple sponge to clean makeup brushes without using soap or water. All you need to do is to swirl the brushes around the sponge to loosen the stuck powder and render completely clean brushes.

The Sigma Spa 2X Brush Cleaning Glove is efficient enough to clean both powder and liquid makeup from makeup brushes. It has two sides: one for eye brushes and the other for face brushes. The brand recommends using gloves to clean the brushes instead of using your bare hands. This will result in a faster and more effective cleaning job.

How Often should you replace your makeup brushes?

Although frequent cleaning can elongate the lifespan of your makeup brushes, they do have a limit. It is time to throw away your makeup brushes when the bristles start fraying, shedding or losing their shape. The right makeup tools are important to get the perfect makeup look.

So follow the above tips to clean your makeup brushes effectively. Do not ignore the hygiene of your brushes if you want to avoid breakouts on your skin.