How to clean your makeup brushes

So you already have your favourite foundation, contouring and eye shadow brushes. But do you know you should be cleaning your brushes regularly? Washing your makeup brushes should be a regular part of your makeup routine. You want to wash your brushes regularly to remove oils, dirt and bacteria from the bristles. This ensures everything is clean and you’re not transferring dirt and bacteria back and forth between products and your face. Using clean tools also helps with getting your makeup on flawlessly. Plus some brushes can cost you a pretty penny so it’s a good idea to protect your investment.

I usually give my brushes a deep clean on a weekly basis, it takes a few hours for the brushes to dry so I recommend cleaning them after you’ve applied your makeup for the day.

All you need to clean your brushes are

1. A sink
2. A brush cleaner or gentle clarifying shampoo or my go-to, baby shampoo
3. A towel or a brush drying stand, like this Benjabelle brush tree
4. Brush cleaning glove or mat (optional)

How to:

1. Start by running your brushes under lukewarm water to rinse out any residual makeup. Focus on the bristles and avoid getting the ferrule; part of the brush where handle meets the head, soaking wet as this can loosen the glue over time.
2. Squirt  a bit of shampoo on the brush head or cleaning mat and gently swirl your brush around in your hand or on the mat to work up a lather.
3. Rinse the brush tip under running water once again. Repeat steps two and three until the water runs clear from the brush.
4. Gently squeeze out the excess water and reshape the bristles.
5. Lay your brushes flat on the towel to dry or hang upside down in the brush tree until they’re dry. I prefer using the brush tree versus laying the brushes flat, I find it provides more protection to the ferrule.

And that’s it! Your brushes will be clean and ready to beat that face!