Brush Cleaning

Makeup brushes are a must-have, and we use them every day. Cleaning brushes is an important part to caring for them to ensure a long life. These tips are great for both make up brushes and artists brushes.

Makeup brush cleansers are available at makeup stores like Sephora and can also be found online, but these tend to come in small bottles for a pretty good price. To clean brushes without these pricey cleaners, there are quite a few options. Makeup artists Kandee Johnson and Michelle Phan suggest using extra virgin olive oil to clean makeup off the bristles. The oil removes the make up easily because they are similar substances. Just pour some olive oil on a plate, in a bowl or in your hand, and wipe up some with the brush then stroke it back and forth in your palm until you start to see the pigment show up on your hand. Rinse the brush out under water until all the oil is out. I find that it is difficult to get all the oil out, so I do the same process with shampoo. You can use any shampoo (I use my voluminizing shampoo), but if you have baby shampoo on hand, use that because it has a gentle formula. The shampoo will strip the bristles and make them brittle, so it’s important to use the olive oil. Michelle Phan uses Dawn dishwashing liquid mixed with organic extra virgin olive oil on a plate to cleanse her brushes. She says the dishwashing liquid removes bacteria and the olive oil restores the bristles, and she cleans her brushes daily after use. Phan says that it is not as important to clean shadow brushes since they are used for dry pigment, but brushes used for liquid products, like foundation, should be cleansed daily because they are more likely to breed bacteria. Kandee Johnson says she cleans her shadow brushes once a week when they are loaded with pigment. (It is easiest to see when brushes need to be cleaned if you pick brushes with white bristles because the makeup will show up better.) Johnson also puts her extra virgin olive oil onto a paper towel and strokes back and forth on the towel until no more pigment comes out onto the towel. I find this is easier than Phan’s plate method.

When washing brushes, it is important not to let the water run past the ferrule (the metal part between the bristles and the handle) onto the handle because it can cause rusting. It is also important not to stand brushes upside down with the bristles pointing up. When standing upside down, excess water can run down into the ferrule and loosen the glue that holds the bristles in place. Once loosened, bristles will start to fall out and ruin the brush. The best way to store both makeup and artist brushes is to store them bristle down. The easiest way to do this is with Brush Guards. They are super affordable (only $5.50 a set) and work for the thinnest eyeliner brushes to full powder and kabuki brushes.
So get to cleaning those brushes, and don't forget to be fabulous!