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The Beauty Section

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Categories: How To

How To: Clean Makeup Brushes

September 2, 2014 By TheBeautySection 21 Comments

How To Clean Makeup Brushes

Hey friends!!

I hope you had a really great Labor Day weekend! Long weekends are just the BEST!!

A couple weeks ago I washed some of my most used/dirty makeup brushes because I’ll be honest it had been a while, I took pictures to show you how I wash them. Keep reading to find out.

How To: Clean Makeup Brushes

Washing your makeup brushes should be done on a pretty consistent basis because bacteria can build up in your dirty brushes thus causes breakouts or other irritation. I will be honest with you though and tell you it’s not something I do as often as I would like. It kind of gets put on the back burner a lot, but I am going to try to become more consistent.

Things You Need:

 

How To Clean Makeup Brushes
How To Clean Makeup Brushes

 

 

How To Clean Makeup Brushes
How To Clean Makeup Brushes

 

 What To Do:

How To Clean Makeup Brushes
How To Clean Makeup Brushes
How To Clean Makeup Brushes
How To Clean Makeup Brushes
How To Clean Makeup Brushes
How To Clean Makeup Brushes

 

How To Clean Makeup Brushes

 

How To Clean Makeup Brushes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 // Submerge just the bristles of the brush in water to get them completely soaked.

2 // Squeeze some brush cleaner in your hand ( I am currently using a clear shampoo that I didn’t like for my hair, but didn’t want to waste…  shampoos are great for cleaning your brushes. Other options are ELF Cleanser, Japonesque, or MAC Cleaner

3 // Take your brush and dip it into the cleanser and start swirling your brush on the palm of your hand, the makeup will literally start dripping off the brush. Do this until you feel it is clean. Repeat if necessary.

4 // Run water on the bristles in a downward motion, never let the water run into the brush handle, this can cause rust and the glue that holds the bristles to soften and break.

5 // Keep running the water and squeezing the bristles until the water runs clean.

6 // Re-shape the brush with your hand or a towel and place the brush on another towel to dry overnight. Hand the brush head over the edge of the counter to quicker drying time.

7 // Do this with all of your brushes until they are clean.

Another really great tool is the Sigma Spa Cleaning Glove. You just pop this on, do this same steps as I listed above but because this has so many grooves it really gets in there and cleanses your brushes much better than your hand. I don’t personally have this yet but it is on my wish list.

That is all you do! It is really easy and quick once you get going. Doing this consistently will make your brushes like new, plus it gets out all that bad bacteria.

The brushes seen in this post are Sigma, Real Techniques, Sonia Kashuk, and Urban Decay
Do you clean your brushes on a regular basis?
signa

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Filed Under: How To Tagged With: beauty, beauty blog, clean, makeup, makeup brushes, real techniques, sigma, urban decay, wash

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Comments

  1. Maurissa Mattson (Maurissa Sees Beauty)

    September 13, 2014 at 8:11 PM

    I need to wash my brushes more often than I do. I HATE it! I’ve been wanting to try the Sigma Glove as well. Maybe it’ll motivate me to wash my brushes on a regular basis.

    Reply
    • TheBeautySection

      September 13, 2014 at 10:30 PM

      I know I get so lazy with washing my brushes too! Sometimes it just seems like such a chore. I just need to get that Sigma Glove and it would be much more fun, hopefully! :)

      Reply
  2. Jeanette (@lovelyjia84)

    September 7, 2014 at 4:05 PM

    I try to clean them often, but honestly it doesn’t get on a regular basis:)

    I have nominated you and your great beauty blog and you can read more here: http://www.prettyinterior.com/uncategorized/liebster-award/

    Reply
    • TheBeautySection

      September 12, 2014 at 10:52 AM

      Thank you so much for the nomination! I will do this post soon! :)

      Reply
  3. Hayley

    September 5, 2014 at 9:17 PM

    Love it! I wash mine the same way but use my facial cleanser so that I don’t risk any unnecessary breakouts!

    Reply
    • TheBeautySection

      September 6, 2014 at 4:23 PM

      That’s a great idea!! :)

      Reply
  4. Nati

    September 4, 2014 at 6:01 AM

    Yep, that is how I do it too, but I use baby shampoo. I also spray my brushes with makeup brush sanitizer to get rid of nasty bacteria :)

    Reply
    • TheBeautySection

      September 4, 2014 at 8:52 AM

      Oh awesome, what kind of sanitizer do you use?

      Reply
  5. LivDamaris

    September 3, 2014 at 5:16 PM

    Another great brush cleaner is called Solid by Beauty Blender. I buy it at sephora and I don’t think there is anything better for your brush. I noticed when I used shampoos my brushes would sometimes dry out because they are not being conditioned too. With solid, and other brush cleaners, there are special conditioners in it to keep your brushes extra soft! Have you noticed your brushes drying at all? What was the old shampoo you have been using?

    Reply
    • TheBeautySection

      September 3, 2014 at 6:21 PM

      No my brushes never dry out and I’ve been doing this for a very long time! If it’s a shampoo that doesn’t dry out your hair I think it’s fine! I just can’t justify paying for Solid when you can get the same results for much cheaper! After I clean them with shampoo my brushes are super soft and have no bristles falling out, so I like it! I use the shampoo pictured! Herbal Essence.

      Reply
  6. Ashley

    September 3, 2014 at 2:21 PM

    Coming from the Peony Project! I’ve never thought of using regular shampoo on my brushes to clean them. I’ve always used baby shampoo! I might try that next time I run out of baby shampoo!

    Reply
    • TheBeautySection

      September 3, 2014 at 4:56 PM

      Yea baby shampoo is really great too! But definitely try the regular shampoo too! Just don’t use a really thick, heavy shampoo because it may weight the bristles down and make the oily. And we don’t want that! :) Thanks so much for stopping by!!

      Reply
  7. dwellinginhappiness

    September 2, 2014 at 10:50 PM

    Awesome!! I totally do this too, good to know I’ve been doing it correctly. :) Using shampoo is super smart! I’ve just been using my hand soap. but I have some shampoo I never use and need to get rid of. Great tip! :) Visiting from Hump Day happenings. :)

    Reply
    • TheBeautySection

      September 3, 2014 at 10:40 AM

      Awesome!! I love using products up, so using the shampoo was the perfect option for me, and it works like a charm. Now my brushes smell so good!! :) Thanks so much for stopping by!!

      Reply
  8. The Domestic Curator

    September 2, 2014 at 8:35 PM

    If I told you how long it has been since I cleaned my make-up brushes it would def make your hair stand on end! I am SO going to use these tips and clean them! Thanks for sharing on hump days! Pinning!

    Reply
    • TheBeautySection

      September 3, 2014 at 10:37 AM

      Haha it’s okay, I go a pretty long time sometimes in between washing too! I’m trying to get better at that though! :) Thanks so much for stopping by and pinning! :)

      Reply
  9. Jenna @ A Savory Feast

    September 2, 2014 at 1:42 PM

    I didn’t know you could use shampoo to clean your brushes! I really need to clean mine, it’s been awhile. I found a tutorial on Pinterest where you use olive oil and a little bit of hand soap. Shampoo would be much easier!

    Reply
    • TheBeautySection

      September 2, 2014 at 3:08 PM

      Yea it’s pretty nifty! I wouldn’t use a thick creamy shampoo though because they may be too heavy for brush bristles. I had seen the olive oil cleanser on Pinterest too, but I’m not very fond of the smell of olive oil so I tried to stay away from that one haha! :)

      Reply
  10. ashley

    September 2, 2014 at 10:14 AM

    This is how I clean mine. I use baby shampoo. But sadly I don’t clean them as often as I should.

    Reply
    • TheBeautySection

      September 2, 2014 at 11:11 AM

      I know, same here!! I’m definitely going to try to get better at that tho!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. My Top 5 Face Brushes - The Beauty Section says:
    May 12, 2015 at 10:37 AM

    […] Please excuse how dirty these brushes are… I’ve had no time to wash them and they are in a desperate need for a good cleaning… maybe tonight! Find out how I wash my brushes here! […]

    Reply

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Hey! I'm Anna and I live in Georgia. I love beauty products. I love buying them, trying them and talking about them. Make yourself at home!

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