As a makeup artist, I’m constantly using brushes on clients and need to get them as clean as possible for hygienic reasons.

So here’s a how to guide on cleaning your brushes with some tips & tricks.

What You’ll Need:

• Shampoo – For deep cleaning, I swear by Johnson’s Baby Shampoo.  It not only cleans the brushes, but conditions it too.  I’ve tried cleaning my brushes with 2-in-1 shampoos and it still had residual makeup left on the brush.  This is the only formulation that has proven to work.
• Brush Cleaner – My absolutely favourite for spot cleaning is Parian Spirit Brush Cleaner.  I’ve done a Product Wars on YouTube about it.  It smells like fresh oranges and my clients love the smell.
• Spray Bottle – To put your brush cleaner in.
• Dirty Brushes

What’s the difference between spot cleaning & deep cleaning?
Spot cleaning is when you put a small amount of product either on the brush or on a piece of paper towel and wipe the brush until all the residue comes off.  I prefer to use this method as a “quick fix” when I’m in between clients or working on multiple weddings in one weekend.

Deep cleaning is when you soak the entire brush with the product and rinse it with water.  I actually like to deep clean my brushes with shampoo once a week to guarantee that my brushes are 100% clean before I start my next gig.

TIP: When drying your brushes, make sure you wipe back and forth as oppose to swirling it against a towel.  When you swirl it, you risk twisting up the fibres of your brushes and causing the hairs to break off.

HOW TO SPOT CLEAN:

1. Spritz brush cleaner onto the brush.
2. Wipe back and forth onto the paper towel until clean and dry.  Ready for immediate use.

Before Spot Cleaning (Left) / After Spot Cleaning (Right)

HOW TO DEEP CLEAN:

1. Dip the brush in water.
2. Take the brush and rub it with baby shampoo in the palm of your hand until it suds up.
3. Rinse with warm water.
4. Dry the brush by brushing it back and forth against a towel.
5. Lay flat to dry.

Before Deep Cleaning (Left) / After Deep Cleaning (Right)

TIP: Whenever you are cleaning your brushes and waiting for it to dry, make sure that you are laying it on its side and not standing it up.  By letting it stand up, you risk any water or liquid from dripping down the ferrule.  This will ultimately ruin your brushes by having the ferrule detach from the wooden handle and cause either the wood to rot or lacquer coating from peeling off.

I actually like to roll up a towel half way and lay the brushes where the bottom of the handle is on the rolled up part of the towel.  This slant will prevent any water from seeping into the ferrule and draw any moisture from the bristles.

How often do you clean your makeup brushes? Do you even clean them?

2 years ago, my sister never washed her brushes. It wasn’t until I scolded her for it and told her the dangers she could be doing to her skin. Now, she sends me photos each time she cleans her brushes. 🙂

For any of those interested, here’s my Product Wars episode between MAC Brush Cleanser and Parian Spirit Brush Cleanser: