How to Clean Makeup Brushes the Quick and Easy Way

Do you need to clean your brushes but don't have much time? Makeup brushes and applicators need to be cleaned regularly to ensure beautiful results and avoid acne and other skin problems, but if you are the only one who uses your beauty implements, you needn't be completely paranoid about germs and bacteria. Here is a fast and easy way to clean your brushes, sponges, etc., to get them looking and working like new, no hazmat suit required!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Dirty makeup brushes, sponges, and other applicators
• Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap or a gentle face wash of your choosing
• A small cup or bowl (I use a little bathroom cup)
• Access to a clean sink and faucet

1. Remove any loose debris from each of your brushes by shaking, tapping, or gently brushing or swirling onto a tissue or cloth. It is best to work with one brush at a time to avoid dropping anything and to be sure each implement is thoroughly cleaned. This still does not take very long even when doing each implement separately. One decent sized blush brush with a good amount of buildup should take roughly 2 minutes to clean.
2. Gently pre-rinse each implement with warm water, working it through the bristles or sponge gently with your fingers.
3. If the implement has collected quite a lot of makeup and oils, it helps to put one or two drops of the soap or face wash onto the already damp bristles or sponge and gently work it through with your fingers, adding a bit more warm water when necessary. This will create a good lather and you will see a lot of color in it from the makeup oil and skin deposits.
4. Put a drop or two of the Bronner's or gentle face wash into the small cup or bowl, depending on how large the brush or applicator is and how dirty it is. Add a small amount of very warm water to your cup or other container, only as much as will be needed to almost cover the bristles or sponge.
5. Swish the implement around in the soapy water, periodically removing it to gently work it through with your fingers if necessary. Add a little bit of water at a time when you feel it is necessary.
6. When you feel that no more makeup or dirt is going to come out of the implement, dump out the container of soapy water and gently rinse the brush under very warm water briefly.
7. Add clean water to the container and swish and bob the implement through it. Alternate this with rinsing under the warm running water, gently squeezing and working the suds and dirt out until the water comes out completely clear and free of suds.
8. If the water does not come out clean after two or three rinses, repeat steps 4-7, or 3-7 if there is a lot of buildup, in which case, When was the last time you washed that thing?!
9. Dry your freshly cleaned implements properly to extend their lifespan and avoid mold mildew and bacterial growth. Airflow is important. For sponges, press out excess water gently with a clean cloth and prop it on or against something so that there is as little contact with surfaces as possible. For brushes, reshape if necessary and sit them on a counter with the bristles completely hanging off the edge. This will allow them to dry thoroughly down to the base without becoming misshapen. To speed drying, you may wish to place a fan in the room or utilize some other kind of air circulation. A hair dryer on a lower cooler setting may help also.

Tips & Warnings

• Use less soap than you think you will need or you may be left rinsing the suds out for quite some time.
• Clean your makeup tools regularly. The more frequently you use them, the more they need to be cleaned. Cleaning will be faster, easier, and use less water the more often they are cleaned.
• It is worth it to invest in a quality set of brushes. They will produce better results, last longer, be gentler on your skin, and need less maintenance.
• I would not recommend speeding up the drying of your implements by placing them near an open window. If there is pollen in the air, the wind may deposit it on your tools and it may not even be visible. This could aggravate allergies.
• Do not use hot water. You could scald yourself or decrease the life and effectiveness of your makeup tools.
• Cleaning makeup tools too often or not gently enough may decrease their life and effectiveness. If they need to be cleaned too often, you may be using low quality makeup, low quality brushes, or the skin is not clean enough upon application.