How do you clean makeup brushes? Makeup brushes are beauty tools we use every day, but do you regularly clean them?
If you don't clean your makeup brush, you may face these hazards: residual makeup on the brush can breed bacteria, leading to skin infections, inflammation, allergies, and other problems. The oil and dust on the brush can affect the softness and powder holding ability of the bristles, reducing the makeup effect. The colors on the brush can be mixed, making your makeup look uncoordinated and unnatural.

So, in order to maintain the health and beauty of our skin, we must regularly clean our makeup brushes. So, how should makeup brushes be cleaned? Today, I will teach you several simple and effective methods to restore your makeup brush to a clean and fluffy state.

According to the purpose and material of the makeup brush, different cleaning methods can be selected. Generally speaking, makeup brushes can be divided into three types:

Dry powder brushes, such as powder brushes, powder blusher brushes, eye shadow brushes, etc., have less cosmetic residues, so immersion cleaning or dry cleaning can be used.

Paste brushes, such as foundation make-up brush, concealer brush, eyeliner brush, lip brush, etc., have a lot of cosmetic residues and need to be scrubbed.

Animal hair brushes, such as goat hair, mink hair, horsehair, etc., have delicate bristles that are not resistant to washing. It is recommended to use dry cleaning methods.

Next, I will provide a detailed introduction to the operational steps and precautions for each method

The method of soaking and washing

Find a container and mix clean water and professional washing water in a 1:1 ratio. If the product has special mixing ratio requirements, follow the instructions and mix evenly by hand. Soak the brush head in water and circle it, and you can see that the water becomes turbid. Pour out the muddy water, put clean water in the container, put the brush head in and continue circling.

Repeat several times until the water is no longer turbid, then rinse under the faucet and dry with a tissue.

Matters needing attention 

When rinsing, do not rinse the hair backwards. If the brush rod is made of wood, it should be quickly dried after soaking in water to avoid cracking after drying. The joint between the bristles and the nozzle is soaked in water, which can easily cause hair loss. Although it is inevitable to be soaked in water during flushing, try not to soak the entire brush in water, especially when there is detergent.

Friction washing method

Soak the brush head in clean water first, then pour professional washing water onto the palm of your hand or a washing pad. Use the brush head to repeatedly circle on the palm or scrub pad until foam is formed, and then rinse with water. Repeat the first two steps until the makeup brush is clean. Finally, rinse under the faucet and dry with a tissue.

Matters needing attention 

Choose professional wash water or weakly acidic Johnson&Johnson baby shampoo. Do not use facial cleansers or silicone based shampoos as they may affect the fluffiness and powder catching ability of the bristles. To check for residual washing water, you can use the brush to repeatedly circle in your palm. If there are no bubbles or slippery sensations, it means that the washing is clean.

Dry cleaning method

Cleaning sponge dry cleaning method: Wipe the newly used makeup brush clockwise on the black sponge area a few times. If the sponge gets dirty, take it out and wash it. The absorbent sponge in the middle is used to wet the eye shadow brush, which is convenient for applying eye makeup, and is more suitable for non colored eye shadow.

Dry cleaning method for loose powder/talcum powder: Put a dry powder makeup brush into loose powder/talcum powder and rinse until it gets dirty, and the brush will be clean. This gives rise to the simplest method, which is to use a brush to apply a small amount of loose powder onto a tissue, and then rub it in the same direction to clean it up.

Method of drying 

After washing the brush, dry it with a tissue or towel, including the brush stem. If you have a brush, it's best to cover the brush head with the brush to shape it. If you find it slow to work, you can set up a brush when it's half dry. Invert the brush, insert it into the brush rack, and place it in a ventilated area to dry in the shade. If there is no drying rack, place it flat to dry, or fix it with a drying rack and invert the brush to dry. Exposure to sunlight or using a hair dryer can cause the bristles to blow up.