How-to: Wash Make-up Brushes

How-to: Wash Make-up Brushes

If I was to rate how good it feels when all your make-up brushes are all fresh and clean post-wash it would be a solid 10 out of 10. But if I was also to rate the chore of washing them to get to that point… it wouldn’t even get a one. I put it off to the point of borderline un-hygienic (not really that bad, but I do tend to opt for a new brush over washing them until I’m all out of them and it just has to get done). But if I have to toil through the chore of brush washing then I might as well make a little post about it and how I do it.

I should probably add here that I’m not exactly the professional brush-washer, so forgive me if how I do it isn’t perhaps the ‘best’ way, but it’s the way that works for me at the moment so I stick with it. You can also check out this post I wrote previously about brush washing if you’re interested to compare… to 2010!). In 2010 I wrote about using Dr Bronner’s soap to wash the brushes, which I still have (different bottle FYI) and still use. But when washing a large amount I tend to opt for a spray cleaner as it tends to be a little quicker. Although for things like foundation brushes that need a deep clean I’ll still reach for a soap/liquid cleaner like Dr Bronner’s. But for cleaning brushes now this is how I do things:

– Rubber washing up glove:

A one handed rubber-gloved woman does look a little odd. But I used this as my budget alternative to the Sigma Brush Cleaning glove (here if you’re interested) . Which does sound fantastic and no doubt works wonders. But for pure lathering up and helping get the grime out I find the texture on the everyday cleaning rubber glove does the trick. Plus it stops my hands from getting all puckered under running water for too long.

– Cleanser:

– Ring out:

This is the slightly (I mean slightly) tricky bit. In that you want to get as much of the water out without ringing out the brushes to the point of pulling bristles out or mis-shaping them.

– Let them dry:

I won’t put them upright in pots again until properly dry. Now I don’t go as far as hanging them upside down to avoid the water going into the head – but I do lay them flat and usually place near-ish to a radiator to make the most of any heat in speeding up drying. I’ll also brush them lightly on a clean tea-towel over the time it takes them to dry to avoid them getting out of shape.

That’s it! My main tips for washing brushes – don’t leave it too long… procrastination makes the whole task worse than it really is. Promise. Don’t submerge them in water and always rinse clean so no cleaner left on the brushes afterwards. Oh, and avoid getting water into the head of the brush.

My final tip is use the washing process to do a quick check/clear out of any brushes that may be past the point of no return. I just chucked out a load that were just shedding too much or had become so out of shape they wouldn’t work anymore. Brushes are one of the things I’m most guilty of hoarding so good to clear out from time to time… helps avoid having a mountain of used ones to wash each time too!

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