4 Common Brush Cleaning Mistakes You Could be Making

Yay! It’s brush cleaning day, said no makeup artist ever. All though cleaning my makeup brushes isn’t my favorite chore; it’s a vital task. Did you know your brushes accumulate makeup, dirt, dead skin, oil, and bacteria, which can all transfer onto the skin if you don’t properly clean your brushes?

To avoid build-up and other germs I would suggest deep cleaning your brushes once a week. If your an artist, a deep cleanse 2-3 times per week might be necessary depending on your work. That’s a lot of brush cleaning; The struggle is so real… lol. But, are you cleaning your brushes the proper way?

I know what you’re thinking. “ How could I clean my brushes wrong, it’s so simple  ?”

Well its possible, here are the top 4 common mistakes you could be making when cleaning your brushes. 

1.) Only Using Brush Cleaner Spray 

 Spot cleaning is a great and effective way to clean your brushes quickly. However, it doesn’t remove 100% of the oil, residue, and bacteria found on the bristles. The best way to ensure your brushes are squeaky clean is too deep clean them using soap and water. I personally deep clean my brushes before each makeup job and spot clean in between clients while on set.  

2.) Submerging Your Brushes in water  

  This should be considered a crime, I cringe when I see brushes soaking in the sink on social media.  By submerging your brushes,  the water can seep down into the brush which will loosen the glue that holds the bristles together causing the brush to fall apart and die.

3.) Forgetting To Clean The Handle  

There’s nothing worse than the feeling of a dirty brush handle, plus the handle of the brush carries just as much dirt, oil, and makeup build up as the bristles.To keep my brush handles germ and build up free I wipe them down using disinfecting wipes.

4.) Drying Your Brushes Standing Upward

  When drying your brushes standing upward, excess water from the bristles can get trapped inside the brush, causing the bristles to fall out and the wooden handle to rot. Lay your brushes down flat on a towel to dry overnight.  

Now that you know the “Don’ts when it comes to brush cleaning, here’s a step by step guide on how to properly clean your brushes.

What you will need       

 . Your Sink   

. Brush Cleaner (ex: Cinema Secrets) 

. Antibacterial soap or Brush Cleaning Soap 

 . Disinfecting wipes  

. Brush Cleaning Pad (Optional ) 

 . A Clean Towel  

. Paper Towels 

Step 1: Dip or spray brush cleaner onto your brushes and wipe clean onto a paper towel or a cloth. Pre-cleaning your brushes will help remove build up and make cleaning your brushes easier.   

Step 2: Use a disinfecting wipe to sanitize the handle of each brush.

Step 3: Keep the brush pointed downward and run the bristles under lukewarm water. Try to avoid getting other areas of the brush wet. 

Step 4: Add a dime size amount of antibacterial soap to the palm of your hand, swirl the bristle in the soap until they began to lather. If you’re using a bar of soap, swirl the bristle against the bar until lather. 

Step 5: Continue to Swirl the bristles in the palm of your hand or your brush cleaning mat using circular motions until you feel all the makeup is removed.

Step 6: Rinse the bristles under lukewarm water until the water runs clean. 

Step 7: Using your thumb and index finger, gently squeeze the excess water from the bristles.

Step 8: Reshape the bristles and lay the brush flat on a clean towel to dry overnight.   

Repeat as needed 

Now, I want to hear from you! Leave me a comment below and tell me what are your favorite brush cleaning tips?