How to Clean Makeup Brushes

Learning how to clean makeup brushes is a must for best results, and yet it is one of the most neglected things we find when we consult our customers.

They are shocked to learn that with inexpensive yet effective products. The best makeup brushes will last much longer with regular care.

Keeping your makeup brushes clean and bacteria-free is probably one of the most important beauty regimens you can take on.

There are a million reasons to be proactive with the cleanliness of your brushes, especially as they come in contact with your skin!

Reasons to Begin Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes

Regularly washing your makeup brushes is one of the best ways to preserve the bristles and make them last longer.

If you have a quality set of pricey goat hair brushes, like ours. this is something you will want to be consistent with.


You won’t need to replace your expensive brushes nearly as often.

If you have acne, washing your brushes is one of the best things you can do to save your skin.

As the bristles touch your face, dirt, oil and bacteria are picked up and left on the brush where they begin to grow by the thousands per day.

When you touch the brush back to your face, you are depositing bacteria into your skin, causing more pimples to form.

As a general rule of thumb, makeup brushes should be cleaned once or twice per week. If acne is a constant problem, however, it might be wise to wash them after ever one or two uses. Halting the production of bacteria can make a huge difference in your skin over a matter of days.

Another reason to keep your appliances super clean is to prevent them from contaminating your makeup.

Every time you dip a brush into your powder or cream makeup, dirt and bacteria from your skin and the environment are being forced into the makeup where it will continue to multiply.


Always be sure to keep your fingers out of your makeup palettes and the brushes that touch them completely sanitary.

Lastly, fresh makeup brushes apply much better than dirty ones. It is next to impossible for dirty, clumpy bristles to evenly distribute makeup over ones face.

Your skin will stay younger longer, and your makeup will appear more blended and beautiful if you take care.

How to Clean Makeup Brushes

To get started on cleaning your brushes, you will need either a standard brush cleaner or simple baby shampoo to remove the grease and makeup. Plenty of makeup artists swear by baby shampoo, and it is quite a bit cheaper as well.


Hold your brush almost horizontally with the bristles pointing towards the bottom of the sink, and run gentle lukewarm water over the hairs. Then, remove the brush from the water stream and dab a dime sized amount of baby shampoo onto the bristles.


You want to avoid rubbing the hairs together; instead, gently dab and squeeze to distribute the shampoo evenly.

Then, return the brush to the water stream and rinse thoroughly. You might need to repeat the shampooing if the brush was exceptionally dirty.

Once your brushes are cleaned, let them air dry over night. It is very important that you keep the brush hairs pointing towards the ground so that water doesn’t soak into the handle of the brush.

Use a set of clothes pins or masking tape against a white board to fasten your brushes properly for drying.


BareMinerals know how to clean makeup brushes and that shampoo of theirs is quality stuff.

Knowing how to do this properly will save you money in the long run and help keep your skin youthful over time.


> How To Clean Makeup Brushes
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