Wondering how to clean makeup brushes and how to wash them at home? Although many overlook washing their brushes, doing so can harm your skin and lead to poor makeup application. Fortunately, keeping your bristles regularly maintained is very easy and inexpensive.
Best way to clean and wash makeup brushes at home
The best, easiest, and quickest way to clean and wash a makeup brush at home is to use a makeup brush cleaning machine. A cheaper alternative is to use a brush scrubbing mat.
A brush-cleaning machine is affordable and effective, with a portable cleaner retailing for just $23.99 on Amazon. This method lets you attach your brush to an electronic handle that is then dipped into a pot of cleaning fluid such as brush shampoo, cleaning the bristles by rapidly spinning them in the liquid. If you’ve got many brushes to get to — and frequently find yourself with dirty ones! — this is a great option.
If you’re looking to do it yourself, then you’ll instead want to buy a cheap brush-cleaning mat and follow these steps:
- Prepare a brush cleaning mat (around $5 on Amazon) and a small cup of lukewarm water.
- Pour a small amount of brush shampoo into a cup.
- Dip your brush into the shampoo.
- Wipe the brush against the mat until it is clean.
What to clean makeup brushes with
Cleaning makeup brushes typically requires a brush-cleaning mat and a cleaning liquid such as brush shampoo. You can opt for products you already have in your home, such as regular shampoo, though to avoid damaging your brush and drying out its bristles, it’s recommended that you go with a product designed to clean makeup brushes. You can buy a cheap $10 set with a brush cleaner and a mat right here.
How to dry makeup brushes
The fastest way to dry your makeup brushes is to leave them on a towel and air-dry them. You do not want to blow-dry your makeup brushes, which can melt the glue and cause the bristles to loosen.
Some may choose to do this with cheaper makeup brushes they don’t necessarily care about, but ultimately, there isn’t much point — unless you plan to quickly use your makeup brush after cleaning it, you should wait for it to dry by itself.
How to clean a makeup sponge
Cleaning a makeup sponge is similar to cleaning a brush, albeit without the brushing mat. All you need to do is add makeup brush shampoo to hot water and soak the sponge in the mixture. Ensure all makeup has been removed from the sponge, then squeeze out the excess water and leave it to air-dry.
Some recommend using dish soap to clean a makeup sponge. However, we’d advise against this — this can potentially harm your skin if all the soap hasn’t been removed and is altogether riskier than simply using the brush shampoo we mentioned above.
