How to Clean Makeup Brushes?

Jan 25, 2012

Georginaa M.

I tried the 'Michelle Phan' way but it left my makeup brushes greasy! Do you know any homemade/ cleansers that will clean my brushes but leave no residue?? x

Jan 25, 2012

Devon R.

i just use my shampoo and conditioner with a llittle water, works great for me, shampoo gets everything off the brush and conditoner makes it soft again, but i have like the real hair brushes so i dont know what it would feel like on synthetic or something, but its cheap and easy so may as well try it :)

Jan 25, 2012

Amanda J.

I use mane n' tail, because it's for horses, and my brushes are made out of pony hair, mostly. And also because it's my shampoo, lol. You just put a little bit of shampoo in your palm, and wet the brush, and swirl it around. Once gunk starts coming out, run it back and forth across your fingers. That should clean em nice and good! If it doesn't work... Well, I don't know what to say! O.O

Jan 25, 2012

Melissa B.

I use jane Iredale's makeup brush cleaner. Just remember, whatever you use, (Amanda has the right idea!) never douse your brushes in water...it could eventually eat away at the glue holding the bristles to the handle. 

Jan 26, 2012

Soma S.

I don't like using EVOO because oil can work its way up the ferrule and degrade the glue that holds it together. I dont use my makeup brushes to paint with toxic oil paints, so I do not need to use that method for my face brushes!

I use Dr. bronner's soap diluted in a foaming cleanser bottle to extend the usage of my soap. The cleanser foam also allows you to gauge how much pigments are left in the brush as I demo in this vid: http://www.beautylish.com/v/gryza/how-to-clean-your-brushes-w-foam-for-cleaner-brushes

If you're using the soap/shampoo method, TRUST ME with putting it into a foaming cleanser bottle! You'll save money, waste less water and be more gentle on your brushes because there is less soap residue left behind to damage the delicate brush hairs!

I use to use Enkore's recipie when I made this (I'm always looking for a better way to take care of my babies!) and I wouldn't suggest it. I do like the idea of washing with Mane & Tail or a color treatment shampoo... Which I might try, but dr. Bronner's is going to last me forever and lifts out the most stubborn foundation stains and black pigments from my white brushes.

For spot cleaning, I love the MAC brush cleaner, but I decant it into a spray bottle and dilute it with 1/4 distilled water and 3/4 brush cleaner to stretch my dollar.

Hope that helps!

Jan 26, 2012

Chelsey T.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYz5MsoHqUM

Jan 26, 2012

Shelly T.

For deep cleaning I just use baby shampoo. I don't like the olive oil method, either; I tried it once and it took a while to get some of my brushes I owned at the time to get back into a good state.

For spot cleaning I use MAC's brush cleanser. Another thing you can do is if you have a spray nozzle from a non-aerosol hairspray or another brush cleanser is to switch the flip-top lid that MAC's comes with for the spray nozzle (providing it fits, of course). Before I used MAC's I had the Smashbox one, which comes with a spray nozzle, and once that ran out, I just swapped the nozzle and the flip top. The sprayer fit perfectly.

Jan 28, 2012

Christine D.

Sephora carries a brush cleaning spray, I spray the brushes with that and gently rub them clean with a towel, works like a charm.

Jan 28, 2012

Ashley c.

baby shampoo! or loreal for kids! works like a charmmm 

Jan 28, 2012

Zoe C.

I actually did a blog post on this a while back, there are so many different ways to clean your brushes but this is my favourite, and I was surprised at the amount of people who don't clean their brushes at all, so this was for them: http://colourbymakeup.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-clean-your-brushes-and-diy-brush.html

Feb 19, 2013

Tiffany M.

Michelle what for me.

Feb 19, 2013

Tiffany M.

Or baby shampoo

Feb 19, 2013

Louise S.

I do the same as Devon E; I use my shampoo and conditioner. Works great. I wash them with those, then rinse them with warm water, reshape them into their original shape, then place them on some kitchen towel/paper to dry over night :)

Mar 2, 2013

Melissa M.

I use baby shampoo

Mar 2, 2013

Juliana S.

Dishwasher soap and a bit oil

Mar 2, 2013

Melanie V.

I wash them in e.l.f brush shampoo weekly and use 91% alchohol in a spray bottle for daily cleaning. This is for synthetic brushes though, I would use something with conditioner in it for natural hair brushes.