Overall, the makeup artists we spoke to had very similar methods for cleaning makeup brushes with different types of products. We distilled all their methods below, with some additional tips from each expert. If you’re cleaning a makeup sponge, the same methodology applies, though you’re really going to want to stick to liquid cleaners or bar soaps. Did you know that sanitising your make-up brush and equipment is extremely important, and we explain how you can do this easily and cheaply.
Quick-cleaning & sanitising with a spray:
1. Spray your brush a few times with ethanol or isopropyl alcohol. With the heads pointing down to prevent any moisture from seeping into the glue. Ethanol and isopropyl alcohol are both effective sanitisers and cleaners.
2. Swirl your brush against a clean cloth or paper towel to loosen up the pigments.
3. Air-dry your brushes on a flat surface.
TIP – Sanitise and clean your make-up brush with
ethanol or isopropyl alcohol available from Labtech.com.au
Quick-cleaning & sanitising with a liquid cleaner:
1. Fill a small bowl with a thin layer of the solution (concentrated options like ethanol or iso propyl alcohol, less is more). Ethanol and isopropyl alcohol are both effective sanitisers and cleaners.
2. Dip the tip of your brush into the solution.
3. Gently run your brush back and forth on a clean paper towel or a microfiber towel until all the product build-up is loosened up and your brush feels clean.
4. Air-dry your brushes on a flat surface.
You should be cleaning your brushes weekly
Cleaning with soap and water:
1. Holding your brushes with the bristles facing down, gently run lukewarm water in the sink and wet the tips of the bristles. You don’t want the water to get inside the barrel of your brushes because over time it can break down the adhesive that is holding your brush together and possibly erode your brush handles if they are made of wood.
2. Add a drop of your soap of choice to a textured cleansing pad (or even something like your palm), and swirl the brush into the soap until it’s fully lathered up and any pigment or dirt is removed. Or, if you’re using a bar soap, gently rub your makeup brush or sponge into the soap, creating a lather.
3. Gently squeeze your makeup brush or sponge to remove any excess cleanser or water.
4. Rinse again with clean water, with the bristles facing downward. You don’t want to fully submerge the brush bristles, and that you should also avoid rinsing under hot water which can loosen up the glue that holds the bristles.
5. Gently squeeze out any excess water, and mould your bristles back into place so they will dry correctly.
6. Lay your brushes flat to dry on a towel or paper towel.
7. Want to speed up the drying? A quick dip in ethanol or iso propyl alcohol will help speed up the drying time. Just make sure that you’re avoiding heat from devices like hair dryers, which can dry out the bristles.