How to Clean your Make-Up Brushes

It’s ironic that we’re so careful with our skincare routine but tend to ignore the fact that our make-up tools are basically living bacteria farms.

Makeup brushes and applicators are caked with old make-up residue, oil and dead skin cells (which we apply to our freshly cleaned faces every morning)!  It’s like taking a shower and then putting on the same dirty underwear every day. Ugh.

So, what to do? If you ask them, Professional Make-up Artists will tell you that you should clean them after each use.  But, we barely have time to put our make-up on in the morning, let alone clean our brushes every day! Thankfully, a monthly deep clean is all you need to ensure cleanliness (and avoid break-outs).    

There are plenty of specially designed “brush cleaners” everywhere, but they’re pretty harsh, kind of expensive and can seriously dry out your brushes (which is why most of the cleaners out there are made by people that also make brushes). All you really need is good dish soap and warm water. And maybe a few paper towels.    

Here’s our 5-minute solution and you already have everything you need in the kitchen. Ready? Here’s how to do it: 

Gather all of your brushes and applicators, a clean bowl or mug and some paper towels. 
Put a small amount of  dish soap onto your brush and massage gently, working to loosen the old make-up. 
Swish it through a bowl of clean warm water being careful not to over soak or wet the handles. 
Rinse with warm water until the water runs clear. 
Pinch with a paper towel to squeeze off excess water and leave them out on a clean, low-lint towel to air-dry.