How to Wash Your Makeup Brushes
After all of the parties and get-togethers over winter break, I’ve arrived back at school with a bunch of dirty makeup brushes. So, for this week’s post, I decided it would be both necessary (for me) and useful (hopefully, for you) to share an inexpensive yet effective way to easily clean your makeup brushes!
Now, let me start by debunking a myth: Most people think that you need to buy an expensive brush cleanser from Mac, Sephora, or Ulta to get your brushes really clean, but honestly, if you have olive oil and dish soap, you can clean your brushes just as well.
Now, you may be wondering, “um, why would I ever put dish soap and olive oil onto a makeup brush?“ Well, the dish soap cleans and disinfects your brush, while the olive oil seals in moisture and smooths the brush hair! (Think of it as a shampoo/conditioner mix!) It may sound a bit odd to mix the two together but seriously, don’t worry – your brushes will be just as clean and silky as they were when you first purchased them!
Here’s an easy step-by-step guide as to how you can easily and efficiently clean your dirty makeup brushes.
Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes in 5 Steps
Step 1: Gather all of your brushes that need to be cleaned.
Step 2: Grab your olive oil and your dish soap.
Step 3: Mix the olive oil and soap in a bowl. Swirl a brush in the soapy concoction.
Step 4: Rinse your brush under COLD water. (Make sure the water is cold – hot water can loosen the bristles in the brushes and cause them to fall out!)
Step 5: Repeat the process with each brush, pat dry with a clean towel, then leave your brushes out on a towel to dry overnight!
And you’re all done! Yes, it’s that easy.
This soapy, olive oil-y mixture works really well to clean any kind of brush from any makeup brand! I wash all of my brushes this way, it doesn’t matter if it’s a face or eye brush – it cleans them all! It also doesn’t matter where you purchased the brush- I use this mixture to clean all of my brushes, from Mac to Sigma to ELF.
Also, using this method, your brushes will not get misshapen or lose bristles! As your brushes dry, they will take their original shape- not the semi-deformed one that they temporarily have due to their wet bristles. And as long as you rinse your brushes really well under cold water and pat the handle dry before setting it down to dry, the bristles will not fall out!
Your thoughts?
I hope this was helpful- I know I was thrilled to find out that I could effectively clean my brushes without having to spend too much money! Do you have a different technique as to how you clean your brushes? Let me know in the comments!
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Posted on on January 22, 2013 / Filed Under: Beauty & Hair / Tags: cleaning, Cosmetics, Featured, How To, Makeup, makeup brushes, Tutorial
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Lizzie
What? I’ve been spending all the money for nothing!!? Thank you! I needed this.
Kelsey Elisabeth Benedict
I wash my brushes with a cheap 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner.
I’m going to give this a try in the next few days. :D
Natalie
Brilliant! I so need to clean my brushes and knew there was an easier way that buying a special brush cleaning solution! But what kind of olive oil/dish soap ratio do you use? Is it just 50:50?
Megan
I badly needed this, thanks for posting! But do you think I could use coconut oil instead of olive oil? :)
Emma - University of Southern California
Megan – Hmmm, I’m actually not sure about that! I would use olive oil just in case. I know that coconut oil is extremely thick and I would worry that it wouldn’t wash out as easily!
Emma - University of Southern California
Natalie – Yes! 50:50!
Emma - University of Southern California
Kelsey – Awesome! Let me know how it works out for you!
Emma - University of Southern California
Lizzie – That was my reaction, too!
Laura
I would add that to make sure the water doesn’t settle down in the metal part and loosen the glue, to leave them dry tilted up at a slight angle, bristles down. For example, fold a towel over a to half way and rest the brushes with the handles on the folded bit. :)
Tif
I used to do this for my brushes, but another friend warned me it ruins them. I switched to washing them with Johnson’s baby shampoo. It’s the perfect one-step alternative!
emily
I’ve used this method before and I loved it! It left all my brushes clean and soft :)
Jenna - John Abbott College
SO relevant. I’m always surprised at how few people know this trick. Great post! :)
Emma - University of Southern California
Emily- So glad to hear that!
Emma - University of Southern California
Thank you, Jenna!
Emma - University of Southern California
Tif- I will have to try that out!
Emma - University of Southern California
Laura- Thanks for adding that! I actually do the same thing!
Miah
My sis and I use baby shampoo when washing our brushes. It has a soft formula that isn’t harsh on the bristles. Awesome tip on rinsing with cold water! I’ve ruined plenty of brushes, makeup and otherwise, buy rinsing with warm/hot water. :-/
Casey
This is perfect! I already have olive oil in the bathroom (I wash my face with it at night, it’s the ONLY thing that got rid of my cystic acne!) I was just about out of baby shampoo so thanks for this cheap trick.
Mariam
I use baby shampoo
Johanna
Thank you for this!! I’m totally trying this out tonight, I hope it works for my brushes as well :) ?
Emma - University of Southern California
Johanna- It will most definitely work for any brush!
Emma - University of Southern California
Mariam- I will have to try that out!
Emma - University of Southern California
Casey- You’re so welcome! Let me know how it goes for you!
Emma - University of Southern California
Miah- I definitely need to check out baby shampoo to clean my brushes! I have heard so much about it.
Laura J
I didn’t have olive oil so I used canola oil (it’s made in the Canadian prairies where I’m from). My brushes are just drying now but the canola oil seemed to do the job just fine. Do you think all kinds of oil (minus coconut) would work for this?
Jess
My face is disgustingly allergic to olive oil. Is there an alternative?
TAHTYANAH
I always just used hand soap…oops… this seems to be a lot more thorough in the cleaning dept, and moisturizing as well.
Casey… Do share!
I’d love to know your face washing routine. Im fighting my own acne battle right now. Thanks.
Jessica
I actually used to use this method. I found in on youtube, and it worked great the first time I did it. The second time I did it, it completely ruined a few of my larger, powder brushes. :( I think you have to be really careful with the dish soap- it can really dry out the bristles and tangle them up!
AnnieK
Just what I was looking for!! Thank you!!
Jennifer Lindsay
You’ve shown a lot of essence of beauty brushes would you recommend that brand?
Eva
I read in Bobbi Brown’s “Beauty Rules” never to dry your make-up brushes laying flat on a towel, but to hang them with the bristles pointing down taped from the edge of a table. I forgot why though! Anyone else do this? Is there a difference?
Natalie
Eva – I think it’s to prevent water from running up the bristles, which may loosen the glue that sticks the bristles together and cause them to fall out. I’ve never heard of anyone taping their brushes to a table though! As long as they dry pointing downwards somewhere, it should be fine!
Emma - University of Southern California
Laura- I would first try out the other oils on your inexpensive make-up brushes (if you have any), that way you don’t risk ruining your brushes that are $10 or up!
Emma - University of Southern California
Jess- Someone tried out canola oil and said it worked just as well! Others have ditched the idea completely and just do the process with baby shampoo!
Emma - University of Southern California
Tahtyanah- Trust me, I was doing the same thing…until I discovered this routine!
Emma - University of Southern California
Jessica- I think it may also depend on which dish soap brand you use!
Emma - University of Southern California
Annie- You’re welcome! Let me know how it goes!
Emma - University of Southern California
Jennifer- I really do love the essence of beauty brushes- they blend eyeshadows very easily and efficiently.
Elle Sotnas
I though it was suppose to wash with a neutral soap or shampoo…
Christine
I think it’s already been said, but baby shampoo is an awesome brush cleaner. I’ve never had tangled or brittle brush hairs after using it. Old Johnsons Baby Shampoo works the best, it’s very sudsy and cleans out waxy/oily makeup like nobody’s business.
Bre
I use Johnson’ s baby shampoo it’s safe and gentle and sooo soft after u clean them
Emma - University of Southern California
Bre- I definitely need to try that!
Emma - University of Southern California
Christine- I have heard so much about that I should totally use it!
shilu
very very helpful.
Emma - University of Southern California
Shilu- Thank you!
Danielle W
I did this last night and it worked amazingly!! Thanks for posting!!
Lish
I disinfect mine with vinegar and lukewarm (about room temperature) water, and then use gentle shampoo to wash them (It’s a sulfate-free color safe shampoo that I always have laying around, so it’s handy) . I have very sensitive skin that’s prone to breakouts, and the vinegar helps to remove any bacteria that might cause a breakout. I actually need to wash mine tonight, as I think my current round of breakouts is being helped along by my dirty brushes. My vinegar/water mixture is usually eyeballed, but it’s about 25/75, and I just swish them around for a couple minutes to kill bacteria and loosen the makeup on the bristles before I lather up some shampoo and rinse them out. Just rinse well, or they smell like vinegar, even after they’re dry! In addition to helping prevent damage to the bristles, drying at an angle also seems to help them dry faster.
Emma - University of Southern California
Danielle- I’m glad it worked!
Emma - University of Southern California
Lish- I will totally try this out!
Casey
Tahtyanah,
Sorry I didn’t return to this sooner! I mix olive oil and a bit of castor oil and massage it into dry skin (it’s fantastic for removing makeup too) then get the water really hot and run a washcloth through it and lay it on my face until it gets cold and repeat once or twice more. Then just wipe the excess off with the washcloth. The oil mimicks your natural skin oils and moisturizes, and oil cuts through oil it also helps fight bacteria. In the morning I use a mild cleanser with my clarisonic and regular moisturizer. The oil method is called the hot oil treatment. I found it online and figured my skin could only get better not worse and it worked fabulously!
Amy
I just did this and it worked brilliantly! Thank you so much!!