How to clean makeup brushes without ruining them

Step by step: how to clean makeup brushes without ruining them

1. 1

   Rinse only the tips

   Hold each brush with the bristles pointing down and run just the tips under lukewarm water. Keep water away from the metal ferrule, where the bristles are glued in. You will see the first wave of makeup run out.

2. 2

   Make a shampoo bath

   Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and stir in about 1 tablespoon of gentle or clarifying shampoo. Shampoo is made for hair, so it cleans natural and synthetic bristles without drying them the way bar soap can.

3. 3

   Swirl and lather each brush

   Swirl the tip of one brush in the bowl, then massage it in your palm or on a textured silicone mat for 20 to 30 seconds. Work from the base of the bristles out to the tips, pointing the brush down the whole time.

4. 4

   Rinse until the water runs clear

   Rinse the bristles under running lukewarm water, again tips down. Repeat the shampoo and rinse until no color runs out; a dense foundation brush can take three or four rounds. Do not move on while the water is still tinted.

5. 5

   Squeeze out the water and reshape

   Gently squeeze the bristles in a clean, dry paper towel to remove as much water as you can. Pinch the head back into its original shape with your fingers so it dries the right way.

6. 6

   Dry flat with the tips hanging off

   Lay the brushes on a towel at the edge of the counter so the heads hang in the air. Never stand them upright in a cup while wet, because water runs into the ferrule and loosens the glue. Most brushes are dry in 6 to 12 hours; thick kabuki brushes can take a day.

7. 7

   Spot-clean between washes

   Between deep cleans, spray a quick-dry brush cleaner onto a tissue or the brush and wipe until no color transfers. This is useful when switching shades, but it does not replace a full wash.

How often should you clean makeup brushes?

Wash makeup brushes every 7 to 10 days, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, and more often for brushes used with wet products or near your eyes. The AAD says dirty brushes collect product, oil and bacteria that can lead to breakouts, rashes and skin infections.

The FDA advises making sure any instrument you use around the eye is clean, never sharing eye cosmetics, and throwing away eye products you were using when you got an eye infection. Wash the brushes you used then, or replace them if they are cheap.

Natural vs synthetic bristles

Both clean the same way, but natural hair brushes need gentler products and more drying time. Natural bristles are real hair, so a mild shampoo and a drop of conditioner on the tips keep them soft; harsh soap or hot water leaves them frizzy and prone to shedding.

• Synthetic brushes (most foundation and concealer brushes) hold less product and dry faster. Gentle shampoo or a little dish soap cuts through oily foundation well.
• Natural hair brushes (many powder and eyeshadow brushes) absorb more water. Use lukewarm water only and give them a full day to dry.
• Brushes with wooden handles should never soak: water swells the wood and cracks the lacquer.

How to clean each type of makeup brush

The shampoo wash in the steps above works for every brush, but some need a different first step or extra care.

Foundation, concealer and kabuki brushes

Dense heads trap liquid product deep near the ferrule. Work the lather in with your fingertips, bristles pointing down, and squeeze from the base toward the tips until a squeeze runs clear. For long-wear or waterproof foundation, massage a few drops of cleansing oil or makeup-removing balm into the dry bristles first, then shampoo it out. Sigma Beauty cautions that high-fragrance or high-sulfate cleansers, including dish soap, may strip fibers, so save dish soap for the occasional greasy synthetic brush.

Lip brushes

Lipstick and lip liner are waxy, so water alone just smears them around the bristles. Wipe the brush on a tissue after each use, dissolve what is left with a drop of oil or cleansing balm, then wash as usual. Keep lip brushes for your own use only.

Gel eyeliner and fine detail brushes

Gel liner dries hard in thin bristles if you leave it. Wipe the brush on a tissue right after use, loosen what remains with an oil-based eye makeup remover, then wash. Pinch the tip back to a fine point before it dries.

Powder, blush, bronzer and fan brushes

These hold dry powder, so tapping the handle and sweeping the brush across a clean towel removes most of it between washes. Fluffy natural hair heads take the longest to dry, so wash them when you can leave them overnight.

Silicone applicators and sponge-tip wands

Silicone has no bristles to hold product: wash it with soap and water after each use and let it air dry. Foam sponge-tip eyeshadow applicators soak up product and are hard to rinse clean, so replace them often rather than trying to deep clean them.

Do you need to disinfect makeup brushes?

Not for brushes only you use. A thorough shampoo wash on the schedule above is enough. Disinfecting matters when a brush touches more than one face, which is why salons and makeup artists follow stricter rules than you need at home.

Washing and disinfecting are not the same thing. Texas’s cosmetology health and safety rules state that cleansing is not disinfection, and require estheticians to use clean makeup brushes for each client. California’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology requires makeup brushes to be cleaned before use on a client with a cleansing agent such as makeup brush liquid or spray cleaner or alcohol, then dried and stored in a clean, covered place labeled “Clean.”

At home, borrow the parts of that routine that make sense:

• If you do makeup for friends, a wedding party or kids, use a separate clean brush for each person, or spray the brush with an alcohol-based brush cleaner and let it dry between faces.
• Use alcohol-based cleaners to sanitize, not as your regular wash. Sigma Beauty says a gentle cleanser is best for regular washing and that harsh cleaners relying heavily on alcohol can break down fibers, while alcohol-based cleansers may be necessary for sanitizing.
• Keep a separate set of brushes for anyone with a skin or eye infection until it has cleared, then wash them.

How to store makeup brushes between washes

Clean brushes get dirty again fast if they sit in a dusty cup or a damp bathroom.

• Stand brushes upright in a cup or case only once they are completely dry. Upright storage is fine for dry brushes; only wet brushes must lie flat.
• Keep them away from the shower and sink, where splashes and steam keep bristles damp.
• Use a lidded case or cover the cup so the heads do not collect dust, hair and hairspray overspray.
• Wash the brush cup or roll every time you deep clean the brushes. A plastic or glass cup can go in hot soapy water; wipe fabric rolls and cases inside and out and let them dry fully before the brushes go back in.
• For travel, slide brush guards over the heads or use a case with separate slots, so heads keep their shape and powder does not transfer between brushes.

What not to do when cleaning makeup brushes

Do not soak brushes or dry them upright, because both let water into the ferrule and dissolve the glue that holds the bristles. That is how brushes start shedding and the head comes loose.

• Skip hot water and hair dryers; heat weakens the glue and can melt synthetic bristles.
• Do not use bar soap or harsh detergents on natural hair; the AAD notes that plain soap and water can dry out bristles.
• Do not put brushes away damp. A brush that is still wet inside can grow mildew and start to smell.
• Do not share brushes. The AAD advises never sharing makeup you apply with a brush or sponge, and the same goes for the brush.

Sponges need washing even more often than brushes; see how to clean makeup sponges.

When to replace a makeup brush

Replace a brush when it keeps shedding after washing, the head wobbles, or it smells musty even when dry. Washing will not fix any of those.

Good brushes can last years if you dry them flat, but cheap brushes often loosen within months. Splayed bristles that will not reshape after washing apply makeup unevenly and are a sign the head is worn out.

Mistakes to avoid

• Dunking the whole brush head and ferrule in water, which dissolves the glue.
• Drying brushes upright in a cup so water runs down into the handle.
• Using only a quick-dry spray for months and never deep washing.
• Stopping before the rinse water runs clear, which leaves residue that stiffens the bristles.
• Drying brushes with a hair dryer or on a radiator.
• Sharing eye brushes with friends.
• Using one brush on several people without cleaning it in between.