How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes (And How Often You Should Do It)

I think it’s pretty common knowledge that makeup brushes should be cleaned regularly. Or at least I thought it was common knowledge, until I came across a poll about women’s brush cleaning habits! According to the 2015 poll sponsored by Anisa International, 22% of women who use makeup brushes admitted that they have never cleaned them! An additional 39% said that they clean their makeup brushes less than once a month.

Now I’m not claiming that I’m a paragon of makeup brush cleanliness, but I DO try to clean my brushes a couple of times a month. And over the years, I’ve picked up a few tips that make the process quick and easy! I thought I’d share a few of those tips with you today, so that we can all make an effort to improve our brush hygiene. (I’ll also be sharing a fun project for making a custom roll to store your makeup brushes in! You can find that near the bottom of today’s post.)

But first – let’s get back to brush cleaning. Keeping your makeup brushes clean is important! (These things are touching your face, after all!) If they aren’t cleaned regularly, dirty brushes can harbor bacteria, which can eventually cause breakouts and other skin conditions. So how often SHOULD we clean our brushes?

Well, that depends on who you are asking. But renowned makeup artist Bobbi Brown has this to say on the subject… “For concealer and foundation brushes, at least once a week to prevent a buildup of product. And because these brushes are used on your face, the cleaner, the better. Brushes that are used around the eyes should be cleaned at least twice a month, while all others can be washed once a month.”

That sounds rather reasonable, doesn’t it? And you can get the job done in minutes by following the method outlined below. It’s easy and effective!

How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes

You’ll need:

• Dish soap (or baby shampoo)
• Silicone trivet
• Clean towel
• Cup

Directions:

1. Run the bristles of your makeup brush under warm water. Make sure the bristles are saturated, but try to keep the rest of your brush dry. (If the part that holds the bristles in place gets wet, the bristles could start to loosen and fall out!)

2. Squirt a small amount of dish soap or baby shampoo onto your silicone trivet. I use Dawn dish soap because it really helps cut through the oily gunk and makeup that gets caked into my brushes.

3. Push the wet bristles of your brush gently against the trivet, and start swirling it around. Just WATCH all the gunk that comes out! Just keep swirling your brush against the mat, adding a few more drops of soap if necessary. It will eventually come clean!

4. When your brush is clean, give the bristles a thorough rinse. Squeeze any excess water out using your clean towel. Finally, reshape the brush head, and set it across the opening of a cup. (This allows air to circulate around the bristles so they can dry properly.)

So now that your makeup brushes are clean, you need a good place to store them right? I’ve got you covered there too. ;-) Check out how easy it is to turn a simple sushi mat into a makeup brush roll. Your brush roll will be custom fitted to your brushes, in whatever order you want!

Sushi Mat Makeup Brush Roll

You’ll need:

• Sushi mat
• Elastic ribbon
• Hot glue gun
• Self-adhesive velcro

Directions:

Start by cutting a length of elastic ribbon that’s about twice as long as your sushi mat. String the elastic ribbon between the second or third space from the edge of the mat, then form a small loop. Glue the loop in place with your hot glue gun.

Next, gather your makeup brushes, and lay them out on the sushi mat in whatever order you like. Grab a pad of paper and jot down how many spaces each brush takes up. (For example, I determined that my larger brushes would need 4 spaces, my mascara took up 3 spaces, and my smaller brushes took up 2 spaces each.) You should also jot down how many spaces you’ll leave between each brush.

The next step is just to weave the elastic ribbon through the spaces in the sushi mat according to the order you want your brushes in. I fed the ribbon down through the 4th space from where my loop sits, and made sure that it was snug enough to keep a large brush in place. Then I counted 3 more spaces to the right and fed the ribbon up through the mat. Repeat this process until you have enough loops for all your brushes.

Adjust the slack in the elastic until you’ve got it right, then trim the excess ribbon. Follow the beginning step to create another loop that will secure the elastic ribbon in place.

Finally, finish your brush roll by adding a piece of self-adhesive velcro to hold it closed.

And voila, you’ve got your very own custom makeup brush roll! I think one of these would make a great gift for a girlfriend, don’t you? You might have to do some sneaky investigating to figure out what makeup brushes she uses if you want the brush roll to be a surprise. but I know how clever you all are, so I’m sure you’ll think of something! ;-)