The Best Way to Clean Your Make-Up Brushes

When was the last time you committed to a bit of beauty admin? Cleaning out the make-up drawer, dusting off palettes, wiping down bottles and cleaning the daily grime from your make-up brushes? You’re not alone. According to one survey, 39% of make-up brush users clean them less regularly than once per month - and 22% admitted to never cleaning their brushes at all.

Layers of oil from your skin, combined with mixed products and dead skin cells are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and when left uncleaned, can cause breakouts and irritated skin. If you’re on a mission to improve your skin, committing to a flawless skincare routine and can’t work out why your skin is still causing an uproar, maybe it's time to consider giving your beauty tools a good spring cleaning to remove potentially harmful bacteria. So without further ado, whip out those caked brushes and get ready for a spring cleaning sensation with pro precision.

Wash

Fill a basin with lukewarm water mixed with antibacterial soap or silicone-free soap. You can also use baby shampoo, as it will be gentle on the bristles while making them smell great! This will strip the brushes of grease and oil without damaging the natural brush hair. Dip each rush under the running water and then into your bowl of lukewarm soapy water, rub the brush gently with your fingers or on a brush cleaning mat. 

Swirl

Hold the brushes under warm water, rinsing away all the lathered make-up residue and soap. 

Repeat

If your brush still holds pigment or residue, repeat the first two steps, remembering to be gentle as to not damage the synthetic hair bristles. If not, squeeze the water out of the brush and lay it flat on a towel next to the sink to dry. This ensures the water doesn’t drain into the wood or glue to cause damage.

Dry

You can use your towel to gently compress each brush to dry out your collection and speed up the process. Next lay them out in a neat row in somewhere warm like under a radiator or on a windowsill so they dry quicker. This process can take up to 2 hours. While you’re waiting, why not wipe down your palettes, foundation bottles and even your make-up bag (or pop it in the washing machine for a thorough scrub) with an antibacterial wipe to really ace the regime?

This small act of beauty admin when done regularly will certainly showcase winning results. Except glowing skin and improved texture galore!

Until next time,

The Front Row Team x