How to Clean Makeup Brushes

Cleaning your makeup brushes properly and regularly ensures that your brushes will last longer and also apply product to your face seamlessly, here is a detailed step by step walk through of how to clean makeup brushes properly.

You might have noticed when using a dirty brush which you haven’t washed in weeks, that the build up of product on the brush causes it to apply your makeup blotchy and scratchy. This is especially true for foundation brushes that you use every day.

You should wash your brush every 1 – 2 weeks. Especially if you use these brushes on a daily basis.

Using a dirty brush such as a blush or eye shadow brush can actually scratch your skin and stretch your pores because of the build up of product and oil, causing irritation to your delicate skin.

Here’s how you can ensure you keep your brush clean and hygienic for your skin.

Cleaning your Brushes

I like to set up my area before beginning, either at my bathroom or kitchen sink. You will need:

• Warm running water
• Shampoo ( I like to use a gentle cleansing one with a floraly scent as the scent usually remains on the brush).
• Towel
• Large bowl or plate to put your dirty brushes on
• Small bowl half filled with warm water for soaking

Optional:

• Sigma’s Spa Brush Cleaning Glove (If you don’t have this you can just use your hand instead)
• Sigma’s Dry N Shape (this speeds up the drying process and keeps them in shape)

Wash

Begin with your first brush and place it under the running warm water, making sure to always keep the brush pointing downwards so that water doesn’t get onto the wooden handle part or past the metal ferrule of your brush.

Once it is wet, turn the water off, grab your Spa Brush Cleaning Glove and apply a small pump of shampoo on the glove and begin to lather the brush in the shampoo. (As I mentioned above if you don’t have this you can use your hand). Use circular motions. You will notice the product and colour coming out.

Rinse

Rinse with water once you have lathered the brush in the shampoo. For really dirty brushes or ones that you use for cream foundation you may need to do this step twice to get all the product out.

Turn on the warm water and let it rinse out the hair while you continue to swirl the brush around on the glove. Continue to do this until all the shampoo has been washed from the brush and there are no suds left. I then let the brush ( just the top end) sit in a bowl of warm water while I move onto my next brush. This just ensures that the water gets into the top bit where any shampoo might of gotten stuck and soaks it a little further.

Dry and Shaping

Once this step is done, squeeze out any remaining water gently and reshape them. Lay them on a downward angle on your towel ( you can do this by propping something behind the towel so that the water drips downwards. If you own a Dry N Shape, simply following the instructions for drying with this.