I’ll admit it’s not the most fun or exciting thing in the world… cleaning your makeup brushes and beauty sponge blenders can feel a little boring! But it’s a bit like going to the gym - you feel so glad once you’ve done it and you sit down with your sparkly clean set of brushes to do your makeup the next day.
It does feel good, and you know you’re doing a really great thing for your skin, your makeup application and your brushes.
Using clean makeup brushes and blenders is one of my top skincare tips.
Putting time, energy and money into a skincare routine and then top it off with dirty makeup brushes is just plain counterproductive.
According to one Huffington Post survey,only 61% of women clean their makeup brushes once a month, if at all. Almost two-fifths (39%) of women cleaned their brushes less than once a month, with 22% admitting to never cleaning them at all.
My top tip is to find a way to make it fun - and multi-task so you can really make it count. It usually takes me anything between 5-10 minutes to wash my set of makeup brushes.
In that time I apply a face mask and make sure I have a podcast or some music to listen to, call a friend or just take a bit of quiet time out.
That way, the time flies and seeing your brushes come out clean is really very satisfying.
5 Key Reasons Why Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes Is So Important
1. Dirty makeup brushes can wreak havoc with your skin and can cause much more damage than just a simple breakout or skin irritation.
Daily use accumulates sebum, impurities, pollution, dust, product buildup and dead skin cells, including harmful bacteria like staphylococcus, streptococcus and E. Coli.
I find that brushes for powder products clean easier than those used for cream products, ie. foundation.
I usually wash my foundation brush every 2-3 days as it's so much quicker and easier to keep it clean - and I don't get all the product buildup in the process.
2. Not cleaning your makeup kit regularly affects the quality of your makeup application and blending products.
You can have the best makeup brushes in the world, but if they're dirty and full of product buildup, you will not get that flawless look and application you want.
Product buildup can affect the shape of the brush as well as its ability to pick up and lay down pigment, and of course, being able to blend properly.
Regular cleaning can help restore the shape of the brush head, making it easier for you to apply your favourite products with precision and accuracy.
3. Extend the lifetime of your brushes and the investment you've made
An investment in makeup brushes is like investing in a really good set of kitchen knives for cooking or paintbrushes if you’re an artist.
Taking care of your tools will help to make them last longer and protect your investment while you keep getting good results.
Removing old makeup from the bristles and cleaning off any dirt or oil buildup can keep the bristles from becoming hard, brittle, losing their shape or otherwise damaged and discoloured over time.
4. Avoid cross-contamination
Dirty makeup brushes can easily contaminate your various makeup products and can transfer bacteria, pathogens and other impurities we discussed above.
By regularly cleaning your brushes you also take care of the products you use every day.
5. A good cleaning habit is good for overall skin hygiene and health
Remember to clean your makeup brushes, tools and applicators as part of your weekly beauty/skincare routine.
Look through everything you use on a daily basis, including eyelash curlers, hair bands, tweezers - and don’t forget the inside of your makeup bag!
Mistakes To Avoid When Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes
1. Submerging and / or soaking in water. Soaking the handles will damage and dissolve the glue used between the bristles and the brush handle and lead to brush shedding.
2. Using very hot or boiling water. This could also affect the bonding between bristles and the handle and cause shedding. Lukewarm water is best.
3. Drying incorrectly. Lay your brushes flat over the sink, or at a downward angle - or if you can hand them up with the brush heads pointing downwards. Avoid hot hair dryers and give yourself enough time for your brushes to be dry the next day. The bigger brushes especially don’t always dry overnight when the temperatures are cooler.
4. Not having a regular routine to clean your makeup brushes. Cleaning your brushes should happen at least weekly, with your main face brushes ideally every 3-4 days. When you're cleaning regularly your brushes will be much easier and quicker to clean too.
Cleaning Paint Brushes
I have to admit I’m a bit lazy in some ways. Cleaning paint brushes is not a chore I enjoy doing, especially since I use so many in one sitting. The worst offence to a poor defenseless brush is leaving it in the water promising yourself you’ll clean it tomorrow. Tomorrow seems to turn into days for me!
I have been known to forget (ignore) a sad group of assorted brushes in a water bucket long enough for slime to develop on the handles and the water surface itself. Yuck! I’m not proud of this but I just want you to know I have some bad habits and I make mistakes too.
Since I’m supposed to be a role model here, I do pledge and solemnly swear that cleaning paint brushes will now be a regular part of my painting process. I hope you’ll take this pledge with me. It’s not hard to do at all, it’s just that it’s not as much fun as painting, that’s all.
While you’re painting, keep an eye on the ferrule of the brush. If paint finds its way up into the ferrule, rigorously rinse it out. Keep all of your brushes rinsed when not in use, blotted and rest them on paper towels during your project. If you store them upright, dirty water will pool into the ferrule and into the wooden brush handles. In time this will compromise the brush.
When you’re finished for the day, acrylic paint requires simple soap and water clean up. A bar of moisturizing soap will do. And using cold water is very important. Using warm or hot water will make clean up difficult, as heat will help to set the paint.
So here’s what I do. Take the brushes to the sink. Take one brush at a time. Rinse it thoroughly until the water runs clear.
Next, stroke the wet bristles onto the bar of soap. Grasp the tip of the bristles between you index and thumb. Now, wiggle the handle of the brush while holding on to the hairs. This will create suds and will push the soap up into ferrule which will grab the last stubborn bit of paint that may have found its way up there.
Now rinse. Blot on a clean white paper towel. If any trace of paint remains, repeat this process. Do all your brushes this way.
Cleaning paint brushes has to become a labor of love. Truly, what a joy it is to paint with a properly cared for brush. In time your brushes will wear out, no doubt, but proper care will ensure they have a long and happy life! And that saves you money!
Once your brushes are clean and still damp, brush the very tip of the brush onto the bar of soap. Re-shape the brushes gently. For Flats, pinch the chisel edge flat and tap the sides back into shape. For Rounds and Liners, coax the hairs to a point without twisting them.
As the brushes dry, the soap will harden and act as a protective shield. Be sure the brushes dry horizontally and that the hairs are not resting on anything that may distort their shape.
There are many products on the market that can save your brushes from this potential disaster.
But there are also some simple home remedies.
RUBBING ALCOHOL: You can use rubbing alcohol to remove dried on acrylic paint.
However, this can dry out the brush hairs and you’ll need to finish the cleaning job with the bar of moisturizing soap as mentioned above.
MURPHY’S OIL SOAP:
You can soak your brushes in this household cleaning product and the paint will dissolve without harming the brush hairs.
You can soak your brushes in this household cleaning product and the paint will dissolve without harming the brush hairs.
Follow with a proper rinse and a soap and water clean up.
Follow with a proper rinse and a soap and water clean up.
Of course, most craft stores will carry wonderful products designed specifically for cleaning paint brushes.
Keeping your oil painting brushes in tip top shape is very important so cleaning them is an important part of maintenance.
I must confess that I’m not an oil painter. Oil paints bother me, and the smell of turpentine and mineral spirits, which are used for cleaning, does not agree with me either. However, I do know that cleaning paint brushes of oils is important for their life cycle.
You’ll need newspaper, plastic container with a lid, turpentine or mineral spirits, liquid hand soap and paper towel.
Start by removing as much paint from the brushes as possible. Keeping stacks of newspapers on hand for this is perfect. Wipe off the paint. Then place the brush inside the folds of the newsprint and apply lots of pressure to literally squeeze the paint out of the bristles, like a tube of toothpaste.
The only thing that will get the oils out of your brushes is turpentine or mineral spirits. You don’t need a lot and you can re-use it quite a bit, especially if you’ve taken the time to wipe most of the paint off first.
Get a small plastic container with a lid (about the size of s custard cup / ramekin). Add the turpentine and then plunge the brush hairs in there to saturate them thoroughly. As tempting as it might be to leave the brushes in there to soak, don’t. The chemicals are too strong and will affect the quality of the brush in no time.
OK, so the hairs are saturated with the turpentine. Go to your sheet of newsprint and keep wiping off and squeezing the hairs to get the paint out. At this point most of the paint will be removed. If you feel you need to, repeat this step.
With the brush almost clean, add some liquid hand soap to the palm of your hand and rub the brush hairs into the soap and get them good and sudsy. You want to loosen all of the paint from the bristles. Run warm water over your hand and the brush and repeat this step until the brush seems clean. Blot on a white paper towel. If there is still some color leaching from the brush, continue with the hand soap and warm water until there is no trace of color on the paper towel.
Allow your brushes to dry horizontally on clean paper towel. I think cleaning paint brushes, as much as it’s not fun, is critical to the success of each future project you undertake. So keep ‘em clean!
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