How I Clean My Makeup Brushes

If you use brushes to apply your makeup, I really hope you’re taking the time to clean them!

I make sure to use a daily brush cleaner every day to spot clean the brushes I use and then once a week, typically on Sundays, I deep clean my brushes to make sure to get rid of any built up makeup that spot cleaning may not have eliminated.

As far as daily brush cleaners go, there are plenty on the market. Since I go through quite a bit of this, I don’t opt for anything that’s too pricey. I use the Daily Brush Cleaner by e.l.f. Cosmetics. 

So the spot cleaner is great to use on a daily basis to make sure you’re preventing as much buildup as you can, but the daily cleaner isn’t really going to get in there and get rid of everything…so for that, we need to do something a bit more.

I do this once a week, you could probably stretch it to two weeks if you’d like, but I really wouldn’t go much more than that.

Deep Cleaning My Brushes:

I won’t lie, I have a ton of brushes, and deep cleaning them takes a while, so just be prepared :]

Even though it takes a while, it’s really only two steps, so it’s not complicated at all.

Step 1: Clean Brushes with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This may seem a bit weird, but trust me, it’s going to work wonders! 

The olive oil is going to break down the makeup that’s built up in your brushes. You may think that by spot cleaning them every day, you wouldn’t have much makeup in your brushes, but you’ll be surprised. 

What I do is put a bit of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) in a paper towel and then rub my makeup brush into it. Use an amount of EVOO that is proportionate to the size of your brush.

The olive oil is not only going to break down the built up makeup in your brushes, but it will also condition your brushes bristles as well!

Step 2: Wash Brushes with Baby Shampoo

Now that you’ve used EVOO to break down the makeup in your brushes, it’s time to wash them clean. That’s what the baby shampoo is for!

I like to use baby shampoo because it’s much more delicate than soap and it’s not going to dry out your bristles. 

I like to apply a bit of shampoo to each makeup brush and work the shampoo through the bristles. Keep applying shampoo until the water running from the brush runs clear…once that happens, that means all the built up makeup in your brush is gone!

Once you’ve washed your brush with shampoo, you’ll want to lie the brush on it’s side to dry. 

Make sure not to dry your brushes standing up. This can clean to your brush handles rusting or obtaining mildew.

Here’s a picture of my brushes all nice and clean: 

So that’s it. That’s all you’ve got to do! Now get started cleaning your brushes!