Now is the perfect time to learn how to create a DIY makeup brush cleaner. As you know, makeup brushes need to be deep cleaned once every two weeks, depending on how heavy you use it. Since we are on lockdown, it might be more difficult to get your hands on your favorite brush cleaner.
So today I will share one of my best DIY makeup brush cleaner recipes. You won’t believe how easy it is and how readily available the ingredients are.
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Easy DIY Makeup Brush Cleaner
Things to Remember
To start, let us remember that brush bristles are either synthetic or natural. We should care for these bristles just like how we take care of our own hair. This way we can help make sure that our brushes last us a long time.
Using harsh chemicals on your hair may dry it out and the same is true with makeup brush bristles. So today’s DIY is probably the best way to clean makeup brushes without professional-grade products.
What You’ll Need:
- gentle shampoo
Note: Personally I use Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castille Liquid Soap, it is organic and biodegradable. The formula is really gentle because it uses natural ingredients. I find it effective in cleaning my makeup brushes taking out gunk even by the most matte foundation in my kit.
If you don’t have this handy in your house, you may use a gentle shampoo like baby shampoo or even a clarifying shampoo even. If the shampoo is pearlescent it usually means that the formula used is heavier and tends to build up more. Diluting the shampoo in water is the best way to go about it.
- sunflower oil or olive oil
- drying rack (optional)
First and Only Step:
This DIY makeup brush cleaner is so easy. All you have to do is mix the two liquid ingredients and you instantly have yourself an effective yet gentle makeup brush cleaner.
Note: The use of sunflower or olive oil is to condition the bristles of your brushes, which is very important if you want your brushes to last longer.
How to Properly Clean Your Brushes
Remember that bristles are connected to the handle with glue and if you are using a good, quality brand you will notice the ferrule is sturdy and packs the bristles snug and tight.
However, if you have lower quality brushes, you will notice that your brushes might have some shedding and the bristles are not packed snugly in the ferrule.
When cleaning your brushes take note of these things so that you are more careful with the parts you get wet. A quality piece will be alright getting wet everywhere in fact, with proper care, it will last for years.
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Step 1: Wet the Bristles
Wet your brush bristles under running water and take out the excess water by shaking it off once, forcing the water off of the bristles. This preps the hair for cleaning with soap.
Step 2: Shampoo Gently
Shampoo the bristles by using a small amount of gentle shampoo or soap. Create a lather by rubbing the bristles with your fingers and the palm of your hand. Make sure you comb through the bristles to take out gunk or product build-up. It is important to remove all the gunk because it will just accumulate and will not only gather bacteria but can shorten the life of your brushes.
Step 3: Air Dry
Take out the excess water from the brush by gently squeezing the bristles with your hand. Lay them on a drying cloth to air dry.
You don’t need to dry the brushes upside down because of capillary action. Liquid has the ability to flow through really narrow spaces even defying gravity. So in this case, hanging them upside down does not prevent the water from getting to the glue that holds the bristle hair in place.
Step 4: More Conditioning
Once it is damp, dip your pointing finger in sunflower oil and rub it against your thumb. This creates a thin, even film of oil on your fingers which you can start applying to the brushes. Make sure that you don’t apply too much because we don’t want greasy brushes either.
This step seals in moisture on the brushes and conditions the brushes so that it feels softer. This also improves the way the brushes pick up pigment, probably because it restores the lost oil on the bristles, especially for natural bristles.
Let dry and store in a container with a cover to prevent the brushes from accumulating dust. This way you don’t have to constantly clean your brushes saving you time and effort.
Check out this complete guide in choosing and maintaining your makeup brushes by Sephora:
Makeup Brushes are an important tool in our art so it is also important that we take care of them by properly cleaning makeup brushes. Let’s not forget that a clean makeup brush is healthy because it avoids the chances of getting skin irritation and acne.
The next time you clean your brushes make sure that you keep in mind this DIY makeup brush cleaner hack because honestly, this saves a lot of time and money. You really don’t need to purchase expensive brush cleaners because this DIY recipe will do the trick. The important thing is you’re able to properly sanitize your brushes to keep those bacteria off of your skin.
Did you make your own brush cleaner too? How did it go? We’d love to hear from you, let us know in the comments section below.
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