How To Clean Makeup Brushes
Carrie’s Curious About Cleaning: I am an aspiring makeup artist and I’m wondering what the best way to clean and disinfect my cosmetics brushes would be. In Cosmetology school we used Quaternary Ammonium Compounds to disinfect hair brushes but how can I disinfect brushes I use on the face? If you have any great ideas let me know. I want to protect my clients as best as I can.
The Right Brain brushes up on cleansing:
Thanks for the question Carrie. Unfortunately, there’s not a simple answer. In reality, there are many disinfecting chemicals available - the Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (called Quats for short) are one of the most common. But when you become a professional make up artist, you’ll need to make sure you’re following the local state regulations for cosmetologists and those regulations usually specify some kind of sanitization protocol for brushes. You should be able to find out more by doing a web search for the state you’re in. (You’re probably in a state of confusion at this point!) Now, having said all that, we can steer you toward a couple of not-necessarily-approved-by-state-regulatory-agency methods for cleaning make up brushes:
3 ways to clean makeup brushes
1) The Colorescience Brush company says this about their brush cleaner:
“This pharmaceutical grade aromatherapy spray gently cleans make up brushes with natural ingredients. Its alcohol and hydrogen peroxide formulation helps purify and quick dry your Colorescience brushes.”
2) A manufacturer of squirrel hair brushes (no, we’re not making this up) recommends the following:
“There are many brush cleaners available. Two excellent brands worth mentioning are Masters Brush Cleaner & Preserver and “Pink Soap” Artist Brush Cleaner and Conditioner. They both clean and rinse out very well. Moreover, they help condition your makeup brush hair. They are available at any good art supply store.”
The Beauty Brain’s attorneys won’t let us comment on the viability of using art supplies to clean your make up brushes, but hey, if it’s good enough for squirrels… But seriously, you should check out their website just to see their instructions on how to clean and dry brushes - they’ve got some good tips.
3) Finally, here’s a tip from a consumer at one of our fave sites, Smartskincare.com:
“After cleansing your face in the morning, you are more than likely spreading bacteria back on your face when you apply make-up with a brush. Makeup brushes are breeding grounds for bacteria. To help keep my brushes clean after each use, I simply wipe each brush back and forth over an inexpensive anti-bacterial wet wipe before putting them away. (You can actually see the makeup and blush residue deposited on the wipe!) Your brushes will be dry in about 3 minutes and stay much cleaner in between washings. This helps to keep breakouts to a minimum.”
Interesting. We’re not sure if this is scientifically valid, but interesting.
The Beauty Brains bottom line:
To be honest, we’re not really experts in brush cleaning. But there are a lot of products out there so we suggest you check with a local beauty school for their recommendations.
What do YOU think? Do you have any brush cleaning tips to share with the rest of the Beauty Brains community? Leave a comment!
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Cyndy Says:
I like to use baby shampoo and warm water then lay the brushes flat to dry overnight on an absorbent towel. In between, I use Clinique’s brush cleaner that is a pump spray.
Elina Says:
I use baby wipes, i wipe the brushes immediately after use on baby wipes. then i let them dry. to properly clean them once in a while , i use detergent for dishes or simple soap. then i soak them in alcohol.
i havent boiled them yet, hovever seems like a good idea, may try it and tell you..
of course the boiling thing can only be done once in a while, and it is not very practical.
you cannot possibly microwave them because of metal bits. so i would stick with alcohol and baby wipes.
Lynnette Says:
Hola Everyone!! It has been some time since I have been able to reply to this forum. Things have been way too busy. BUT…..
This thread is coming off a visit I had to Sephora with my daughter. She, for some reason, wanted to go there to have the “professional” put on her makeup.
I happen to do makeup in my salon, but if any of your happen to have daughters, you know that Mom cannot do things as good as they do! lol..
At first one would think that Sephora is all sanitized and following universal precautions by having an endless supply of toss away applicators. LOOKS that way, huh?
Then did you ever have those “pros” apply makeup to your face? They have their “tool wrap” tied around their waists loaded with all types of brushes.
Now the unsuspecting customer will think that when they spray the brushes between applications, that the brushes are clean. NOT SO. Do they toss the brushes in a container between customers? NO!
What is it exactly they are using to clean the brushes and the containers? Water?
It LOOKS like they are taking all the precautions from customer to customer, but it is nothing but a false sense of security to anyone willing to let them apply makeup to their faces.
I can only imagine the eye infections that have been passed on from Sephora. I would be willing to bet that all their brushes are loaded with bacteria. It would be a cold day in hell before I let them use a brush on me. (my daughter did and I was sick over it)
Now another thing the public needs to be aware of is that in some states, unless the person touching your face is LICENSED, they cannot apply makeup to you. YOU need to apply it yourself. This also includes the mall makeup counters. In PA, you need to have an Esthetics license to apply makeup or give facials. (Hello Mary Kay consultants–are you listening?)
Okay, the bottom line for makeup brushes is to wash them with soap and water after each client.
If you are using natural bristle brushes, you need to be very careful about any alcohol or drying agents, as they will dry the hairs and you will greatly diminish the life of your brush.
OH, BTW– my brush is pony and squirrel hair and it is THE softest brush you can imagine. I have had it for eight years and have only lost three hairs. Was well worth the $40. So far it has cost me $5 per year for this.
There are many brush companies that have great brushes so you can have quite a few at your salon and not need to worry about reusing anything on them.
And Righty is right–follow your state board guidelines.
buenos dias,
Lynnette
Kristen Says:
Good ‘ol shampoo and conditioner works THE BEST! I bought some travel size bottles, poured my shampoo and conditioner in there, and keep them under my sink to clean the brushes.
The shampoo removes all the dirt and oil, and the conditioner keeps the hairs soft and nourished. Just like your own hair- if you use too harsh a product, it will dry out, thus shortening the life of your brushes. Which is why I would avoid using alcohol on brushes
To disinfect. Add some Tea Tree Oil to your shampoo. You don’t need much. The antibacterial and anti-fungal properties will make your brushes like new- and it isn’t drying to the hairs. Tea Tree Oil can be found at most drugstores and has hundreds of uses- I can’t live without it!!
Spending money on brush cleaners is really a great gimmick by makeup companies. You don’t need it.
Kristen Says:
Also, people have been mentioning their concern about spreading bacteria over their face every day from the brushes. Honestly, if you are that particular with your brushes, you should be that way with your hands.
Your hands and your cell phone touch your face WAAAY more throughout the day than your makeup brushes will- and are far dirtier at any given time.
Cleaning your brushes every few days or once a week is perfectly fine. If you apply your makeup to a clean face, there isn’t much bacteria to spread anyway.
If you really want to avoid germs and bacteria on your skin, wash your hands!!!!!!!!!!
Kristen Says:
And DON’T BOIL YOUR BRUSHES!!!! Would you boil your hair???
Karen Says:
I always think human bodies have it own ways to fight against bacteria. I agree with Kristen, your hands are probably much dirtier than your makeup brushes. Do you sanitize your hands every time before you touch your face? As long as the MAs disinfect their brushes with a spray of brush cleaner, I am fine with it. I think washing brushes after every use (especially it’s for personal use), is unnecessary. That’s just my personal opinion. I wash my makeup brushes with Baby Shampoo and all of them hold up really well.
Karen Says:
I am an artist and I know how important brushes are to your finished product. You can’t paint with brushes that have been improperly cleaned or cared for and the same goes for facial brushes and applying makeup. You can use many different products and gentle cleansers to clean your brushes but there is one universal principle that everyone should follow. Never dry your brushes standing brush side up. Water will gather down into the ferrule, (the metal ring at the base of the bristles) eventually loosening the glue holding your bristles together and shortening the life of your brushes. Treat them like your precious sweaters and “lay flat to dry” on an absorbant towel. Oh, and btw - never, never, never boil your brushes:(
Courtney Says:
I’ve found that you have to be gentle with your brushes (don’t boil or scrub at them) or you’ll end up losing bristles.
I have been using this method, which I read somewhere:
Pour a small amount of shampoo in your palm and add a little water. Rinse your brush under a lukewarm tap to wet it. Then dip the wet brush into your palm and swirl it around a little. Gently clean the bristles and rinse them out. When you’re done, gently reshape the bristles and lay the brush flat on a towel to air dry. Works every time.
EMiriamD Says:
For a thorough cleaning I use Paul Mitchell’s “Baby Don’t Cry” shampoo every two to three weeks. In between I use Brush-Off spray, which cleans and disinfects. Brushes dry almost instantly and are ready to use immediately. I first saw Brush-Off used at a cosmetics counter in a dept. store. Good stuff.
As for using conditioner on brushes, I’m not sure that this is so good for your skin. I guess the question is this: would you apply hair conditioner to your face?
And finally: never, ever boil brushes. That will kill them in no time flat.
Lynnette Says:
I do not agree with Karen’s statement about the spraying of brushes from person to person. That is like using a nail file from client to client. What a dirty practice.
If a client has an eye infection that YOU do not know about, you are not being fair to any client you use that brush on after that. JMHO, but I would not want ANY brush that was not washed near my eyes.
You can take your chances, but why would you?
That is like going to the chop shops and having those people do your nails and not cleaning any of the implements from all the customers before (and after) you.
buenos dias,
Lynnette
Maria, Finland Says:
I love marseille/olive oil soap. You can use it on your body and to clean your brushes and your microfiber cloth. Everyone in Finland is talking about microfibres nowadays, not only can you use to clean your home but there are now microfiber cloths to clean your face. I used to have to scrub hard over and over again when removing Joe Blasco products even with make-up solvent. Now I just wet the microfiber cloth well, scrub my face and then clean it quickly with marseille soap.
Marseille/ pure olive oil soap is also excellent for stain removal.. I am really bad stain remover and usually if there is big nasty stain that didn’t leave the first time, then it’s months after I remember to clean it after drying it. But.. marseille has even worked on clothes that have had bad stains for months. It’s just a little miracle worker.
Another trick for purifying the brushes is to dip them into a glass full of desinfection liquid (the first aid kind). Marseille soap is much gentler, but this works great if you do it from time to time. I could imagine that hand desinfect liquid could work as well, as many of them have glycerin in it so that maybe it wouldn’t strip away too much oil. Remember to dry the brushes down, like others have said. If you have a brush catastrophe ahead and have a nick of time maybe you could even blow-dry the brush, but it sure isn’t eco-friendly.
Kristen Says:
Maria- that soap sounds awesome! I’m going to look into it.
EMiriamD- You wash the brushes like you wash your hair, which means you would rinse the conditioner out.
Yeah, your hair, hands, and clothes are FAR more dirty than your makeup brushes, and come in contact with your skin much more often than your brushes. One of the DIRTIEST places is actually pillowcase!!! Change that often and you’ll be so surprised how your breakouts will diminish…
Also, vinegar is a disinfectant that is gentle enough to use on your hair. Soaking brushes in a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water would disinfect.
yeah, those makeup counter brushes and samples scare me….
EMiriamD Says:
Kristen- regarding using conditioner after shampooing brushes, I spoke with a MAC makeup artist who said she had never heard of doing this. What they recommend is using a good liquid brush cleaner first (theirs, of course!) that removes most of the pigment and oil. They then shampoo their brushes after that.
Lynette- brush sprays used between makeup clients, like Brush Off, contain ethanol (alcohol) and benzalkonium chloride, which is antibacterial. MA’s cannot give their brushes a complete shampoo between clients; if I see them spray with Brush Off I feel completely safe about having them apply makeup to my face. This is not the same unsanitary situation as a nail tech using the same implements from one client to the next without sterilizing.
Lynnette Says:
Miriam,
Sorry, but you are not correct in your analogy. I am also in the business and would NEVER consider using brushes from client to client. Spraying the brushes is NOT sanitary. The state board would not allow this.
OH, we have no need to STERILIZE implements. They only need to be sanitized.
If you feel safe with only a spray, then good for you. I would NEVER feel comfortable using unclean brushes from client to client. That is what disposables are for.
An antibacterial is not cleaning the brushes.
MA’s need to have more than one set of brushes.
I know my clients are safe here. I would not want to come to your salon or use you if you reused brushes that you only sprayed.(if you were an owner) Others can do what they want, I want sanitary.
buenos dias,
Lynnette
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Kristen Says:
I think it’s best to just avoid any kind of brushes or reusable applicators that aren’t your own. Even with antibacterial brush cleaners, the quality of the brush cleaning matters the most. If the cleaner is adequately distributed throughout the brush, or isn’t left on long enough to kill bacteria, it won’t be fully effective. I would imagine that makeup counter employees and some makeup artists would get tired of having to clean brushes constantly and do a less thorough job to “just get it done.”
To properly clean a brush, it must be fully wet, and the bristles thoroughly agitated with soap for at least 30 seconds. Shampoo truly works the best, and add a few drops of Tea Tree Oil to kill bacteria and fungi. I have to clean heavy, greasy and highly pigmented theatrical makeup from my brushes, and this combo works perfectly every time!
Rise well, and apply conditioner. This keeps your brushes SO soft. Let soak onto bristles while you are cleaning the rest of your brushes. Then rinse thoroughly to remove.
With proper cleaning technique, your brushes will last for years- and only use YOUR brushes!
What I don’t know is, does your MAKEUP hold bacteria???
Lynnette Says:
All the suggestions for spray cleaning your brushes are fantastic IF you are only cleaning brushes YOU are using. If you are a MA or in the salon applying makeup on many people during the day, you cannot keep the brushes clean by spraying them.
The original question was from a Cos student who will be working on many clients.
We will not ever “catch” acne by brushes, but there is bacteria and that will not just “rest” on the bottom of the brushes.
Kristen–that is a great question. I am not sure, maybe the BB can tell us that, but it would seem that the wet products could very easily. (eg-mascara)
There is an ongoing debate in the waxing community that many disagree on. Wax does not harbor bacteria, but many techs feel it does.
I had a person tell me that there are “documented” cases where people contracted herpes from getting waxed.
I contacted the Herpes Hotline and they said that it is IMPOSSIBLE for this to be true. But there is the wonderful media who use this to scare people. !!!!
buenos dias,
Lynnette
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Chole Says:
I use a mix of baby shampoo, spray conditioner, rubbing alcohol and water to clean my brushes. I do this about every week or so.
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Courtney Says:
My skin is on ther reactive side, and I find that cleaning my brushes regularly not only keeps everything at bay, but it also seems to help the application later on. I use a disinfecting brush cleaner a couple of times a week to keep them fresh. I see that alot of people use shampoo and conditioner, but I like to use a gentle foaming face wash instead.
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