Last updated on March 6th, 2023 at 02:53 pm

I’ll start with being totally transparent.  I know cleaning your makeup brushes is important but it’s not something that gets to the top of my “to-do” list. That is until I start to see the evidence. My foundation doesn’t look as good or I’ll start to get small breakouts.

So I’ve decided to be more dedicated to cleaning my makeup brushes. I wanted to share the how-to and why it’s important with you so you can avoid the same pitfalls as me.

I think everyone has a basic idea of why cleaning your makeup brushes is important.  Brushes can easily hold on to oils, dirt and bacteria which can transfer back to your face. This can lead to breakouts and irritated skin. 

But it also can affect your makeup application.  If your brushes are dirty, the application won’t be the same.  The application can be spotty and uneven and defeat the purpose of the makeup in the first place.

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How often should you be cleaning your make-up brushes?

The overall guideline is once a week, but it also depends on how often you use them and your skin type.  If you have acne-prone or sensitive skin, you may want to wash them twice a week.  We don’t recommend it, but if you ever share your makeup brushes, then you should clean them after each use. 

If you are using makeup sponges like the Beauty Blender, they should be washed after each use because they are used wet, which is a huge breeding ground for bacteria.  And don’t forget your eyelash curler.  While not technically a “brush”, if you use a curler that’s caked in old mascara, you risk losing a few lashes as they can stick to the curler.  Your lashes can also appear clumpy as well. No one wants that!

The How-To for Cleaning your Makeup Brushes

So, for purposes of writing this blog post, I held off on washing my brushes for about three weeks.  I wanted to get some “good gross images” for you so you can see just how much build-up can be on your brushes. These pictures alone should convince you to clean your brushes if you’re not already doing so.

If you do a Google search on “how to clean makeup brushes” you’ll come up with a multitude of results on different tools and cleaners.  I am going to share with what works for me.  The tools and products are not the most important thing. 

What’s important is that you are cleaning your makeup brushes on a regular basis. And if you don’t want to invest in special tools and cleaners, you can even use a gentle dish soap. I’ll also talk about some disposable tools that you can use to keep things clean.

The image below is the “before”.  I’ve lined up my most used tools: contouring, concealer, foundation, eyeliner, shadow blender, eyelash curler and beauty blender.

First up is the Beauty Blender sponge.  For the Beauty Blender, I do like to use the “official” Beauty Blender Cleanser.  They do sell it both separately and in a set with the sponge.  What I like about this cleanser is that it is somewhat shaped for the sponge, so it’s easy to swirl the blender around the soap.

I wet the sponge first and then swirl it around the soap and rinse and repeat until the water runs clear.  The Beauty Blender should be cleaned after each use. However, if you are running short on time and can’t clean it before you rush out the door, make sure to clean it before you use it the next time to remove any bacteria before applying your make-up. 

Next is the foundation brush.  This is my most used brush, I use it on a daily basis. As you can see, it has a lot of build up.  There are many types of cleansers you can use on the foundation brush, but because I wanted to show how clean it needs to get, I used the beauty blender cleanser again. 

Just like the sponge, I wet the brush and then swirl it around the soap and then I gently “massage” it to work the foundation out of the brush.  Once again, I rinse and repeat until the water runs clean. 

Cleaning the foundation brush with the Beauty Blender Cleanser

For the contouring brush, I decided to try something new that I found at Walgreen’s.  This is the EcoTools Makeup Brush Shampoo that I thought worked well for a larger brush.  This brush is one that I use infrequently so it did not have a lot of build up. 

But I cleaned it similarly to the foundation brush.  I wet the brush and added a drop of the shampoo on the brush and gently massaged until the water ran clear. You could also use this shampoo for your foundation brush.

While I love the Beauty Blender cleanser and use it for other brushes, it is a little more expensive.  So when I spotted this similar cleanser, the Walgreens brand Solid Brush Cleaner, I decided to give it a try and used it on both my concealer and eyeliner brushes.  I used the same method of cleaning and it worked well.  I liked that it had a dome shape. 

My only complaint about the Beauty Blender cleanser is with the swirling on the soap, it tends to wear down in the middle. Eventually it can end up breaking apart in that spot.  So I was looking for something similar that would clean well so that I could keep the Beauty Blender cleanser just for the sponge itself.  I liked how this worked out for both brush types.

Last but not least, is the eyelash curler.  Just as a reminder, I did wait longer than usual to wash the eyelash curler to show you just how much build up there can be.

A few years back I went through a not-very-pleasant stage where I had contracted pink eye multiple times.  I am still not sure how or why, but since then I have been even more diligent about keeping products close to my eyes even more clean. 

I have also incorporated disposable eye products into my routine.  After having to throw away many eyeshadows and mascaras due to eye infections, I learned to have these products on hand.  I think they are actually good to use all the time.

For the eyelash curler, I like using a spray cleaner and just wipe the curler clean.  The one I am using here is the Sonia Kashuk Makeup Brush Cleaning Spray found at Target. As mentioned earlier, the build-up on the curler can be a threat to your eyelashes.  They can get stuck to the curler and be ripped out. Once again, the opposite result of what we’re trying to accomplish!

You can see all the build up on the cotton pad.  Make sure to clean both the pad and the upper area of the curler.  Also keep in mind that the eyelash curler pads can be replaced and you should do that about every six months or so.  It’s much more economical than buying a new lash curler.

A Few Final Tips and Results

A final few tips. When washing your brushes, try to clean just the brush and keep as much water away from the handle as possible. Since those areas are glued together, getting water and soap in that space can cause the glue to disintegrate.

This can cause the bristles on the brush to loosen. For the same reason, always dry your brushes hanging over the edge of the counter or sink (as shown below). Do not let them dry vertically where water can drip down and affect the glue and the adherence of the bristles.

So, here is the cleaning your makeup brushes “after” photo.  All my tools, especially the Beauty Blender, should look much cleaner.  While I love all these different cleaners and feel they work well, you can use products you may already have around the house, such as a gentle dish detergent. 

I have used Dawn dish detergent especially because it is designed to cut through grease and oil and it does work.  You can also use baby shampoo, another gentle alternative.

As I mentioned, I like to use disposable products where I can.  For my face cleaning, I love these Facial Cleaning Pads that I find at Kroger.  I actually haven’t been able to find one I like as well anywhere else and I prefer these to using a washcloth.  My skin is sensitive so I feel these are more gentle on my skin and are clean every time.

For my eyeshadow, I only use disposable applicators. When I went through my “pink-eye” phase, I moved to these permanently.  What I like about using these is two-fold.  One, you don’t use a dirty brush in your eyeshadow palette.

Two, there’s only a clean brush that ever touches your eyelid.  My favorites are from Target but you can’t order them online.  I ordered these from Amazon and they are working just as well as the ones from Target. I do use a brush to blend the shadow which was cleaned using the EcoTools Makeup Shampoo. 

Disposable mascara wands are also good to have on-hand.  These are mostly a “just in case” product. If I am concerned that I might have an eye infection I will use these instead of the wand that comes with the mascara.  That way, I don’t risk putting a dirty wand back in the tube. 

The same goes for the lipstick brushes.  Sometimes I use them when I have a lipstick that I haven’t used in a while.  I will wipe it off with an alcohol wipe, wait for it to dry, and then use the brush to apply it to my lips.

I hope this has helped inspire you to start a routine for cleaning your make-up brushes.  Please let me know in the comments below.

Are you feeling inspired to put on some make-up now? Check out our recent post on “Our New Favorites in Clean Beauty”. You’ll learn what “clean beauty” is and our favorite clean beauty products.