How Do You Clean Your Makeup Brushes?

Daily surface cleaning isn’t a replacement for a deep clean—think of it as daily maintenance, like cleaning off your toothbrush after use. The deep clean is needed to really get down into the individual hairs of the brush, where product gets stuck and coats the hair shaft, providing a rich breeding ground for bacteria. By removing all the debris from your brush, the bristles will be able to move more freely to distribute product effectively, so you’ll notice a major difference in the ease of your makeup application.
Here’s how to deep clean your makeup brushes:
1.Wet: First, rinse the brush hair under lukewarm water. Wash the bristles only, keeping the handle and ferrule dry to prolong the life of your brush. If the ferrule (the metal part) becomes wet, the glue may loosen and lead to shedding and the wooden handle may become swollen and crack.
2.Cleanse: Add a drop of baby or sulfate-free shampoo or a gentle makeup brush cleaner to your palm, and swirl the brush in it to coat each hair.
3.Rinse: Next, rinse the soapy brush in the water and watch all of the product that’s released. Depending on how dirty your brush is, you may need to repeat. Be careful to never submerge the brush in water.
4.Dry: Once it’s completely clean, reshape the brush head and lay it flat with the bristles sitting on the edge of a counter—if it’s left to dry on a towel it can cause mildew to build-up. Let it dry there overnight. The denser the brush, the longer it takes to dry. It’s important to allow your brush to dry flat because you don’t want water to enter the ferrule.

You can also try special brushing cleaning mats and gloves to really get in deep using resistance and different textures to clean the bristles.
With regular cleaning and maintenance, your makeup brushes can last for years. But, if you notice any of your brushes are starting to look tired, have lost their shape, or the bristles are falling out, it may be time to treat yourself to an upgrade.