Hello friends!  I have an oh so important beauty tutorial for you today all about how to clean makeup brushes.  For years, I never really worried about cleaning my makeup brushes. I used a powder foundation, so my main foundation brush never got as dirty as mine do now that I use liquid foundations.  After about a month of using liquid foundation, I realized I’m supposed to clean these things like regularly.  I didn’t really want to buy a fancy expensive cleaner, so I researched a few affordable options.

Originally, I started with the olive oil/dish soap combo and would clean just using my hands.  Then, I found this brush cleaning mat and ya’ll it gets my brushes so clean!!  It was around then that I changed to using baby shampoo to clean my brushes because it was easier with the mat than pre-mixing the other two all the time.

Below is a step by step tutorial on how I clean my makeup brushes.  I’ve been told you should clean your brushes every week.  I usually clean all my brush about once a month and my foundation brushes a few times a month.  My foundation brush works so much better when it’s clean and I use less foundation, so I find it worth it to clean it more often.

HOW TO CLEAN MAKEUP BRUSHES

First, let’s start with what I use. This little pink brush cleaning mat makes the process so quick and really deep cleans my brushes.  It has different sections for the different styles and sizes of brushes.  For the shampoo, I just picked up the basic Johnson and Johnson one.  I have also used the store brand too.  The shampoo is gentle for the fine brush hairs, rinses out easily, and leaves my brushes soft.

STEP 1: Place the Sigma Brush Cleaning Mat in your sink just above the drain.  Gently push on the suction cups to attach in to place.

STEP 2: Apply a small amount of baby shampoo to the area for your first brush.  The mat has labeled sections for face and eye brushes.

STEP 3: Turn on water just slightly to dampen brush.  Hold brush at a downward angle and wet the brush hairs.  I try and avoid getting the brush wet where the hairs are glued to the handle to avoid loosening hairs and wearing off the glue.

STEP 4: Swirl brush in the wash section in circular motions.  You will start seeing all the lovely makeup coming out that has been living in your brush.

STEP 5: Gently move brush up and down the rinse section of the mat.  You can also rinse with water prior to doing this, but I usually don’t.

STEP 6:  Place brush at a downward angle under water to rinse out makeup.  You will start seeing your brush return to it’s original coloring.  Repeat steps 4-6 adding more shampoo as needed until brush rinses and looks clean of makeup.

STEP 7: Gently pat the brush hairs dry in the same shape of the brush head.

STEP 8: Lay brushes at a downward angle on a towel to let dry.  I usually flip my brushes to their other side at around the 2-3 hour mark to ensure they dry evenly, and I let them dry completely overnight.  Rinse your mat and leave in sink to air dry.

I clean each of my brushes individually, but you can group smaller brushes together and bulk clean to make this go faster.  From start to finish it takes me about 10 minutes to clean all of the brushes pictured above.  For more information on what types of makeup brushes I use, check out this previous post where I share all the details!

If you don’t want to invest in the mat, you can also cup your hand, apply a little shampoo, and move brush inside your cupped hand in circular motion, and then rinse with water.   It takes a little longer to clean dirtier brushes, but it works.  The mat in my opinion is so worth it, and it makes cleaning quicker and a little more fun.

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