I’m always getting asked by various people how I wash my brushes and keep them clean between clients/shoots etc. Firstly, I can’t stress enough how working with clean brushes, whether as a professional makeup artist or for yourself with your own makeup on a daily basis, helps towards keeping the skin free from irritations and acne.
Secondly, there is no need to buy into these expensive lotions and potions when looking for a way to thoroughly clean your brushes. Here’s what I do simply using warm water and hand soap/mild shampoo:
- Soak your brush in warm water
- Apply a little soap/shampoo to the palm of your hand
- Swirl the wet brush around your palm until it’s lathered up and you can see the makeup colour coming out.
- Rinse the brush under warm water again until no soap is left
- Squeeze out the excees water
- Hang your brush(es) off the end of a table to dry naturally over night
NOTE: DON’T leave the brushes to soak in water and DON’T use a hairdryer to dry the brush off. It’s too harsh and will dry out the bristles as well as the glue holding it all together.
If you’re a Makeup Artist and find yourself working on more that one face throughout the day, keep your brushes as clean as possible between faces by using a special alcohol spray. ELF Cosmetics do a quick spray ‘Daily Brush Cleaner‘ for just £3.75! This quickly disinfects the brush between applications. Here’s how to use it:
- Spray the cleaner directly onto the brush
- Swirl the brush around a tissue until clean
- When you return home, clean properly as above ready for your next job!
Sabina - Make-up Artists Blog 