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How To Naturally Clean Makeup Brushes

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Does your makeup brush need a good clean? Let me show you how to naturally clean makeup brushes with this homemade eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning solution. Made in seconds with simple sustainable ingredients, your brushes and skin will love it!

I have a confession to make. I never even owned a makeup brush until fairly recently. I used to just apply makeup with my fingers because I felt I never wore enough makeup to justify buying fancy tools. My makeup bag literally consists of four items. And honestly, who doesn’t like finger painting?!

Then I bought a makeup brush last year. Notice, singular – I’ve not gotten carried away with myself! After that, I wondered what on earth I’d been doing all these years. It’s so much easier to apply makeup with a makeup brush than your fingers.

Then I found out you actually need to clean your makeup brushes…

Do You Need to Clean Makeup Brushes?

Makeup brush next to a jar of water, a candle and a bottle of liquid castile soap.

The thing about makeup brushes is that whilst they do make applying makeup so much easier, they do need regular cleaning. This is to help keep your skin clean and healthy. Without cleaning your brush, you’re just brushing dirt and bacteria around your face. Which, let’s face it, isn’t so appealing.

How to Naturally Clean Makeup Brushes

I wanted to know how to clean makeup brushes. As such, I’ve been trying out a few different methods to make a DIY makeup brush cleaner and have found that this natural makeup brush cleaner solution is a) by far the simplest and b) by far the best.

When it comes to cleaning makeup brushes, no one wants to be messing about with lots of different ingredients. Therefore, I think it’s best to keep it simple.

The main ingredient I use to clean my makeup brushes is Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap. I use this in lots and lots of different ways to clean around my home and always have a bottle in my bathroom cupboard. It’s a little on the pricier side of things, but you only ever use it very heavily diluted. Therefore it does work out at incredibly great value.

The thing about Dr. Bronner’s is that it’s certified organic and made with only pure plant oils, so there are no nasties in it whatsoever. It’s also incredibly gentle on your best makeup brushes.

Here are the steps you need to clean your makeup brushes:

Ingredients

You will need:

Cleaning Instructions

cosmetics brush sitting in a jar of homemade makeup brush cleaner, next to a bottle of liquid castile soap.
  • Add the liquid castile soap to the lukewarm water and stir to combine. It’s important to use lukewarm water as too hot water may melt the glue that holds the bristles of your makeup brush in place.
  • Next, place the bristles in the soapy solution and swirl a few times to loosen the old makeup.
  • Keep going until the brush looks clean, and then rinse the brush in some clean lukewarm water.
  • If you want to ensure all the soap has been removed, then dip your brush bristles in a small jar of white vinegar. White vinegar is amazing at cutting through soap, leaving your brush super clean without any soapy residue. While it might seem like it would make your brush smell like a chip shop, trust me on this. Once your brush is dry it won’t smell of vinegar, as vinegar dries without an odour. It’s a natural cleaning miracle!
  • Whether you rinse your brush in water or vinegar, next you need to mould the brush back into shape, and then leave it to dry on a flannel.

Viola, naturally clean makeup brushes with very little effort!

One last top tip, don’t leave your brush sitting in water. You only want your brush to be in soapy water for as long as it takes to clean your brush. It doesn’t need to steep for any length of time, otherwise, it may damage the metal and/or wooden components of your makeup brush, shortening its lifespan.

clean makeup brush drying out on a flannel

PS: check out my guide to zero-waste and plastic-free makeup if you are looking to upgrade your makeup supplies.

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