I’ve always struggled with acne and a great preventative measure you can take to help diminish breakouts is to wash your makeup brushes. I have two great methods to share with you that are zero waste and budget-friendly.
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How often should I wash my brushes?
You should wash your makeup brushes about every 10 days or so. Anywhere from once a week to once every two weeks, depending on how much you use them and what type of makeup you use on your brushes. I use a pressed powder foundation which builds up over time on my multi-use brush so I wash that every 10 days (I also do an apple cider vinegar rinse or a deep condition session on my hair every 10 days. So I wash my foundation brush while my hair soaks.)
The only other makeup I use is blush and highlighter. Those brushes I wash about every 2-3 weeks. Since I rarely wear eyeshadow (I’m more of a lipstick kind of gal), I only wash my eye every month (if not every two months…)
1. Liquid soap and sunflower oil
- Take equal parts liquid soap and sunflower oil on a clean plate. For one brush I used about 1 tsp to 1 tsp. If washing multiple brushes, increase 1 tsp per brush up to 1 tbsp of each soap and oil. I bought this basic white plate at my local thrift store and keep it in my bathroom.
- Next, swirl the brush around on the plate making sure to loosen up all the build-up.
- Using the palm and ridges of your fingers to continually swirl the brush, rinse with warm water. You can also use the plate, adding some water, swirling the brush, and repeating. When you swirl the brush on the plate on your palm, the water should be clear.
I use this first method for my foundation brush because it really deep cleans it.
About the ingredients
For both methods, you need a cleaning agent + a moisturizing agent. Adding a moisturizing agent to wash your makeup brushes will condition and maintain your bristles.
I use Dr. Bronner’s liquid Castile soap* as the cleaning agent. It’s gentle and natural while also tough on grease. Dr. Bronner’s is highly concentrated so I use 1 tsp of already diluted soap. I use liquid Castile soap to wash my hands too so I take it from my hand soap dispenser on my bathroom counter to wash my brushes. I’m a huge fan of Dr. Bronner’s ethics and ingredients! Their soap is biodegradable and made with organic and fair trade oils. The bottles are even in post-consumer recycled plastic.
For my mosituring agent, I use organic sunflower oil bought in a glass jar at Wegmans (my local grocery store). I store my sunflower oil in these* amber glass dropper bottles. It dispenses the perfect amount for washing makeup brushes and as the lotion on my face. Yes, I love sunflower oil and even use it as my moisturizer! Sunflower oil has lots of vitamin E and is an emollient.
Related: My Zero Waste Skin Care Routine
If you do not have sunflower oil, you can also substitute for another liquid oil like olive oil or jojoba oil. Both of these works just as great! I use sunflower oil because it’s already what I use on my face 😉
2. White vinegar and warm water
- Wash your brush with a small amount of either Castile bar soap* or liquid soap. I use Dr. Dronner’s bar soap to wash my face and body and it works great as a brush cleaner as well!
- NOTE: If you brush is not very dirty or your makeup brush is fragile, just rinse the brush in warm water and then soak.
- Add 1 tbsp of distilled white vinegar to a cup of warm water. Soak your clean makeup brush it the solution for 10-15 minutes.
The properties of white vinegar
I used distilled white vinegar for almost all of my cleaning! And washing makeup brushes is no different. Vinegar is both a cleaning agent (because it gets rid of build-up) and a conditioning agent (because of the acidity it brings the alkaline level down closer to a normal lever, oil is basic and raises the pH). Just like vinegar rinses on hair, vinegar balances the pH of the bristles getting it back to “neutral” (for hair and skin) around 5.
How to properly dry your makeup brushes
A great trick to drying your makeup brushes is to secure them upright (or downright?) with a jar and a rubber band or scrunchie/hair tie or string. You want the bristles to be facing down so any moisture runs off the brush and doesn’t collect at the base.
Like all my makeup, these brushes are from Elate cosmetics, a company with toxic-free, sustainable, vegan, and cruelty-free products.
Store-bought makeup brush cleaning agents are full of chemicals and preservatives and can be super expensive! These methods for cleaning your makeup brushes are not only zero waste but you can find the ingredients in your kitchen cabinet. It’s a win for your wallet and sustainability!
Happy Day-
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Great tips! I always seem to forget to clean the brushes, so will definitely see to it now and try one of the options! Thanks for sharing.
Haha I need to clean mine again soon since cleaning mine to take these pictures! I set reminders in my phone that repeat every month or so because it can be so hard to remember!