5 DIY MakeUp Brush Cleaners

By Orla, August 5, 2016

Makeup application techniques have advanced so much in recent years that there is now an endless array of makeup brushes and sponges available to perfect every look, whereas 20 years ago women mostly used their fingers to apply foundation and eyeshadow.

But with all these amazing brushes comes a new opportunity for bacteria to fester and contaminate your skin as you apply your makeup everyday. That’s why it’s imperative that you clean all your brushes and sponges every week to two weeks.

Top Tips for Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes

Always wash your brushes after you’ve done your makeup as they will take hours to dry naturally
Make sure to re-shape the brush with your hands before leaving it to dry
Never get the handle of the brush wet as it can expand and loosen the bristles
Never use boiling water to clean your brush as it can damage the bristles

1. Baby Shampoo Makeup Brush Cleaner

Johnson’s baby shampoo is super gentle, so it makes perfect sense that it’s gentle enough to clean your makeup brushes without damaging any of the bristles. There are two methods for this cleaner.

a) Mix a drop of baby shampoo in a large glass or bowl of warm water. Leave your brushes to soak in the glass for about 20 minutes until most of the grime has seeped out into the water. Rinse and pat dry.

b) Squirt a blob of baby shampoo onto the palm of your hand, wet the brush in warm water and rub it into the palm of your hand until it forms a lather. Rinse and repeat until the water from brush runs clear. Pat dry with a towel.

The second method uses more product but gives you a sparkling clean brush.

2. Vinegar-based Makeup Brush Cleaner

This cleaner works in the same way as the first baby shampoo cleaner method. The acidity of the vinegar cuts through the grease and bacteria that has built up in your makeup brush and it dissolves into the water. What is really great about this cleaner is that it leaves no film whatsoever on your brushes.

Add a tablespoon of white vinegar to warm water
Soak your brushes in the mixture for 20 minutes
Rinse the brushes until the liquid runs clear and pat dry

3. Coconut Oil Makeup Brush Cleaner

Is there anything coconut oil can’t do? It’s a fantastic makeup brush cleaner because it’s anti-bacterial, really gentle on the bristles and it provides a really deep clean (plus it smells amazing).

Melt about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a bowl so that it is completely liquid, this should take about 30 seconds in the microwave
Swirl your makeup brush in it and blot out all the product that is freed from the brush onto some tissue paper
Rinse all the coconut oil off your brush using warm water (and a little bit of gentle soap if it’s not budging) and leave to dry on a towel

4. Natural Essential Oils Makeup Brush Cleaner

In our personal opinion, this cleaner isn’t as effective as the others for a deep clean but it does remove surface dirt and if done often it’s a good way to maintain clean brushes.

Add 6 drops of tea tree oil, 4 drops of lavender oil and 60 ml of water to a spray bottle and shake
Spray a generous helping of the mixture onto the dirty makeup brushes
Wipe it clean onto some tissue paper until all product has been removed

5. Makeup Sponge/Beauty Blender Cleaner

We couldn’t leave out the trusty beauty blender! It’s so versatile but unfortunately it is the number one culprit of harbouring bacteria when it comes to makeup applicators.

Cleaning a beauty blender or a makeup sponge is really simple;

Wet your sponge with warm water
Massage a drop or two of Fairy Liquid(the sensitive variety is most suitable) into it
Squeeze out the dirt under running warm water
Rinse and repeat until the sponge has returned to it’s original colour and all traces of the washing up liquid lather are gone

There you have our 5 favourite homemade makeup brush cleaners. They’re all really easy to make and use and they will save you a fortune if you were previously forking out for professional brush cleaners. Happy cleaning!