The Basics: Makeup Brush Cleaning 101

Your makeup brushes are amongst your most precious tools, and proper brush washing is one of the most important components of maintaining a sanitary makeup kit. Here’s my pro tips to maintain your kit and keep your brushes in tip top shape…

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A few years back – before COVID19 was a thing – I did a post with a video on brush cleaning…

It was one of my most popular posts because I walked folks through step-by-step how I wash my brushes at the end of a work day. While this post is going to replace that old one because much has changed in the world, understand that not a whole lot about my cleaning routine has changed. Why? Because I’ve always needed clean brushes LOL. If you’ve been a working makeup artist the sanitation requirements for the post-COVID19 world shouldn’t have you shook.

Now: for my new(er) artists, let’s gain some clarity. Why there is so much misinformation surrounding brush cleaning is beyond me, but there is. I’m not just talking about using pro brush cleaner vs using brush shampoo. I’m talking about stories of people using olive oil and sugar scrubs, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda – OR EVEN WORSE – putting their brushes in the dishwasher or the washing machine (nope, those brushes were not clean when they came out).

Stop the madness y’all.

I have always used BOTH pro brush cleaner *and* brush soap. Nowadays I double-wash using both brush cleaner and brush shampoo, each washing, every brush, after every job. Plus a couple of extra COVID-rific disinfection steps. Tedious? Yes. However, with ‘Rona in the world and MonkeyPox making a cameo, I’m not willing to take any chances. I want my brushes completely clean of pigment/product, and as thoroughly disinfected as I can get them. Olive oil scrubs and dishwashing machines need not apply… 😉
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TANIA’S CURRENT BRUSH WASHING METHOD

1 – Soak cream/synthetic bristles (bristles only! stop just below the ferrule) in brush cleaner. Most disinfecting liquids need a contact time of around 10 minutes to disinfect. Wipe bristles thoroughly and let dry. For my cream brushes my preference is Parian Spirit, because it is oil-based and oil breaks down oil. See further notes below.

2 – Wash powder brushes (eye, blush, bronzer, powder, etc. brushes) with brush shampoo. Rinse thoroughly, and get as much water out as possible. Let dry. See the Reference Guide below… my brush shampoo world has been slightly altered… 🙁

3 – REMIX! Once dried from their initial cleanings, I wash the synthetic brushes to make sure all of the pigment is out, and I dip the powder brushes in a disinfecting brush cleaner. For the disinfectant dip on my powder brushes I use Dante Disposable Brush Cleaner because it has no fragrance. Again, 10 minute contact time is needed, so the brushes will disinfect as they dry.

Here are a couple of lo-fi videos of the Brush Shampoo and Brush Cleaner phases of my brush cleaning process.(Click on the vid to see full screen and you can also adjust the volume or turn on captions)

4 – For the final step with my brushes, I clean the brush handles with Lucas-cide to make sure they’re nice and sanitized. Right now I have the Lucas-cide RTU spray, which I spray on a paper towel and then wipe down the brush handles. Lucas-cide is a broad spectrum, hospital grade, kill everything in sight, disinfectant. It’s considered stronger than, say, Clorox wipes or just using alcohol however, household disinfecting wipes and good ole alcohol will certainly get it done. They’re what I used pre-Rona for many many years. But if you want something a bit more ‘Rona ready, Lucas-cide is that dude.

A WORD ABOUT YOUR BRUSH HANDLES: So far in 18 months or so of use, Lucas-cide has NOT messed up the paint on my brush handles. If you’re like me that’s important; we don’t want our clients to see brushes that look trashed. Lucas-cide says you can even soak your brushes in their liquid if you want to, but I don’t. I don’t want that chemical on my brush hairs. But for cleaning/sanitizing my handles without damage, it’s been great. Barbicide killed a test brush handle as have a few other products – including Parian Spirit actually – so be careful and test on a brush you don’t care about first.

Lucas-cide does make wipes, but I have not personally tried them. The ingredients seem different from the Lucas-cide liquid, so I don’t know if the wipes are safe on the brush handle paint. Likewise, I’d have to try CaviWipes (another brand of hospital disinfectant) before I could recommend it for brush handles. Again, when in doubt, household disinfecting cleaner wipes or even good ole alcohol will get it done.

5 – For the final step in my cleaning, I RINSE OUT my solid brush shampoo until the water runs clear (generally solid brush shampoos are bar soaps in a tub or jar), swish the brush shampoo bar with 70% alcohol, and turn it upside down on a paper towel to let all the water/liquid run out so it dries completely. Bacteria is harbored in moist environments. Washing your brushes in unsanitary brush shampoo is n’good. Be sure to keep your brush shampoo clean and dry in between uses.

PRODUCT GUIDE

Brush Cleaner:

Parian Spirit – I have used Parian Spirit for over 20 years, literally. Parian Spirit uses citrus spirits and alcohol as the disinfecting agents (food grade citrus spirits are a recognized disinfecting agent at the proper concentration). It is THE most effective product for dissolving cream makeup IMO. The scent, however, is controversial LOL. It is a love/hate for many people so in addition to double-washing just being cleaner, washing my brushes after they’ve soaked in PS helps tone down the fragrance. (which I do like the fragrance but I don’t want to potentially trigger anyone in my chair)

Dante Disposable Brush Cleaner – I also use and really like Dante’s cleanser for when I do not want any fragrance, hence I use this as the 2nd step of my powder brushes cleaning. Dante is also what I use for quick cleaning on set. Isopropyl Alcohol is the disinfecting agent.

Pro Tip: There are a lot of good pro brands out there, the legend of course being Cinema Secrets and the infamous blue brush cleaner. Personally, I don’t care for the vanilla scent of the Cinema Secrets cleaner, but obvi things like that are a matter of personal taste. I recommend buying small sizes of the different pro brands and seeing what you prefer. (Sidenote: Cinema Secrets cleaner also comes in a lemon scent now, and you can get a little one-ounce sample bottle).

Whatever you use just be sure to check those ingredients to make sure you’re getting a liquid that actually does something and not just a brand that smells nice.

Brush Shampoo:

Beauty Blender Liquid BlenderCleanser – Don’t let the name fool ya, this is a great brush shampoo. It’s gentle but thorough, and it gets through even tough oil-based cream foundations or notorious silicone foundations. AND it rinses clean and doesn’t leave the brush feeling coated or oily (which I find the BB solid cleanser does on brushes).

As far as brush shampoo bars, I’m kind of in flux. Longtime Makeup to Go Fam may remember that I used Clean Brush Apothecary’s brush shampoo for years. Alas, it seems that the founder of Clean has called it a wrap. Right now I’m using Sian Richard’s (London Brush Company) brush shampoo. I also have a bar of Sonia Roselli’s Tiger Eye brush shampoo. And I want to try the Oracle Jayne brush shampoo by makeup artist Andrew Sotomayor. We’ll see who wins 😉

Disinfectant:

Lucas-cide RTU – RTU stands for “Ready to Use”, so this Lucas-cide is pre-diluted and ready to go. The concentrate is a whole thing you don’t want to deal with unless you own or work in a salon, where it makes sense. On set, however – and for me at home – the pre-made mix is the move.

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