To be perfectly honest, can you remember the last time you cleaned your makeup brushes? Yup me neither. As a brow stylist, I made sure to clean my brushes thoroughly every day. Instruments like tweezers and scissors I clean after every client. By putting them in the barbicide disinfectant. But after years of experience I know that this is not good for your brushes and the quality of the bristles. In this blog I will tell you why you should clean your brushes, how often you should do this and how to do this in an effective way without damaging the brushes. Get your soapy water ready because here we go!

Why do you need to clean your brushes?

For anyone who uses makeup, it is important to clean your eyebrow brushes regularly. When you don't do this, old makeup residue, bacteria and dead skin cells stay in the brush. This can cause skin irritations, breakouts or even acne. This is something you want to avoid, of course.

As a brow artist you treat different people. Therefore it is important to have clean tools every day. You use brushes while shaping, tinting and applying makeup to the eyebrows. By having clean brushes you prevent infections on your clients. Especially since hair follicles and pores are temporarily open because you remove the hairs. If you do not work hygienically, chances are your clients will suffer from small pimples around the treated area, skin irritation, blemishes or even acne. 

In addition, it is important that you clean your brush regularly to keep the quality of your brush high and prolong the life of a brush. Good brushes are usually more expensive and of course you want to use them as long as possible. To deliver good results in your treatments you simply need good clean brushes. When using the brushes intensively I advise you to replace them every 6 months. This way you keep the quality of your brush high, which results in good results.

How to clean the brushes?

There are thousands of products on the market. Everyone swears by different products or methods. I advise you to choose a method and product that you are comfortable with. Below I give you 3 options that are often used. But know that there are countless other ways.

Technique 1: The old way

This technique is the most familiar and is done manually. Use a brush cleanser that you like. You can choose a balm or a liquid soap.

1. Moisten the brushes with lukewarm water

2. Put a drop of the makeup brush cleanser on the palm of your hand or rub your brush into the cleanser balm.

3. Gently massage the bristles of the brush with your hands and rinse with lukewarm water

4. If you still have a lot of residue on your brush repeat steps 2 and 3 until the brush is clean

5. Squeeze the remaining water out of the brush

6. Place the brushes on a towel side by side or use a brush holder

Technique 2: A cleansing mat

Using a brush cleaning mat, you don't have to get your own hand dirty. This mat contains mini silicone figures that ensure you experience a deep cleansing.

1. Moisten the brushes with lukewarm water

2. Put a drop of makeup brush cleanser on the mat

3. Gently massage the bristles of the brush onto the mat

4. If you still have a lot of residue on your brush repeat steps 2 and 3 until the brush is clean

5. Squeeze the remaining water out of the brush

6. Place the brushes on a towel next to each other or use a brush holder

Technique 3: a brush cleaning machine

This is newest and fastest way to clean your brush. With the machine you will have it done in no time. What is a big plus about this technique is that the machine also makes the brush virtually dry. This saves you a whole lot of time.

1. Dampen the brushes with lukewarm water

2. Fill the sphere with warm water and a drop of makeup brush cleanser.

3. Place the brush in the sphere as described in the instructions

4. The machine will ensure that all the dirt is removed from the brush and dried.

5. To be sure, place the brushes on a towel next to each other or use a brush holder

Extra tip from Sima

I advise you to disinfect metal instruments such as tweezers and scissors in a barbicide bath or a disinfectant instrument after each treatment. Brushes I always spray with disinfect after each treatment, but at the end of the day I clean them all. I store the brushes in a make-up bag or in a dry dark place. This will take some time in the beginning but eventually you can use your brushes longer and it is better for the skin of your client.