Beauty brush cleaners for the tidy lady

Nov 08, 2012 7:59 AM by Aly Walansky

Posted in Beauty & Style

Keep It Clean

Whatever the ingredients in your skincare products, you're looking for serious trouble if you don't keep those beauty brushes clean (and healthy!). Makeup brushes can collect all sorts of debris along the way including dust, makeup, oil and bacteria — and all that debris is being applied to your face along with your makeup! If this grosses you out, here are a few products you can use to make sure you’re taking care of your brushes as well as your skin — and these brush cleaners make great gifts too!

Why is a brush cleaner a great gift? It's the gift of beauty and health. All of us should be giving our brushes a daily light cleaning — take a makeup remover towelette or an antibacterial hand wipe to lightly clean your brush. Gently swipe your brushes back and forth on the wipes to clean after each use.

But once a week, take some time to use a brush cleaner to deep clean and condition your brushes!

BeautySoClean Brush Cleanser

Go natural

BeautySoClean brush cleanser ($15) is chemical free. Why do you care about this? Well, you may be comforted to know your giftee is not slathering chemicals on something she will soon after use on her face! It's also safe for natural or synthetic bristles. Did you know that most professional brush cleaners on the market today contain chemical solvents like turpentine and dry cleaning fluid? Gross. Always read labels!

Vincent Longo 'Hygienic Professional' Makeup Brush Cleaner spray

For the professional

A great gift idea is a professional brush cleaning spray. The Vincent Longo hygienic professional makeup brush cleaner spray ($16) is perfect for professional makeup artists or anyone who gives makeup brushes a great amount of use daily. If you are looking for something super special, the aromatherapy cleaning spray by Colorescience does the job and also leaves a yummy smell on the brushes.

Create a drying station

It's important that your giftee doesn't dry makeup brushes in an upright position — water settles into the glue that's holding the bristles together at the base of each brush head and starts breaking down the glue over time, causing the hairs to come off when you swipe the brush against your face (so annoying).

Let brushes dry completely for a few hours (or overnight) and return them to their home — we recommend an adorable brush roll like this one from glominerals as a great stocking stuffer!