DIY | How I Clean My Makeup Brushes & Sponges (Recipe)

Hi, this is going to be a relatively short post (I hope) on my current favorite makeup tools, and on how I keep clean them. I hope someone will find this post helpful and/or learn a thing, or two.

Left to right: An old blending sponge, a small concealer brush, a lip brush, a small powder brush and a slanted blush/contour brush (not shown very well, sorry). I will show these in a more detailed post next time.

Now to make it clear, I am not a professional make-up artist nor a dermatologist so please don't take all my words too seriously. Please do your own research before trying out anything.



When I was in Manila I have noticed that my skin was not in good condition. By that I mean to say I have had some huge zits and clogged pores on my forehead and nose area. My skin reacted badly to the capital's polluted air (sad truth)... I have since been home after a month of stay there and my skin has gotten better but not yet as blemish-free as before. BUT then, I forgot to take into account the fact that I have not been able to wash my brushes for about 4 months before I realizing it! No wonder I got pimples!

Now, here is what I usually do to clean my brushes. I finally washed them two days ago. HAHAHA. FTR these brushes are made of synthetic material.

To clean them, I normally just take my shampoo / dishwashing liquid as a brush cleaner. I use a small container or clear glass, dunk each brush (the soultion should not pass the ferrule to prevent the glue from unsticking) and swirl them on my palm for about a minute before washing off the suds with running tap water. Then, I lay the brushes flat on a plate allow them to air-dry. As simple as that.

But by doing so makes the bristles dry, especially if I remember to brush them weekly. (RARE! It is more realistic to say 2x a month...) To make it less drying I add a little bit of olive oil to the shampoo / dishwashing liquid mixture. I do think this is a must if you are washing brushes with natural hair.

Another way is to clean them by adding Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to the said solution. This is what I recently did, and I find that it makes washing easier than my previous solution. :-)

To recap:

(1) Shampoo / Dishwashing + Water Solution
      Best for regular cleaning. For not-so-dirty brushes that are used for dry makeup like  powders. Do this weekly.
(2) Shampoo / Dishwashing liquid + Water + Olive oil Solution
      Best used for washing brushes that are made of natural hair. Can be done every other day is you can or need to.
(3) Shampoo / Dishwashing liquid + Water + ACV Solution
      For deep cleaning your brushes and sponges especially those used for heavy  makeup like cream or liquid foundations. Do this at least 2x a month!

I wanted to make this post quick so I did not bother with taking pictures. Sorry about that.
Let me know if any of these methods works for you. Also, if you know other ways of cleaning makeup brushes kindly share them on the comments section below.

Thanks for reading!