How to clean your brushes so they hold their shape

I certainly do love good quality brushes. I love applying makeup and good brushes take the experience to a whole new level. As a result, I have invested in my brushes and I do not regret it. The reason I invest in them is that I want to them to serve me as long as possible. Because of that, I take good care of them, and I developed a cleaning routine that helps them hold their shape without any brush guards. ( I am not against using them, I am just happy with my routine and I feel I do not need them). I do not do anything exaggerated or particularly time consuming, because I want to do a routine that is realistic, cost effective and overall sustainable. So, here are my tips and tricks if you want to clean your brushes so they hold their shape.

Step 1

Wash them with room temperature water and with mild shampoo for your hair. I might use a more regular shampoo for cleaning brushes for foundation and concealer. I rub the bristles gently as I wash them in order to take all the product off the brush. Then, I rinse my brushes very well with water (under the tap). I do not use any cleaning glove or surface during this step, because I find that my fingers work just fine.

Step 2

Now, here is all the magic. After you have washed your brushes and rinsed them very well, you want to let them dry without anything touching their bristles or hairs. At the same time, the bristles or hairs should point downwards in order not to let any water flow into the ferrule and cause it to rust, and generally for hygienic reasons. So, what I do, is simply use a towel and fold one side of it on a surface with other objects to create a slope. I then put the brushes on this slope carefully and let one or two days go by.

As you can see no hair is touching the towel

Step 3

The brushes dry with the shape they get when wet. After one day of letting them air dry, I gently pat the hairs so as to loosen the tight shape hairs have. This way, any wet hairs in the interior part of the brush are allowed to dry. After a day or so, they are completely dry. The time brushes need in order to dry depends on the temperature of your room and their size. Therefore, I can’t give you a formula but the easiest and foolproof way is to simply touch them with clean hands and decide. If unsure, let them dry more time. It’s better than closing a semi dry brush in a box or drawer.