How I Clean My Makeup and Nail Art Brushes

It's important to keep your tools clean so as not to spread germs from your body to your cosmetics.  You can easily spread bacteria from your face to your makeup and then back again creating acne and other skin irritations.  I will show you how I clean my makeup and nail art brushes.

First of all, there is no need to have this many brushes; I have collected these over time for various needs, but you can do just fine with a handful of basic brushes.

You should clean your brushes at least once a week if not every time you use them. I use The Brush Guard Cleaning Kit for my weekly brush cleaning. It is easy to use and includes brush shapers.

For my daily brush cleaning I use the Sephora Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner. You just spritz a little bit on a tissue and wipe the brush clean. To clean my nail art brushes I use an acetone cleaner by Beauty Secrets but you can also just use acetone polish remover.

Start by filling the Brush Guard cup with a drop of soap and then fill with about 1/4 cup of warm water and mix together. Swirl the brush bristles in the soapy water trying not to get the ferule wet (The ferule is the metal clamp that holds the bristles together with the brush.) The bottom of the Brush Guard cup is textured so that you can scrub the bristles clean if they need it.

Next take the brush and swirl it around on the palm of your hand until the bristles look clean. You will see the makeup coming off on your hand.

Rinse the brush bristles, again trying not to get the ferule wet.

Use the Brush Guard towel to gently squeeze excess water out of the brush bristles.

Wipe the brush back and forth then side to side to get excess water out of the bristles and it helps to reshape the brush.

Slide the appropriate sized Brush Guard onto each brush until it is about half an inch above the bristles. You can see the brush guard sizing guide to know which one to use.

Place the brush upside down in the vented Brush Guard drying cup. Leave them for a few hours to dry.

To clean nail art brushes you will need a small cup or container to place the acetone in. You can buy one of these small glass/acrylic cups at a beauty supply store for under a dollar.

Fill cup with acetone cleaner/remover and place nail art brush bristles into the cup keeping the ferule dry.  Leave bristles in the cup for no more than 3 minutes to dissolve the polish.

If you don't have a brush guard cleaning kit you can clean and shape brushes by hand and lay brushes out on a clean towel to air dry.

You can purchase The Brush Guard on amazon.com