How to clean makeup brushes without using fragrance!

I’ve wanted to share with you how to clean makeup brushes for a while. A few weeks ago, I shared with you my love of EltaMD’s tinted sunscreen. I love it! Have you tried it yet? I use a makeup brush to blend it in and then use a 2nd makeup brush to top it with Neutrogena Loose Mineral Powder Foundation. It is a system that works for me. While it is pretty minimal, it does even out my skin tone and doesn’t cause any irritation. For me, that’s a win-win! But my brushes are in bad shape by the end of the week.

Brush Cleanser Options

I used a Makeup Cleanser from Sephora, a quick spray I used daily. Then they changed the formula and included essential oils. Bummed doesn’t begin to express how I feel about this. With my Fragrance and Balsam of Peru allergies, I cannot use any essential oils or chemical derivatives. I came up with this simple recipe to clean my makeup brushes. I wanted to share it with you!

It’s pretty simple. I use one teaspoon Fragrance-Free Castille Soap (I have a whole list of low allergen products) to 1 tablespoon Isopropyl Alcohol and 1/2 cup of warm water. This recipe isn’t exact, but you’ll find if you don’t have enough Castille Soap, you can’t get the oils from the makeup out of the brush.

It’s incredible how oil will clean oil, but that’s the case here. It’s the same reason I use a double daily cleanse method I talked about a few weeks ago. I love using oil to clean my makeup off and then a cleanser after. You can continue to dip and swirl brushes to get most of the makeup out. Then, I dump my container out and start fresh. Continue to do this until your brushes dip in and out without leaving a residue. I always do a few freshwater washes to ensure no soap residue is left behind.

Isopropyl Alcohol is a great sanitizer and can be used in a spray bottle to clean your brushes daily. I’ve used this routine for about two years, and my brushes are holding up beautifully. A good quality brush makes the difference in putting on tinted sunscreen and mineral powder foundation powders. I use the Sephora Pro makeup brushes and have been happy with them. Recently, I discovered Clinique makes a makeup brush cleaner spray. It works well for daily freshening, while the system I described here is a beautiful deep clean.