There's the professional way to clean your makeup brushes...and then there's the real girl way. Here's how to effectively degunk and de-grime your brushes when you don't want to spend hours doing so (and really, who does?).
To quickly address the germy component, a brush cleansing spray is the laziest way to clean makeup brushes, says Patinkin, who likes Japoneseque Makeup Brush Cleanser, $14. "It contains alcohol to sanitize, but also conditions the bristles so that they won't dry out," she says. Just spritz lightly, since ODing on the spray can leave behind an unwanted residue. Patinkin advises using only one to two spritzes and holding the bottle six inches away from the brush. Don't feel like buying an extra product? When he doesn't have a makeup brush cleaner handy, Scibelli wipes his brushes on fragrance-free face wipes for a similar effect. Try: Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes, $6.49.
While quick wipes and spritzes are great for day-to-day, you'll occasionally need to wash makeup brushes thoroughly. "In theory, once a week is ideal, but in reality, aim for every three to four weeks," suggests Patinkin. (The one caveat: If you're dealing with active breakouts or things like styes or cold sores, a weekly makeup brush cleanse is mandatory.)
Not sure how to get started? Here's how to clean makeup brushes the right way. If you're using a solid formula, wet the brush, then rub it right onto the soap. Liquid? Add a few drops into a mug filled one-third of the way with warm water and swirl the bristles in the suds. Scibelli also likes using Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Mat, $32, a textured rubber mat that deep cleans bristles. No matter what, the most important thing is to avoid getting water into the ferrule, the part of the brush that connects the bristles with the handle; this can loosen the glue and ruin the brush, cautions Patinkin.
As far as liquids go, you may have heard that baby shampoo is a good choice: "It's OK in that it's gentle, but it doesn't really cut oil effectively," says Patinkin. She prefers gentle detergents, like Woolite or Dreft, which both get rid of oil and condition bristles. And while we'd never dream of bashing coconut oil, cleaning makeup brushes may be the one thing it's not good for (it leaves behind a greasy residue that's super hard to rinse off, Patinkin explains). Also, puh-lease don't put your brushes in the dishwasher. "Not only can the heat loosen the glue that holds the brush together, but it can also up the likelihood of bacterial growth if not every last germ has been killed," warns Patinkin.
If even those simple makeup brush cleansing techniques seem far too challenging, there's an option for the laziest of all of us: Enter the Lilumia 2, $159, which takes all the elbow grease out of cleaning makeup brushes. Pop up to 12 brushes into the egg-shaped device and it automatically washes them in just 15 minutes, while you do something more productive with your time. Yes, it's as easy as that. What's your excuse now?
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Be Careful About How You Dry
Drying is an important step when cleaning your makeup brushes, but it doesn't have to be crazy complicated. Blot the bristles with a towel, then lay each brush over the edge of the counter to dry overnight. That last part is key: Placing them flat on the counter can squish the bristles and interfere with air circulation, while standing them up in a cup can cause water to drip down into the ferrule and handle. In a pinch, Patinkin says blow-drying is OK, but keep the air flow low and the temperature down, since you don't want to dry out the bristles or blow out the shape of the brush.
