How to choose a product for cleaning and disinfecting makeup brushes?

If during quarantine you decide to take this opportunity to record several new master classes, do not forget that thorough cleaning of brushes and their disinfection currently plays one of the most important roles for your health and the health of your models.

On average, a makeup artist uses 4-8 brushes to create one client’s makeup. MASTERRA Professional technologist Tatyana Veretennikova talks about how to choose a product for cleaning brushes, what risks are hidden behind dirty tools and why not every cleaning product is suitable for disinfecting tools.

Why are dirty brushes bad?

The problem of cleaning makeup brushes is always relevant for all makeup artists. The cleanliness of the instrument depends on:

• quality of work;
• speed of work;
• customer safety and health;
• durability of tools.

Quality of work. What makes a quality brush? That's right, the ability to collect and deliver the product well. This is the only way that shadows and blush are applied evenly to the skin. In this case, part of the product always remains on the pile, even if it is not visible. And you will no longer achieve pure color with such brushes.

Speed of work. It is inconvenient to work with dirty brushes. You have to make extra strokes and fine-tune the color. This is especially noticeable during photo shoots and video shoots, when the camera highlights the smallest defects and turns a makeup artist’s day into a nightmare. All this takes a lot of time.

Customer safety and health. The most important point. Cosmetics, especially cream and gel textures, are a comfortable environment for the growth of bacteria. Therefore, one “slightly” used brush, which they decided not to clean after work, will carry germs into the cosmetics and onto the client’s skin the next time. Every model has a terrible story of how, after yet another make-up, she started having skin problems. The professional reputation of makeup artists in such cases collapses literally in a matter of hours. After all, a former client’s angry post on Facebook with “before and after” photos spreads like lightning.

Durability of brushes. Failure to clean brushes promptly and use unsuitable products for this will affect the useful life of such an important tool. Therefore, the use of special professional products is recommended for this procedure.

How to choose a brush cleaner?

There are many ways to clean your brushes. Some of them only remove visible pigment from the pile, others thoroughly wash it. We continue to figure out how to clean makeup brushes at home and at work. The most popular methods:

• cleansing with paper napkins;
• silicone cleaners;
• baby soap, shampoo, makeup remover foam;
• gels for washing brushes;
• professional cleaners.

For quick cleaning, makeup artists often use paper napkins with a dense and textured structure. But:

• they do not remove the product completely. Microorganisms, small particles of cosmetics and skin remain on the pile;
• they don't disinfect.

Baby soap, shampoo and makeup remover foam are often used to clean brushes. This is a good deep cleaning method and is great for home use. But for makeup artists it creates a number of problems. Minuses:

• frequent washing with water and soap/shampoo destroys the structure of the brush;
• the villi become brittle and fall out;
• the brush quickly loses its shape;
• detergents deplete the lint, because they are created for “living” human hair, and the lint on the brush has nowhere to take nutrients from;
• The brushes take a long time to dry and are difficult to clean with water between clients.

Gels for professional cleaning allow you to quickly remove cosmetics from the pile. To do this, you need to wet the brush, apply a pea of gel on it and foam. These products are created specifically for the care of natural and artificial hair. In general, the advantage of such cleaning is that food residues and microbes are removed even from the very thickness of the pile. Minuses:

• brushes take a long time to dry;
• quickly lose shape.

Silicone cleaners are more of an additional cleaning tool. Usually produced in the form of mats, platforms, balls. The main disadvantage is that they are not disinfected.

Professional cleansers are created in response to the problems of makeup artists and makeup artists, so they solve the problem best. Of course, they are different. But the most effective ones easily remove even gel textures in one go, and the process of cleaning brushes takes up to 30 seconds. During this time, all cosmetics are removed from the bristles, and the brush has time to dry completely. Additionally, the best cleaners contain antibacterial ingredients for customer safety.

We remind you that cleaning and disinfecting makeup brushes is a must do for every makeup artist, so choose the appropriate cleaning products!

Alexey Rutkovsky, the founder of the AL.RUTKOVSKIY makeup brush brand, shared useful information about choosing makeup brushes and how to properly care for tools with different types of bristles.