Make Up Brush Cleansers You Probably Already Own

It's Sunday and in my world that equates to brush laundry day, not at all a fun task but completely necessary. Stand alone make up brush cleansers can be pricey and not all that readily available so why not make the most of your bathroom cabinet and put a product you already own to good use? It may just surprise you to how many products you have fit for the task at hand. Let me share a few personal favourites...

Make Up Brush Cleansers You Probably Already Own

Carex Moisture Plus Hand Wash (£2.29 via Boots - link)

I like this hand soap for two reasons: it is anti-bacterial so it kills any germs and bacteria present on the brushes and contains an in-built moisturiser so it doesn't dry out make up brushes bristles, unlike other hand soaps. It also doesn't hurt that it is as cheap as chips (seldom, if ever over £2), is forever in my bathroom and kitchen not to mention it has next to no scent. I'm not bashing other hand soaps - hey sometimes needs must and you make do with what you have, if I could however recommend one hand wash for make up brush cleansing it would be this.


Dr. Bronner 18-in-1 Pure Castile Soap (£5.50 via ASOS - link)

I consider Dr. Bronner 18-in-1 Pure Castile Soap to be the best make up brush cleanser I have ever used, it removes staining like no other and is organic. I'm not at all fussy to which scent of Dr. Bronner 18-in-1 Pure Castile Soap I purchase (I normally go for whatever is on offer) as they are all equally great but if you are fussy in terms of fragrance, the scent options are pretty much endless. All of the Dr. Bronner 18-in-1 Pure Castile Soaps contain coconut oil to moisturise so you can clean up your brushes safe in the knowledge they will not be damaged. As an added bonus there is pretty much next to no surface that you can't use Dr. Bronner 18-in-1 Pure Castile Soap to clean, it can even be used to cleanse the hair and body should you wish - it's not called 18-in-1 for no reason.

Make Up Brush Cleansers You Probably Already Own

Dr. Bronner 18-in-1 Pure Castile Baby Soap (£3.20 via ASOS - link)

Think of this as the solid version of the above liquid Castile Soap, admittedly it doesn't have quite as many day to day uses but it is a wonderful solid brush and beauty sponge cleanser. I do tend to opt for the baby version of this soap, it is gentle yet effectively removes even the most stubborn foundation and liquid based cosmetic stains. If you have a Beauty Blender you are struggling to  To use simply dampen the brush/sponge and soap, gentle rub the brush over the soap to create a lather and massage, then rinse as you would with a liquid soap. I would imagine any other baby soap would do the job nicely but like I have said above Dr. Bronner is my go to guy for brush cleansing.

Make Up Brush Cleansers You Probably Already Own

Johnson's Baby Shampoo (£2.89 via Boots -link)

An oldie but a goody, there's a reason so many use Baby Shampoo for their brush cleansing needs and that is because it works, not to mention is so readily available and cheap - I've linked Boots above but would recommend you call into your local Poundshop. Being a product aimed at babies, Baby Shampoo this is of course gentle, non-drying and effectively removes any product build up on brush bristles. Does it boast the stain removing power of the Dr. Bronner soaps? Not quite but you can use it to shampoo your hair and like I said it more than gets the job done. As a side note you can use any shampoo to cleanse make up brushes; to prevent brush damage and drying of the bristles you may want to combine your shampoo of choice with a little olive or almond oil, this will add moisture without compromising the cleansing properties.

What do you use to cleanse your brushes, I'm particularly interested in less than conventional methods. The stranger the better!