Funny how a shape of a makeup brush or in this case a revolutionary new design can make cleaning a bit baffling. Artis makeup brushes brings up more questions about this than answers to makeup application. Due to their high density of synthetic hair, cleaning them the normal soak-and-wash method may not seem applicable. After all, you spent all that money on them, you do want them as clean as possible without any damage. Fear not! There is a simple way to clean these brushes without ruining them.
For this post, I have to thank Olivia Sr. (my mom) with her meticulous cleaning technique for these Artis brushes. Whether you have the Fluenta or the Mirror Collection, the brush heads are the same and consist of the synthetic CosmeFibre. Since they are synthetic, they do tend to bunch together more when they are dirty, making them appear extra grimy than a normal natural animal hair makeup brush. And due to the amount in the oval shaped brushes, drying time is a major dilemma. You want to clean these brushes without soaking them like a wet sponge!
I won't lie, I don't treat these Artis brushes with some frou-frou brush cleanser. I go for the brand that removes the silicones, the oils, and waxes off of brushes and that is Dawn dish soap.
You might think, isn't it a bit harsh to be washing these expensive brushes with Dawn? Well, the plastic is made to withstand alcohol for those who use alcohol based makeup which is using 99% isopropyl alcohol. The synthetic hair is not fragile. The only way the brush would fall apart is if you start tugging or pulling the hairs.
A great cleaning tool and one found for about $1 at art supply shops is the little heart brush scrubber. This disintegrates the makeup faster with very little use of the dish soap. Less dish soap means less water used. The goal to cleaning a brush is not only to remove makeup residue, it is to thoroughly remove the soap. If there is cleanser left on the brush after drying; the brush hairs may not be as fluffy as they used to be, or makeup doesn't apply or stick onto the brush as well as they used to.
If you don't have the little heart scrubber or something similar, just use the palm of your hand. Squirt just a small amount of Dawn onto the scrubber when it is dry. This amount is good for the oval shaped face brushes. The smaller circular and linear brushes use a lot less. Wet the scrubber with water to liquefy the soap a bit more.
Take the Artis brush (without wetting it) and just scrub. This allows the soap to spread onto the surface of the brush to remove the makeup and the somewhat difficult to remove makeup ingredients like silicone and oils. If you have smaller brushes like the Artis circular and linear brushes, you can use what is left on the scrubber from these oval brushes to clean them.
Once all the makeup on the brush has disintegrated, run water onto the brush scrubber and continue scrubbing the Artis brush until the water is soap or bubble-free. The brush will be sparkling clean!
Squeeze the excess water out of the brush.
Blot the brush on a towel and let it air dry.
The Artis brush will be gleaming clean!
Tips
Here are a few suggestions:
- Start with the large brush heads first since they need a larger amount of soap.
- If your brushes have been used for wax and or cream based makeup, you may have to use the Dawn straight onto the brush head. See more about this in Sanitizing and Washing Makeup Brushes.
- Do not soak these brushes for a long time in a cup or bowl. Even though the hairs may be strong, the glue on these brushes aren't.
- Remember to give your Oval brushes ample time to dry! If you have the Oval 10, give it a good two days for it to dry. So, plan ahead.
Hope this helped some of you.
Olivia
