Lilly Vivona wrote:
When working on a job and needed clean brushes over and over, use 99% alcohol. This will thoroughly clean the brushes and dry in a matter of minutes.  They will not smell and be clean and sterilized for the next face you use them on.  On a weekly basis you should use a baby shampoo to clean them again.  Do not soak in alcohol.  What will be ruined in soaking too long, even in baby shampoo because the glue that holds the brush to the handle will start to disinegrate

I was taught to not use 99%, but 91% at the highest. This is because the higher the percentage, the quicker it evaporates. 99% evaporates before it has a chance to kill all the bacteria. I use 70%..it takes a minute longer to evaporate and dry, but I know my brushes are getting cleaner.

Heather Schumer wrote:
I was taught to not use 99%, but 91% at the highest. This is because the higher the percentage, the quicker it evaporates. 99% evaporates before it has a chance to kill all the bacteria. I use 70%..it takes a minute longer to evaporate and dry, but I know my brushes are getting cleaner.

I have also been under the impression that 70% is the requirement to actually sanitize any surfaces. I use 70% alcohol to clean my brushes if necessary, but I wash with antibacterial dish soap mixed with olive oil when I get home. (the oil serves the dual purpose of breaking down any kind of pigments as well as conditioning the brush fibres.)

There have been lots of threads about this - and this issue of percentage gets brought up every time, but most people still tend to stick to 99% alcohol. I know it's faster drying, but if it's not killing all of the bacteria, I don't understand the popularity of its use?

Heather Schumer wrote:

I was taught to not use 99%, but 91% at the highest. This is because the higher the percentage, the quicker it evaporates. 99% evaporates before it has a chance to kill all the bacteria. I use 70%..it takes a minute longer to evaporate and dry, but I know my brushes are getting cleaner.

I was always taught to use 99% to get product out of brushes.. and 70% to disinfect.

SARAH JONES makeup wrote:
ill say something though - i am constantly amazed at just how many MUAs never seem to clean their brushes. ill be in a room of 6 and ill be the only one cleaning brushes. it kisses me right off, especially if we are 'sharing' models. if a model gets a problem through lack of hygiene, i feel like ill be tarnished with the same (dirty) brush

models! demand clean brushes!

If I were in that room of 6 with you, I would be thanking you in front of everyone for cleaning brushes in between models.

Thomas Van Dyke wrote:
I find using a cleaner labeled “Professional Brush Cleaner” to be reassuring to my clients… The good will it creates is worth the small cost… besides it smells non-medicinal… 

That's a good point. I actually have several different brands of brush cleaner... I may just start using one out of the bottle as opposed to in a smaller spray bottle... I repackage and label everything so that my kit isn't so heavy. But psychologically for the client, it is probably comforting to see the product label.

Thomas Van Dyke wrote:
I do however have spray bottles of 91% isopropyl for lip and eye pencils and eye lash curlers…

Since I bought a set of Beauty So Clean products, including the brush cleaner, makeup sanitizing spray and wipes, it has occurred to me that buying the straight medical wipes (of 70% alcohol) from the drug store feels like a nicer way to wipe down tweezers, eyelash curlers, etc. (For pencils, I do spray, because the pencil is more porous and spraying feels more thorough in those instances.) But I've started wiping in lieu of spraying alcohol on non-porous surfaces because I don't like breathing in the alcohol fumes. I have gottten quite attached to using the wipes... I wonder if anyone else does this?

edit: I wonder if anyone else uses brush guards to dry their brushes? I bought some drying racks for utensils, and after washing my brushes in antibacterial dishsoap, I wipe down on a clean towel as thorougly as possible, and then encase the brush in a brush guard (a mesh/web type enclosure). I then stand the brush so that the bristles face down (the brush guard allows for one to do this because the mesh stands on its own, and the brush bristles don't touch whatever surface is below them). They dry pretty quickly after this, and it feeels more sanitary than laying them flat. When I use a brush cleaner/alcohol, I do lay the brushes flat, but on a towel rolled up on one side to create a downward slant.

Josie Lee wrote:
If I were in that room of 6 with you, I would be thanking you in front of everyone for cleaning brushes in between models.

haha! excellent!

i have alcohol wipes too, for hard surfaces, tools and the like

cant recall the last time i used lip and eye pencils. the only kind i regularly use are brow pencils. i sharpen and wipe, and then sharpen again and spray before putting them away. and then repeat cleaning when i need to use them

but i dont really like them, theyre used on the most potentially icky parts of the face - lips and eyes, so i avoid if at all possible. all that porous and moist wood, the inside of the cap must be full of bugs, so that needs keeping clean, then you gotta keep cleaning the sharpener. egads!

plus i really dont like waterline makeup, always looks suspect - to me anyway

i keep the isopropyl away from my hands so its not an issue, but its nasty stuff im always cautious and respectful of it

i use the beauty so clean stuff on the makeup itself

i tend to work with models rather than 'real' people, so having labelled/branded cleaners isnt an issue. for brides though, i understand this might be a 'consumer' consideration (like how brides love their MAC)

might give that parian spirit a go - citrus sounds nice!

Deadly Design Make-up wrote:
I've used 99% alcohol on my brushes since the beginning and my brushes are still happy and perfectly fine.. I use the alcohol between faces and then use shampoo when I get home....
nothing wrong with alcohol .. brush cleaners are almost all alcohol with a dash of sent.. and oils ...

I do the same and so do most artists I know

-StacieMarie- wrote:
What is the best way to clean a liquid foundation brush?

I recently bought one and I love it, but I want to keep it in good condition. My face is the only face that it touches. How often should I clean it?

In general it is a good idea to clean the brush, if you're the only one using it, when you put it away. Never store a dirty brush.

For general cleaning use Cinema Secrets brush cleaner. It will clean and sanitize the brush.

If you have a heavy build-up of product, use "The Masters"® Brush Cleaner and Preserver prior to using the CS cleaner. I use this primarily on the brushes I use for effects makeup. Don't get the brush really wet; the water may seep into the handle causing the wood to swell and split/loosen the ferrule.

Brushes used for makeup are noncritical items and should never be used on mucous membranes or non-intact skin. The CDC addresses issues associated with cleaning and disinfecting noncritical items in a hospital environment here. Although this publication is intended for health care the same guidelines should be applicable to makeup artists.

CMaquillage wrote:
I dont know if i'd go as far as to used straight 99% alc. on my brushes, have I done it in a pinch yes. But i have some very expensive haikuhodo brushes that I want to last forever. my 2 go to cleaners are cinema secrets and parian spirit. BOTH contain a small amount of alc. or else they would never dry. so both will disinfect your brushes. Also I wash and condition my brushes at the end of every other week.

Cinema secrets i find dries the fastest and get just about everything out of the brush.

Parian Spirit takes longer to dry and is a bit oily so it's not the greatest on lip brushes, but it does leave your brushes conditioned and soft. i like to use this one on my powder brushes.

Agreed!  In a pinch I do use 70% alcohol.  There's nothing wrong with using it and I've had most of my brushes for a good 7 - 8 years.  My go to brush cleaner (on set) is the Cozzette Aromatherapy.

Raw-Beauty wrote:
I usually use 99% alcohol because I want to make sure my brushes are clean.  I do not want germs to transfer from one model to another.   I also use brush cleaners which also contains alcohol to do additional cleaning.

According to the Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008:

"In the healthcare setting, "alcohol" refers to two water-soluble chemical compounds—ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol—that have generally underrated germicidal characteristics.  FDA has not cleared any liquid chemical sterilant or high-level disinfectant with alcohol as the main active ingredient. These alcohols are rapidly bactericidal rather than bacteriostatic against vegetative forms of bacteria; they also are tuberculocidal, fungicidal, and virucidal but do not destroy bacterial spores. Their cidal activity drops sharply when diluted below 50% concentration, and the optimum bactericidal concentration is 60%–90% solutions in water (volume/volume)"

Glamour Girl6 wrote:
I just met another MUA who cleans her brushes with alcohol!  I told her that she's going to ruin her brushes, but she says she was taught that way.

Crazy!

I always clean my brushes with alcohol and they're in perfect condition.