First off, let me say how I love it when you ask questions whether in comments or in email, because it makes me think, and it also provides excellent fodder for future posts, especially if it is something that we can all learn from – so keep it coming! 😀
Last week, Cas asked in a comment on the Daiso Detergent post:-
Paris, noob question, how do you dry your brushes? Do you use a hair dryer or air dry it? I’ve tried blow drying it coz I swear they take forever to dry naturally but I find the brushes all over the place when I blow dry it so was just wondering. Help please
I thought that was a very good question, because I’d never have thought about writing a post about how to dry brushes 😀 Anyway, I answered her in a comment reply, (Short answer: No hairdryers!) but here is an extended version of the best way to dry makeup brushes 🙂
The best and most advisable way to dry your makeup brushes is to air-dry, flat, after reshaping your brushes.
What I do is to gently squeeze out as much water from the brush as I can, after washing it, then use a clean towel to wrap up the brushes and lightly press the bristles. This will help you remove most of the water which speeds up the drying process. Its almost like wrapping your hair in a towel, if you can imagine it 🙂
Then I reshape the brushes, and lie them flat on any surface – better if it protrudes slightly over the edge so the shape isn’t flattened. If I wash them in the morning, then I may place them in an airy place or near a source of sunlight. But never directly under the sun. Usually, by evening it will be almost dry or if its been a hot day, practically dry. Then, I store them.
Some brushes take longer to dry, like very dense kabuki brushes or thick bronzer brushes. Those usually take me about 2 days. If you sleep in an air-conditioned room, leaving the brushes in the room overnight helps speed up the drying process somewhat.
I don’t recommend blow drying, unless absolutely desperate because it can dry out the brushes too much (If natural hair) or spoil the shape. If you plan to use a blow dryer, use it on the lowest heat setting at the lowest power.
Another tip: Do not dry your brushes upright. The principle behind it is because the water and moisture will run down the inside of the ferrule and weaken the glue that holds your brushes together, so you may experience more shedding in future if you dry them upright.
To summarize:
- After washing your brushes, gently squeeze out excess water and pat dry with a towel or paper towel.
- Reshape your brushes when damp.
- Place brushes flat on a flat surface, overhanging the edge if possible or flat otherwise. Placing them on a piece of tissue or paper towel can help speed things up a little.
- Place them in an airy area or by the doorway or window if you want to speed up drying. An air-conditioned room can also help speed up drying.
- Do not place in direct sunlight.
- Do not dry brushes standing upright.
I hope this has been useful. Its quite a basic little tip but one that bears repeating, especially the bit about not drying them upright, because I have seen it before and you may lose your brushes that way.
If you have more tips to share on how best to dry your makeup brushes, please do! I’d love to know if I missed anything or if I can learn a new trick 😀
Paris B
Didn’t know until recently that Bobbi Brown has their own brush cleansing gel that I tried and really amazed by. Might be a bit dear at RM65 a tube, but a little goes a long way and I foresee that mine will last me awhile. I personally can’t stand the idea of not being able to water rinse brushes, so I prefer this to (say) MAC’s brush cleansing spray.
I wash my brushes every week if I remember to, or at least fortnightly. Squeeze dry with kitchen towel and lay flat to air dry.
Thanks for the heads up on the Bobbi Brown gel – I didn’t know about it either and a gel sounds interesting 😀
It’s more a liquid than a gel (sorry if I misspoke), but yeah, didn’t know until I walked into my nearby BB store to ask. Didn’t even check the internet (the horror). Jerry at the 1U store was really patient with me about that 😛
Eh cool, I’ll go check it out anyway – thanks for the headsup!
I deep cleanse once a week. Sometimes twice a month, depending on how dirty my brushes are. However, I spot clean every day. I dry my brushes like you do too. NEVER stand the brushes upright because water will flow backwards to the ferule and wooden handles will rot in time. NEVER blow dry or you’ll ruin the natural hair. For denser brushes, I love using Sigma’s Dry’nShape because it does work. I make it stand, bristles facing downwards. All the brushes dry in less than 5 hours and they are back in its original shape. Love that!
I don’t always clean my colour brushes everyday though – I do a “dry wash” by wiping them on a piece of tissue till they are clean between uses. Its the foundation brushes that kill me which may be why I rarely use a brush for foundation 😀
thanks ladies. most helpful tips!
I use my towels to gently squeeze excess water from my brushes too. What I do differently now, though, is I tie rubber bands around my handles tightly and hang them to dry bristles down. I noticed that my brushes seem to dry a bit faster if they’re on hangers, upside down. It might just be me though 🙂
That’s an interesting idea! I should give it a try next time 😉
I have duplicate brushes and rotate them.
However, I do have cream or liquid makeup products which can be applied solely using fingers. So, no hurry on drying brushes.
LOL!! Yes me too! I never really face a problem of running out of brushes because I use my faves and then my 2nd choices and then my 3rd choices before doing a mass wash 😀 I also use my fingers a lot otherwise and in a pinch, everything works with just your fingers anyway 😉
Yes, glad I am doing it the same way! =)
I think I’ve never thought to ask the question because by the time I got my first brush, I’ve already watched MichellePhan’s video on how to dry brushes. I actually lived for 1+ year on sponge tip applicators and blush brushes that came together with the product. But was sold on my first brush after reading your EcoTools post back then. LOL.
I don’t use brush guard to stand them, like Michelle though. I do like to overnight-air-con my brushes. Definitely dries things out.
But yeah, currently using brush spray, so it isn’t wet. I think this is one big difference as compared to using shampoo which I did last time.
—-
I do wish brush manufacturers would wire in a hook at the end, in a Chinese calligraphy brush style (which is round unlike Western paint brush), so that we can hang it on a calligraphy stand. Or maybe a earring hook, so we can hook it in the earring hanger.
Oh having a hanging brush holder is a pretty cool idea 😀 I’m sure if a brush company came up with it, it’ll really fly off the shelves
I wash them at night and I just let them air dry. I sleep in an air condition room so it speeds up the process. By morning it’ll already be dry lol
I do that too sometimes 😉 The air conditioning does really speed things up!
I just thought of this question that I really need to ask MWS.
Do you think we can clean our brushes using makeup remover wipes??
I mean, they are so convenient, and supposedly hygienic, plus, we use them on our face… … But will the chemicals spoil the brush bristles??
I’ve heard of people who do so, or by using just wet wipes, between brush washes. I don’t think it harms the brushes – brush cleaners and shampoos have chemicals too. However, I would only use them as a spot cleaner and temporary measure (it can also be pricey!) between washes
I “hang” my face brushes using rubber bands, bristles pointing downwards, on the unused space on my towel rack. This was to ensure that there was air circulation and that any excess water would drip downwards.
I hope you realise that even by drying your brushes flat, water can still seep back into the handle, which is why i use those brush guard things, it ensures all the water seeps OUT of the brush instead of back IN. I probably wouldve dried mine the way you do too, but luckily I watched a youtube video on brush cleaning that explained how to dry your brushes.
Has anyone tried placing them in a Tupperware with uncooked rice? I hear people do it when they drown their phones so I’m sure the same science applies to makeup brushes?
That’s an interesting thought but I think, far too much work 🙂 Much easier to just dry them in the open
My brushes became super dry after I blowdry em’. What to do??
Didn’t know until recently that Bobbi Brown has their own brush cleansing gel!
I even tried the virgin olive oil method but washing the oil off is a real pain! And after that, my Bobbi brown natural bristle brushes don’t seem to pick up colour that well, until after a few more shampoo washes.