Brush cleaning has to be up there among most makeup users/enthusiasts most loathed tasks. So often, I come across people moaning or complaing about having to wash their makeup brushes, even though we all know we have to do it, as it will get grimy with use, and that’s really crappy for our skin (breakout city!)
Personally, I don’t mind washing my brushes. I use them, I wash them. It’s like taking a shower, or doing my laundry. Sure, I hate ironing, but I do my laundry without moaning because I need clean clothes. So, I don’t quite get the loathing for brush-washing. Don’t like to wash your brushes? Don’t use them. Hands work just fine. Want to use brushes, then don’t moan about washing them.
But there are things that help us get the job done more quickly and efficiently. Stuff you can find at Daiso work just as well as mitts or palettes said to help you wash your brushes better. Ditto brush cleansers. You can get the stuff that squirts alcohol on your brushes so you don’t actually have to take your brushes to the sink, or you can clean them properly with a proper cleanser.
On one of my iHerb sojourns, I picked up a bottle of the new Real Techniques Deep Cleansing Gel. For some reason, it intrigued me. I figured this. If Real Techniques makes those affordable and pretty decent makeup brushes, they should know their way around brush cleansers, right? After all, Samantha Chapman is a makeup artist and she has to wash her brushes, I’m sure.
Well, let’s just say that although this is just US$9 (RM40), you’re better off saving that money, or putting it towards a breakfast and coffee at a hipster joint, or something just as frivolous, because I think this is meh; and I can tell you 4 alternatives that do the job better, and cost less.
But first, why don’t I like this – those of you who do may be gearing up to bash me right about now, but hey, let’s call a spade a spade, shall we? I’m not the only person out there who doesn’t think much of this product, and I won’t be the last.
The Real Techniques Deep Cleansing Gel, as the name implies, has a rather thick gel texture. The packaging is pretty, but you know, it’s what in there that really counts.
The instructions call for you to dampen your brush, squeeze some of the gel onto your brush or palm and then swirl in water to rinse. The instructions on the website actually differ from that on the box. One calls for you to squirt it on the brush, the other on your palm. I tried it both ways.
I tested this on some fairly grimy brushes in both natural hair and synthetic hair that had been used for cream products as well as powder, including a Real Techniques brush, which is synthetic.
With the Shiseido Perfect Foundation brush that I use for my liquid foundations, this cleanser did nothing. Ok, it probably got some product out of my brush, but it wasn’t enough. I rinsed and used this cleansing gel through the brush 3 times. Each time, it removed a little more product, but for the most part, it didn’t clean the brush. It most certainly was not “deep cleansing” as the name of the product implies. What eventually did the job was the Daiso brush cleanser, as always.
Feeling a little perturbed at this point, I picked up my Real Techniques Blush Brush, which is so huge that I use for applying powder. The white tips were visibly dirty, and I thought this Deep Cleansing Gel should do the job more easily. After all, it was an RT brush, synthetic bristles, and was only used for powder products.
After 2 rounds of cleansing with this RT Deep Cleansing Gel, the water was rinsing out just a little murky, but the tips remained stained. I wasn’t sure what to think at this point. I even squeezed the gel directly onto the brush and rubbed it first, on my Daiso mat, and then on my palm. But the tips remained stained. I’d read that people found this so concentrated that it got the job done so quickly. I’m not sure how dirty their brushes were, but it wasn’t the case for me.
Feeling pretty pissed off at this point, I used the Dr. Bronner’s Castile Liquid Soap and voila! Clean brush, white tips, clear water. I should point out at this point that Dr. Bronner has always gotten my powder brushes clean almost immediately with a little product, so even white goat hair brushes clean up very well. I kind of expected that from a product that was said to be deep cleansing and supposed to be concentrated.
I tried it with some natural hair brushes that had been used for powder products – eye and cheek – with the same results, although I will agree that it seemed to clean the eye brushes better than the larger cheek and powder brushes. Might it be because it was a smaller surface area? I’m not sure, but this product was a serious disappointment over all.
Oh and there’s a sweet scent that I did not like. All in all, as affordable as it is, save your US$9 and get any of these more affordable alternatives that work a hell lot better and leave your brushes sparkling clean and soft:-
- Baby Shampoo
- Dove bar soap
- Daiso brush cleaner (for synthetic brushes)
- Dr. Bronner’s Castile Liquid Soap
IN A NUTSHELL
Don’t waste your money. This cleansing gel for washing brushes doesn’t clean brushes very well. I used it on fairly grimy brushes so I don’t know if it’s because of that. Perhaps, it might clean less dirty brushes better? I don’t know. It didn’t clean brushes for cream products very well, and takes me double the time to get my brushes properly cleaned. I’d use any of the alternatives I’ve outlined above. They’re cheaper and far more effective and importantly, save you time because you get the job done more quickly!
PROS: Pretty packaging, Seems to clean small brushes more effectively although I need to wash them twice to be sure
CONS: Doesn’t clean dirty brushes very well, especially if the dirt is fairly ingrained, Doesn’t clean most of my brushes very well at all even if I wash them multiple times
WHO WILL LIKE THIS: I’m not sure
PRICE: US$8.99 | £6.99 for 150ml
AVAILABILITY: iHerb.com (international shipping – MPW213 gets you 5% off), Ulta, Superdrug, Boots
If you’re interested to know what is in this cleanser, here’s the ingredient list.
Have you tried this Deep Cleansing Gel and were you impressed, or did you feel like I did? What is your brush cleanser of choice?
If you liked this or got this to work for you, I’d love to hear about it. I have this after all, so I’ll be using it up, but it’s not something I’d recommend or repurchase. So yes, I was harsh on it, but yeah. Call a spade a spade, yeah? 😉
Paris B
I am a fan of RT brushes. But their brush cleansing gel was a great disappointment. I revert to baby shampoo to clean my brushes. Cleans better, faster and smells GREAT. 🙂
It’s the WORST product I’ve come across in a long time. Seriously, what a great disappointment for a brand so focused on brushes! Baby shampoo is great and cheap and works well!
Miss P.. i am so happy wth the result i get using the dove soap or sabun Lux (white colour) .. it felt so clean.. cleaner than my mac brush cleaner.. great topic to talk about.. where did u get the Dr. Bronners anyway?
Hiya Shija! How have you been? 😀 The Dove soap bar is so nice right? Leaves brushes so soft and smelling so nice and one bar can last ages! I got my Dr. Bronner from a UK site, but I’ve also seen it on Zalora here 🙂
Eeps, thanks for the heads up. I’m still using the Barbara Hoffmann brush soap I bought from Shins a couple of years ago. It gets rid of everything very effectively. I’d repurchase it in a heartbeat! However, for more delicate brushes which I use only for powder, I use baby shampoo 🙂
Haven’t come across that one, but anything, ANYTHING is better than this piece of crap 😛
I didn’t know until recently, that the Chapman sisters don’t own RT, they are just endorse the brand. I think a lot of people would be shocked to find that out 😛
I use baby soap and I’ve never had an issue! All of my brushes are stain free and I’ve never struggled to remove product from them.
Sometimes I see the piles of dirty brushes waiting to be cleaned on Instagram photos and I have to say, I honestly believe that some people have soooo many brushes just because they can’t be bothered cleaning them as they go (or at least every few days if they are tools used for your job). And that’s pretty gross. Most of these people don’t work on runway shows so I can’t imagine the need for so many brushes (I’m talking PILES). But then again, I find cleaning my brushes to be therapeutic!
Gosh Sylvia, with all the marketing I thought RT was owned by Pixiwoo! But after your comment, I went to look it up, and realised that they helped create the brand, so while there’s no indication that they actually own it, they are the ones who essentially made the brand what it is. I think the original brushes were good. Affordable and good quality (until the rubber base starts to melt, like mine are right now) but their new Bold Metal ones are below par, and this cleanser? Ugh! Less said the better! While I too am a brush hoarder, it’s mostly because I love them, and because of that, I do own quite a lot, and can therefore stretch out my brush washing longer than most. But you’re right, there’s no excuse for having so many brushes when I’m not even in the business! haha! I enjoy cleansing my brushes too – it’s such a joy seeing them clean and hanging out to dry.
I should have looked into it more – that’s just laziness on my part 😛 And you’re totally right, they made the brand what it is today. Without their input, they would be no where near where they are today. I’m sure Pixiwoo is enjoying the proceeds of that development also! 😛
Perhaps their involvement has lessened now and the Bold Metal’s collection is proof of that? I like the idea of a ‘metal’ themed collection, but the brushes just never looked soft enough for me.
You are right about the Bold Metals collection. Whilst very attractive, the bristles feel like those nylon fibre optic cables, if you know my meaning LOL! Soft but not super soft like natural hair, or even like the original RT brushes; but I’m not sure how well they work for makeup. Still, we’ll see! Mine are dry and I’m going to take them on a trial run soon! So you could be right. Perhaps they just aren’t as involved anymore – which is kind of misleading because it still says Real Techniques BY Sam & Nic (now) 😛
I wonder if they use them in their tutorials a lot? A remember them using the original RT brushes in their youtube tutorials all the time. I don’t watch to many of their videos anymore (not sure why, I think I’m just time poor these days and get bored more easily), but I think that would be very telling!
You know, I never watched them! LOL!!! But then, I stopped watching YT (was never quite into it) and it’s also telling that I’ve stopped filming any for now – can’t think of anything original and am just too tied up to hassle over filming 😛
I only use hair shampoo to wash my brushes. Got way too many brushes to invest on brush cleanser. Just wanna know, have u made a review on real techiniques bold metal collection brushes? Tq.
I just got the bold metal collection brushes so it won’t be so soon, but just a heads up, I’m not feeling them 😛
I m tempted to get since their regular line quite good but the price is seriously too expensive. The price almost comparable to MAC.
I’ve read many many mixed reviews on the bold metal. I’d personally get a natural hair brush, but then that’s me! 🙂
The Daiso brush cleaner is my cleaner of choice for the last several years now, since it’s cheap and does the job excellently. My only complaint is that it’s often out of stock at the local Daiso!
That happens here too! Daiso going out of stock I mean. I noticed they now have different cleansers for different things. One for the puff as before, and another pink one for brushes!
The one for puffs is the one I’ve been using steadily. I tried the pink one for brushes but it had a very strong scent that I hated and worked poorly, so I’m not buying it again.
I’ve been wanting the Real Techniques brushes but since I’m so cheapskate, I haven’t found the right time to get my hands on them. I did stop by at Shins when I was in KL last weekend and they were so expensive, for something that is said to be a drugstore product, it was similar to the Sephora brushes! I’m pretty sure Shins overpriced everything (I might be wrong) because I don’t remember these brushes being RM100+ on Instagram shops. I’ll stick with my Body Shop brushes for now, they’re just as good 🙂
Oh don’t buy from Shins Hani! They’re ridiculously overpriced there! I’d suggest that you either get them from iHerb – If you buy above US$40 there’s free airmail shipping often (like now) and you can use my code MPW213 to get $5 off 😉 You will have to wait about a month for it to get here, but for me, it’s worth the wait. But if you’d rather buy them in store, BIG Supermarket at Publika sells a small selection of the main RT brushes and they’re far cheaper than Shins. I know, weird to buy in a supermarket, but it’s there and it’s reasonably priced, so there’s no reason not to! LOL!
To be honest, I never got suck into the whole “special cleansing solution for brushes” thingy. Have used baby shampoo for years. I recently hauled a few large bottles of Dr Bronners from Mysale as they were affordable enough so that’ll keep my brushes clean for awhile. I also only use the Daiso brush cleanser once in awhile on stubborn stains on my synthetic brushes. But for the most part, shampoo does it for me. I dont enjoy brush cleaning very much but I do it every Sunday noon anyway. I dont think about it but i just do it. Cant bear slathering bacteria-laden anything near my face!
It’s just another way to make us spend more money 😛 I think some solutions, like the spray on type serves people like makeup artists who need spot cleaning on the go, between clients. But for the rest of us, enthusiasts, a weekly or fortnightly wash (ahem!) with any shampoo or soap will be just fine. These gel cleansers or what have yous are gimmicks 😛
Thank you paris for this review,i was planning to get my hands on this bottle to clean my brushes.but now i rather stick to what i normally use lifebuoy soap+ Detergent=clean brushes
I’m glad you found this useful Jacinta! 🙂 Just a tip, detergent (if I understand you to be using dishwashing liquid, as some people have recommended) is very very harsh especially on natural hair brushes. Less so on synthetic bristles which can withstand harsher cleaning. So, might want to consider something a little more gentle to prolong their life – the same way we won’t use detergent on our own hair, we shouldn’t use it on our brushes 😉
i will try to find alternative to get my brushes clean…thanks for the tip ..:)
A very affordable alternative is Dove bar soap! Just the regular one. Gets my brushes clean, lasts, and makes them so soft 😉 Or just baby shampoo will work as well. I used to use Johnson & Johnson
I love the MUFE brush cleanser. Just spray and clean and it really does a great job. The only thing wrong with it is that the liquid seems tojam up the spray bottle after a while. That’s my only gripe. Otherwise perfect for lazy people like me. ?
I haven’t tried that one, but I know the type you mean 🙂 Just a tip – while these sort of spray on brush cleaners are great for spot cleaning between uses, a good wash every 2 weeks will go further towards cleaning your brushes better, and prolonging their lifestyle. As you’ve pointed out, the spray can clog, which means, there is some residue left on your brushes that build up over time. So, use it, but don’t use it as a complete replacement for brush washing 🙂
I bode bad news to all your subscribers Paris…
The sponge/brush soap from Daiso is discontinued
=(
I need to find an alternative to that now *sighs*
Oh noooo!!! 🙁 🙁 I’m still using my old bottle which is why I never noticed. Maybe you can try the Dove bar soap? Even cheaper LOL! 😀
Oh good. Harn farn on money. I’m very happy with the Dr Bronner’s castille liquid soap that you recommended. Does a great job very quickly. For items like makeup sponges and puffs, I use Daiso’s makeup brush cleanser. Cleans it in an instant. With these two, there’s no need to re-wash a makeup brush simply because it wasn’t cleaned well during the first round. Ain’t nobody got time for that! 😛
Honestly, this is really crap. I don’t understand those who actually say that it’s good and cleans their brushes easily. Don’t know what they’re smoking 😛
Hi,
Here is the cheapest and best way (for me) to clean your brush:
In a plate put some olive oil and add few drops of dish washing liquid.
Put your brush inside this mixture and blend (like painting)
You will see all the dirt coming out
Rince well with water (the mixture goes away very quickly its not greasy at all)
Use some cleaning paper to take the water excess and let them dry
You are done!
?
I used to use the J&J baby shampoo too but it was SO hard to get liquid foundation / concealer off my brushes.
ECOTOOL make up brush shampoo… now that is some BRILLIANT stuff. iHerb has it, I bought the bottle I have in the UK. BEST THING EVER. Gets all the stuff out!