For a faster clean (perfect for pros or beauty girls in a hurry), use an alcohol-based product like Lazy Perfection Makeup Brush Cleanser ($7). It will sanitize and cleanse your brush but dry quickly. Spritz it down so that it is damp, then wipe the bristles against a clean, soft towel that you don't mind staining. While you may have used a paper towel or tissue in the past for this, Jenny doesn't recommend that. "I don’t like to wipe brushes on a paper towel or a tissue because the paper can disintegrate and leave tiny fibers in the brush hairs," she said. Repeat your spraying and wiping process until you see no residue on the towel.
For a deeper clean, Jenny likes using Woolite or London Brush Company's Pure Goat Milk Solid Brush Shampoo ($18). They're both very gentle on bristles (after all, you use Woolite on your cashmere — so it's good enough for your tools!). If you’re washing synthetic ones, break out the dish soap. "A tiny drop of dish detergent in warm water will break up any oil that’s accumulated," said Jenny. To clean your brushes during a wet wash, you can try a Sigma cleansing mat ($32) or a towel, but no matter what, use something that has texture. "A textured surface grips into the brush hairs," Jenny explained, "which helps to pull out the oils and pigments." For superdelicate or stained brushes, just softly swirl them in the palm of your hand until they're clean.
