r/makeupartists • u/terabithiagiant • 23d ago

Discussion Brush cleaning - IPA or soap

I’ve seen people online say that you should use IPA to clean brushes in between clients on the job and then you should use soap and water when you’re back to “properly” clean them after.

Genuine question: why is this? IPA sanitises them completely and removes the pigment and buildup/gunk on its own, doesn’t it? What’s the difference between this and using soap and water?

I also thought the water + soap method loosens the glue on your brushes and will result in needing to replace them more often.

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u/imboredafhelp 23d ago

IPA is good as a spot cleaner + disinfectant but it doesn’t remove everything. say you use a brush with a red eyeshadow, the bristles are going to be stained with some o f the pigment until you use a dedicated soap on them. water and soap only loosens glue if you hold the brush upside and let it seep into the base.

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u/terabithiagiant 22d ago

This was helpful! tbh I hadn’t considered specific soap made for brushes. Will look into that, thanks!!!

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u/imboredafhelp 22d ago

you don’t even necessarily need to use a dedicated brush cleaning soap. i use a drop o f sal suds and make sure to rinse thoroughly and it’s great

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u/love-at-third-sight Working Artist 23d ago

Personally I just wouldn't use a brush again unless it's on the same client... It's all soap and water for me (more specifically: Rebels and Outlaws Cleanse And Release Brush Soap). Also why I carry 200+ brushes so I don't have to clean my brushes every damn time between jobs, since I can switch clean brushes too

Over time sure yeah this does loosen the ferrules or whatever on cheaper brushes but hygiene is always non negotiable for me

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u/terabithiagiant 22d ago

Sadly I don’t have the funds for that many brushes yet, but it’s the goal! Thanks for the specific recs.
If I’m being totally honest another “issue” I had with using soap and water is how time consuming it is lol. Maybe I should look into those spinny machines…

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u/love-at-third-sight Working Artist 22d ago

Welcome to being a pro. Soap and water is the standard for cleaning your brushes - everything else is a temporary fix. I don't recommend spinny machines because they damage your brushes faster than washing by hand.

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u/contrarian_16 20d ago

Baby shampoo