How I clean my makeup brushes in under 2 minutes with ISOCLEAN Makeup Brush Cleaner

I think for most of us, if we had to say when we last cleaned our makeup brushes, we’d cringe. It’s something most of us never get round to doing. After struggling with acne for most of my adult life, I’ve put time and effort into setting myself up for clean skin. That starts with makeup and skincare and of course, brushes.

ISOCLEAN is a UK-based brand that creates vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and cost-effective products for cleaning makeup tools and surfaces. They sell liquid cleaners, soap, cleansing towels, plus more products for professionals (mixing palets, makeup brushes).

I use the liquid cleaners for my brushes and what seems to be their most popular product (if TikTok is anything to go by). I’ve been using it for years because it’s cost-effective, quick, and easy, and I know it’s cleaning my brushes without damaging them.

How long does it take?

It takes a few minutes to prep & clean the brushes. I normally clean them on a day when I don’t need to use them.

Makeup artists use this cleaner between clients – that’s how sanitary it is and how little time the brushes take to dry afterwards.

They take around one minute to dry, depending on the brush size before you can re-use it.

1. Prep – get a towel & small bowl ready

With the 500ml bottle I bought, it didn’t come with a detachable drip tray. However, it does now, so I’d recommend getting it. It’s the same price with/without one.

I only pour into the bowl as much as is needed to soak up into each brush. I use 3 brushes on a regular basis:

• concealer brush (small)
• blush brush (pretty big)
• foundation brush (pretty big)

Mine comes with a spray top but I don’t use it. I feel by pouring the liquid out into a bowl and soaking my brushes in it, I get a better clean and waste less.

2. Pour ISOCLEAN into the bowl & soak

Once I’ve poured some out, I soak my brushes which should leave no ISOCLEAN in the bowl. Make sure to get everything wet; you need to clean the whole brush!

3. Use a towel to rub your brushes clean

I personally use a handtowel that’s quite rough. I wouldn’t recommend using a very smooth towel that doesn’t have texture; it’ll take longer to clean your brushes.

4. Reshape shape your brush

Gently rub and twist into the towel until all the makeup has come off. Don’t harshly rub your brushes straight into the towel. You want them to keep their shape.

To make sure you’ve cleaned it properly, keep moving to a different part on the towel & check for makeup. A lighter-coloured towel is best for this.

5. Leave to dry

Don’t use your brushes within seconds of cleaning – they’ll probably still be slightly wet. Leave for at least a minute before using.

How often should you clean your brushes?

I clean mine once every few weeks, but I don’t wear much makeup especially since lockdown. If you wear heavy makeup or have acne, I’d recommend cleaning your brushes several times a week if you wear make up every day.

If you don’t have time to clean the often, have spare brushes you can alternate. Have separate clean and dirty areas so you know which brushes you need to clean.

How much is ISOClean?

I buy mine from the official ISOClean website. You can get a small bottle (80ml is ~£6) to see if you like it, then buy bigger ones to be more cost-savvy. I bought the large bottle that I now refill with the refill pouches. The large 525ml bottle is around £20-22, and the 525ml pouches are around £15.

Delivery is free over £20.

I’d suggest looking around their website as you can usually snag 10% off by signing up to their newsletter. You can also save if you take out a subscription.

DECEMBER UPDATE – they’ve got 25% off everything at the moment. Go to iso-clean.co.uk >

How much will I use?

I buy a large pouch every 6-8 months. I don’t tend to wear make up daily though. If you do, you might go through more than me. Considering how much we’re willing to spend on the make-up, making sure you’re putting clean brushes on your skin is 100% more important and well worth the cost.