Use Gentle Soap

• Use a mild soap to clean makeup brushes. It can be hand soap or shampoo, you just want something that is gentle and lightweight. Stray from using anything with a heavy scent or a body wash, which can be too thick and difficult to rinse from makeup brushes. Squeeze about a dime size worth of soap into a small bowl (the type you'd use for cereal or soup) and fill with warm water to create a sudsy "bath" for your makeup brushes.
  
  

Synthetic Brushes

• Synthetic makeup brushes have synthetic bristles. Usually these brushes are not soft to the touch and boast an unnatural shine. Synthetic bristle brushes shed easily and can be pulled from the brush. They are often light brown or white, or have a gradient effect in color. The best way to clean synthetic makeup brushes is to dip them in the warm soapy water for a few minutes to soak. After this, gently rub any leftover color out and rinse under a running tap of warm water. Synthetic brushes can be towel dried, as the bristles are not very sensitive and will dry just the same regardless of the method you use.
  
  

Natural Bristle Brushes

• Natural bristle makeup brushes are very soft to the touch and have minimal shine. They are usually true brown to very dark brown, and shed very little hair over the course of use. Natural bristle makeup brushes should be cleaned in the same manner as synthetic brushes. When it comes time to dry them, simply lay them flat to dry on a paper or bath towel. Attempting to towel dry natural makeup brushes can cause roughness and make bristles dry in an unruly fashion. Small eye-makeup and foundation brushes may take up to half an hour to dry, while thick, bushy blush brushes can take a few hours to dry thoroughly.