What I don't do, however, is spend a ton of money on makeup cleaners. I spend enough on actual makeup as it is.
I've found a few ways to clean my brushes over the years. At first, I just cleaned them with water. That didn't work too well, especially with the gel stuff caked on them.
I used shampoo for a while too. Paranoid about the color somehow sticking to the brushes, I managed to find clear shampoo at the local convenience store.
A few weeks ago, I read about using a small dab of conditioner on them. The results were amazing, and the brushes felt softer than ever.
First, get a bit of hand soap lathered in between your hands. Rub the brushes softly between your hands to remove the makeup that's gotten stuck to them. Hand soap is all you really need to get the brushes clean. Just don't rub too hard, or you'll pull the bristles out of the brushes like I did. Rinse the soap out when you're done.
After you've cleaned the brushes, put a small dab of conditioner in your palm and rub the brush with it. Work it through the brush, and then rinse again.
After washing them with conditioner, you'll notice a huge difference in your brushes' softness. I was amazed the first few times I did it, too.
