SPLURGE VS. SAVE FACE OFF: Solid Brush Cleansers

by - June 05, 2015

I've always defaulted to cleaning my makeup brushes with baby shampoo. It's gentle enough that it won't damage them but does manage to get all the gunk and grossness out of them if you scrub them well enough. That's the part I don't like. I have a lot of makeup brushes, so after swirling them each around in a palm filled with baby soft long enough to get each of them clean, my skin feels like the process mutated me into some sort of lizard creature. I was definitely looking to try something else, something solid, something that was a no brainer. Thank you, internet, for giving me both of these options! 

So... Technically the Dr. Bronner's soap isn't a brush cleanser... but it is one of the best things I've ever tried for cleaning my brushes and the most comparable lower cost option that I've been able to find for the blendercleanser by beautyblender. Much like my last FACEOFF post, I want to approach this in a kind of three-pronged comparison for, I think, the best possible conclusion.

Keep reading for ... THE FACEOFF!



VALUE:
blendercleanser by beauty blender - $20 for 1oz. - $20 per ounce
Dr. Bronner's All-One Hemp Almond Pure Castille Soap - $5 for 5oz. - $1 per ounce.
POINT: Dr. Bronners by... about 20x, I'd say.

PACKAGING:
First off, the blendercleanser packaging is very convenient, as it has a lid that screws on and a tray inside the container that keeps the cleanser suspended so that it dries and isn't sitting in goopy grossness on the bottom of the tub. The Dr. Bronner's? It's a bar of soap that comes wrapped in paper, so it really has no packaging to speak of. I keep mine in a travel soap container. Travel soap containers are fairly easily acquired and some do have a tray inside them, which is what I'd recommend you pick up. 
POINT: blendercleanser

PERFORMANCE:
I feel like this is the category where it always gets tricky. First, both of these smell really, really good. The blendercleanser has a really beautiful Lavender fragrance while the Dr. Bronner's (obviously) smells like Almond. I always tend to prefer almond scents over all scents and rarely like lavender, but I would actually put the scents of these two products shockingly on par with one another.  First, let's talk about how this cleans the beautyblender (since that is actually my most frequently washed too.) I've gotta say that, while both products get it equally clean, I do feel like it gets clean faster and rinses out a little more easily with the blendercleanser. I have to say that when it comes to cleaning brushes, these two products literally perform pretty much the exact same. Both easily get all of the leftover product out of my brushes - including dark shadows on white eyebrushes and foundation on any brush ever. Both somehow help the brushes to dry more quickly after they're washed. Both leave the bristles feeling quite soft. They are literally neck and neck.
POINT: Tie

OVERALL:
I feel like this one shouldn't be difficult, but it kind of is. Dr. Bronner's is kind of a no brainer, since it performs so incredibly well at 1/20th the price of the blendercleanser, but I still really love my blendercleanser just for the ease of washing out my beautyblender every couple of days. So... Okay... My final verdict is this: The blendercleanser is a great product to have around for frequent sponge cleansing, but I wouldn't waste such an expensive product on cleaning your brushes. Get a bar of Dr. Bronner's and a travel case for storage and you'll get a lot more bang for your buck! ... I feel like this is the beauty junkie in me talking, but I JUST WANT TO HAVE IT ALL.
WINNER: Dr. Bronner's All One Hemp Almond Pure Castille Soap!


Thanks for reading and I apologize for my indecisiveness. In the end, the winner was clear just by the massive price difference and the pretty much dupable performance!

Would you like to see more Faceoff's on the blog? Any requests?

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