Did you know you should be cleaning your makeup brushes weekly and washing them monthly? Brush cleaning should be an essential part of your beauty routine because the buildup of dirt and oils on your makeup brushes can cause acne breakouts and possibly even skin rashes.

One of the best and easiest ways to clean your brushes is Dawn dishwashing liquid. Who knew, right? And it's probably already in your kitchen. It's been engineered to cut oil and grease and that's exactly what you want in a makeup brush cleaner. Put a few drops of liquid in a cup of warm water, swish your brushes around and then let sit for a few minutes. (Baby shampoo and Ivory soap are also great options.) Rinse, dab dry with a lint-free cloth or towel and you're good to go!

If you want to try another method, you can use a cleansing pad. Lexi Noel Beauty's silicone, heart-shaped brush cleansing pad is perfect for thoroughly deep cleaning your makeup brushes. The multi-textured ridges are gentle, yet effective in releasing product, dirt, and oils. Use with the Dawn dishwashing liquid! And it's the perfect size for travel.

If you're in the mood to splurge and spoil yourself (and you're feeling a little lazy!), try one of the electronic cleaners. Amazon sells a premium makeup brush cleaner with dryer for less than $25. Lilumia makes a luxury cleaner that can clean 12 brushes at once; it sells for about $120.

Cleaning your makeup brushes is essential to keeping them soft and preventing the spread of bacteria on your face. Makeup brushes can be expensive. Take care of your investment... and your skin.