Facial cleansing brushes are your skin’s best friend when it comes to a beauty tech device to remove every last scrap of make-up, pollution and grime that’s thrown our way daily. Designed to be used in tandem with your facial cleanser, a cleansing brush works to thoroughly clean and gently exfoliate skin without irritating it.
Loved by dermatologists and beauty editors alike, facial tools are famed as total game-changers. As Expert Facialist, Abigail James, says, 'They are far more thorough at cleansing compared to just a regular cream or gel cleanser - exfoliating the skin’s surface without the use of harsh chemicals or gritty particles.' They're great for a facial massage and to prep the skin before using your at-home LED face mask to stimulate blood flow, leaving skin firm, super soft and unclogging pores.
From understanding the basics to the common user mistakes, consider this your cleansing brush 101 (including a round-up of the best facial cleansing brushes.
Why should you use a facial cleansing brush?
On the pricier end of the spectrum, sonic face brushes, like the most popular, use rapid oscillations (up to several thousand per minute) to encourage your cleanser to work harder to remove any impurities. Just like pore vacuum devices, facial cleansing brushes will deeply cleanse the skin, including those hard-to-reach areas. Some cheaper brushes have heads that rotate in one direction which will still give a more powerful cleanse than the average flannel-and-water job, but it's worth noting that this can prove harsher to sensitive skin.
How to use a facial cleansing brush?
A face brush could be a great addition to your double-cleansing routine. After using a lighter product such as micellar water, use it to supercharge your second cleanse with a foaming face wash. Medical aesthetician and facialist Ingrid Raphael explains, 'First, ensure your skin is fully coated in a good foaming cleanser. Wet the brush and bristles and use upward circular movements to work across the chin, jawline, cheeks, nose and forehead. This will encourage blood flow and lymph drainage and remove dead.' If you're looking to recreate a professional facial at home - a facial cleansing brush will prep the skin before switching on your facial steamer will leave your skin feeling squeaky clean.
The Best Facial Cleansing Brushes At A Glance:
Best Facial Cleansing Brush Overall: FOREO Luna 4 Smart Facial Cleansing and Firming Massage Device
Best Facial Cleansing Brush For Sensitive Skin: PMD Clean - Smart Facial Cleansing Device
Best Cleansing Brush For Exfoliation: FOREO Luna 4 Body Massaging Brush
Best Budget-friendly Facial Cleansing Brush: No7 Radiant Results Revitalising Sonic Action Cleansing Brush
Whether you have oily, blemish-prone skin or are looking for a brush with radiance-boosting benefits, you'll find the one for you to shop in our comprehensive edit below...
SHOP: The Best Facial Cleansing Brushes
Best Facial Cleansing Brush Overall
FOREOwww.lookfantastic.com
Foreo knows what it's doing when it comes to facial cleansing brushes, and we know the hardworking cleansing devices are loved by many celebs, including Molly-Mae. The silicone bristles are longer and softer, making it the perfect brush for a gentle, deep cleanse. What's more, it can be paired with the app for a bespoke facial massage (including full face, neck, jaw and eyes).
Customer review: "It's a brilliant cleansing device. It helps my dry and sensitive skin a lot! No irritation, no side effects, just a nice polished look. My skin hasn't been this good in ages and I'm so happy I got it a few weeks ago. If I'd have known it was this good, I would have gotten it sooner."
Best Facial Cleansing Brush For Sensitive Skin
PMD CleanPowered by Sonic Glow Technology (which offers 7,000 vibrations per minute), the PMD Clean Facial Cleansing Device works to remove excess oil and dirt while massaging the face. The brush head is made from an anti-bacterial silicone to prevent breakouts and is flexible and easy to manoeuvre around the T-zone.
Customer review: "This exfoliator is too large to bring along on trips so I exclusively use this product at home. I have really sensitive skin so I am careful to find soft exfoliating brushes that won’t irritate my skin. My skin feels so baby soft after using and it has become a staple of my morning routine."
Magnitonewww.magnitone.co.uk
Magnitone's BareFaced 2 Vibra-Sonic Facial Cleansing Brush comes in a clutch of colourful shades and uses a double whammy of sonic oscillations and pulsed vibrations to truly re-energise the skin, deeply cleansing, toning and firming all at once.
Customer review: "I have been using this little gem every other day now for a few weeks and the results are amazing. I have oil sebum white heads and they are slowly disappearing one by one. It gives you that deep cleansed feeling, and you only need the tiniest bit of cleanser. I would highly recommend this product."
PhilipsAmp up your cleansing routine with a Philips cleansing brush. The lightweight, compact tool can be used in the shower for a quick, powerful cleanse to do away with makeup and dirt in just 60 seconds.
Customer review: "Perfect for my skin. I can feel my skin smoother and cleaner."
Best Budget-friendly Facial Cleansing Brush
No7www.boots.com
For that fresh-faced, clean feeling, try No7's Sonic Action Cleansing Brush. Totally affordable, this brush promises to cleanse skin 3x more effectively than your standard cleansing method. It removes makeup, impurities, pollutants and oil.
Customer review: "My skin looks radiant after I use this with my face wash or exfoliating scrub I couldn’t be happier with the results
BeGlow PURAwww.lookfantastic.com
Craving a radiant glow? The BeGlow Pura Sonic Cleansing Brush has been designed to gently remove any make-up and impurities and encourages your cleanser to work that much harder to reveal radiant skin. The silicone brush gently removes daily grime and pollution without irritating skin. Plus, it's the perfect size to take away with you.
Customer review: "I am choosing between the (3) - Foreo, PMD, and BeGlow. I chose BeGlow because it's replaceable silicone head that the others are not offered. It will be more cost effective if you will just change the silicone head than changing the whole device once the device had gotten old or damage. BeGlow, the best for me."
Best Cleansing Brush For Exfoliation
FOREO 
We can't forget about body cleansing, and the Foreo Luna 4 Massaging Brush is a great option if you're looking to upgrade both your skin and body care routine. Foreo designed its four-cheek facial to target and treat the body yet provide a super relaxing massage. The vibrating pulsations gently exfoliate textured skin and help to remove any unwanted dryness.
Customer review: "I have acne on my back, shoulders and chest. Since I started using the Luna 4 Body, my skin has been doing a lot better. My breakouts have been considerably less severe, I've experienced less scarring and not as many marks. The Luna works for the body just as well the facial ones worked well for my face."
Which skin types should use a face brush?
Abigail states that a cleansing brush is better suited to 'more robust' skin types, including oily complexions, but suggests that those with rosacea, broken capillaries or sensitive skin should probably avoid in favour of a more gentle manual cleanse.
Are facial cleansing brushes good for skin?
The rapid oscillations of the brush means that the resulting cleanse is much more intense than a 'manual' one. Ingrid adds that 'incorporating a cleansing brush into a good skincare routine lets you benefit from up a cleanse up to six times deeper than just hands would be able to achieve.' It can also help supercharge your skincare regimen, as 'a cleaner face means better absorption of products and their active ingredients.' Double win.
How often should I use a facial cleansing brush?
Some manufacturers suggest that the brushes can be used twice a day, morning and evening, but for Ingrid, 'once daily is sufficient, as otherwise, it may over-stimulate the skin.' Abigail agrees, explaining that although the 'squeaky clean' feeling can prove addictive, 'overuse can impact upon the quality and health of the dermis, making your skin more prone to sensitivity.'
Which cleansers should you use with a face brush?
What's the best face wash for maximising your brush's cleansing potential? According to Ingrid, 'whether a brush is made of bristles or silicone, it is always best used with a foaming cleanser. If used with an exfoliator, sometimes the granules can be difficult to remove fully from the brush. Using an exfoliator along with the brush may also be too harsh, especially for those with sensitive skin.' Abigail adds that oil-based cleansers should be avoided, as 'these are really going to clog up the bristles.'
How do you clean a face brush?
It's vital to keep your make-up brushes clean, and the same rule applies to your cleansing brush if it's of the bristled variety. Once you've cleansed, be sure to keep the brush clean using water and an anti-bacterial wash. Every week, you'll need to commit to a deeper clean to avoid the build-up of dirt and bacteria: un-screw the brush head, then use soap (a mild liquid soap or baby shampoo should do the trick) and a clean cloth to scrub repeating with the handle, then leave to dry overnight.
How often should you change the face brush heads?
The bristles of a cleansing brush will start to lose their shape and clump together over time, so just as you would with an electric toothbrush, you’ll need to change the head regularly. If you’re using your brush multiple times per week, you should invest in a new head every three to four months; if your usage is less frequent, you can wait a little longer.