Allergy to paint or brush?

Hi, I am SUPER new I only paint as a hobby - like for families kid's parties and at my work (OSHC). I painted about 30 kids (super simple easter bunny faces) on Thursday and then today when I got to work a parent said her child had had a reaction.

I had painted her daughter before - using the same paint (TAG black) and only where her whiskers were, there were some raised marks and this was today! Mum wasn't agry or anything and she said her daughter didn't even notice because it didn't hurt but i have no idea why only her (and one other girl whose parent didn't mention it but i saw her 'whiskers' left over) had a reaction, why it was only where her whiskers were (not where the outlining was). Was it the paint? She'd had it before? Could it be the brush? I had a new Loew Cornell Liner brush is that real hair? I thought it was synthetic.

The Mum said paint her again and see if it happens again but i am worried about if it happens again!

Anyone else have this sort of reaction? I searched through as much as I could forum wise but everyone just said TAG was great and there was no reaction (other than the pearl) should I chuck the color? Clean it with a wipe? I don't know!

Rei

Ask her what she removed the paint with... especially the whiskers... some people have reactions to the method of removal and mistake it for a paint reaction.

I have to ask...

Was this the FIRST use of this brush? Did you wash the sizing out of it before using it to paint with?
How hard did you press to paint the whiskers?
Was there a base colour under the whiskers or did you paint the black on bare skin?

Some skin is quite sensitive to pressure and it could have been a reaction to the roughness and/or pressure of the bristles as you pulled them along.

If you know Mom and she is cool with it, I would take the opportunity to do a spot test on the child's arm...carefully monitored. That way you can find out if the child is sensitive to the paint and advise them away from it for the kid's sake. Be sure to remove the paint only with soap and water not baby wipes. If you are wiping down your paints, be careful what you are using there as well. Some wipes will cause a reaction.

some areas of the face are more sensitive than others, so it is possible to have a reaction in one place and not another. There are so many variables here (as Shannon points out with all the questions) that it is hard to say exactly what it was. I am glad to hear that it wasn't hurting or bothering her at all, when I had a reaction on half of my face it was terribly itchy and tender for 3 days.

I'm kind of leaning towards the brush, especially if that was your first time using it. Real brushes obviously use real animal hair, which could definitely cause an allergic reaction.

I can tell you from personal experience that I am not allergic to any brand of paint, but if I have any black paint near my "Muzzle" area (like when I painted my avatar on myself) I irritated the crap out of the skin about a half inch out and a half inch up from my mouth trying to even gently wash it off....and it stained a little bit, so I had to use moisturizer and leave it alone all day and try to wash it off later. The same thing happens about a half inch outside of my eye sometimes.

Didn't somebody else have a similar experience using tag paints about a month ago?

Thanks guys....

Shannon - it was not the first time using this brush, but the first time using it on her.

They washed the paint off in the bath.

The whiskers were OVER a base coat of metallic white

I actually painted outlines and stuff around her bunny ear and around her muzzle too-using the same brush with no reaction!

I was super soft when i painted them too because i am still trying to get my lines fine.


Her mum was tottally cool with it, she just let me know and then said next time paint her with the same paint again and see if it happens again. I am meant to be painting at her birthday party.

I only washed it our with water at work, but when i've had it at home i washed it in Brush Bath mixed in water and then again in clean water.

Her mum had also said that she is not allergic to anything that they have come across, so I don't know if it was just a fluke or not.

Som girls had bought their own 'makeup' from home and painted the girls could the black have reacted to something already on her face? Even though the white didn't?

Are you letting the TAG Black dry out real well between uses? There have been some issues w/ the China paints (TAG, Wolfe, DFX) if they are left wet for long periods of time. Possible bacteria growth? I store my paints uncovered to keep good air flow & don't over saturate them w/ water. They should look pretty dry & not gloppy.

I'm not sure if this is an issue w/ you, but wanted to mention it.

No I hadn't heard that, but i will let them dry from now on. They aren't sloppy when I put them away but they can still be wet.

If i leave them uncovered overnight would that be okay or dry them out too much?

I would suspect the Brush Bath. It has a lot of potential irritants in it and they could definitely be the culprit.

And ALWAYS let your cakes dry COMPLETELY before putting them away. The anti-bacterial ingredients in the make-up/face paint is only to prevent mould, NOT kill viruses or other things and by leaving the cakes wet you can create a perfect breeding ground.

As long as the cakes dry out completely, it will generally kill off any contaminants. I leave mine open overnight, then pack up again in the morning but they are usually dry in a few hours.

Thanks so much - I will do that.

Ahhh, the things you learn, I usually don't post - just read and this is such a valuable resource.

Making everyone a safer better painter.

You won't over dry out your paints by leaving them uncovered. They're water activated & will work right away once you add water. Mine get quite dry between gigs & work just fine.

If you're using Brush bath I can see a lot of potential for reaction. I'd react to it because it has Tea Tree Oil in it. Tea Tree Oil breaks out my face (but doesn't effect my arms, legs, etc).

I found out there were a total of 4 kids had a reaction - and all were related (something I didn't know at the time)

that will be the first and LAST time I use Brush Bath, thoiught i was being sanitary, but i would rather just change the water

It has been recommended to me to use three sprays of white vinegar (with a small spray bottle) in my rinse water while I am painting and then washing out the brushes after use with a mix of white vinegar and baby (no tears) shampoo and rinsing well. That and the use of the original Wet Ones wipes are also the best according to Lilly Walters. So far this is working for me.
Good Luck! I understand that the face painting tips books Lilly has written have lots of great tips in them.

you should never put anything in your rinse water, it can really mess up your paints and end up in children's eyes. Vinegar that diluted isn't going to kill any germs and baby shampoo, while it might take the paint off of your brushes, doesn't kill germs either. Wet Ones will kill germs with the strong amount of alcohol in them, but will also dry skin and hurt eyes.

If you don't trust the bacterial inhibiting stuff that is already in the paints and want to use something, take a look at what Shannon does because it really is the only method that would be effective AND safe. I personally trust what is already in the paints for most situations. If I realize after painting a child that they were sick and I didn't notice early enough to suggest their arm or something instead, then I wipe my brushes with baby wipes (rinse, rinse and rinse again) and change my water immediately.