Brush care

Hey guys

Please tell me how you look after your brushes. What is it they need to keep good for as long as possible?

Thanks

painting -
load face paint by pulling brush back and forth over paint in the direction the bristles lie, (like you would pet a cat from head to tail, in the direction their fur lies),
don't swirl bristles in a circle or smash them down and rub in paint.
as you paint, don't bend bristles sharply, or splay them.

rinsing when painting -
don't leave brushes standing in water with bristles down so they bend and splay out, rinse immediately and lie flat.

cleaning -
wash or rinse out paint thoroughly before it dries (i just use warm water, some use soap or brush soap),
if using soap, "load" it, work it into bristles, and rinse it out like you would with paint, in the direction bristles lie, to avoid bending/splaying them.

reshaping bristles -
shape wet bristles with your fingers, pulling from ferrule to tips - press flats to a thin edge, press rounds all around to a fine point,
lie brushes flat on an absorbent surface and let dry thoroughly.

sometimes after rinsing round brushes that are losing their pointy tip, i dab a little face paint on the bristles while i shape them,
the face paint holds the bristles in place while they dry,
but the paint dries stiff, so before you use the brush again, you need to swirl it in water until it's thoroughly wet and rinse paint off carefully so bristles don't break,
i believe there are also products specifically made for this purpose.

storing and transporting -
be sure brushes are thoroughly dry before storing, so they don't get mold, mildew, or bacteria growing on them,
lie flat and secure in an appropriate brush holder or container, keeping bristles from being bent or splayed,
use something to cushion or separate brushes if needed, so they don't jostle around.

Wonderful.
I think I'm doing most of the above, apart from a few tips that I shall be using. That was very helpful, thank you so much!!
I love this forum.

yes, what you do to brushes kind of shows up in their appearance pretty quickly, so you are likely to do what's best for them

Good tips, I have to find a carrier for my brushes, they are just in a plastic cylinder right now. But how do we remove staining? I clean my brushes and sponges with Dawn dish soap (we just have tons around because i use this as a flea bath for my rescues) and wash each one and shape and dry them but the white bristles still retain a stain from the red, green and black paints. Is this a permanent issue or is there a way to remove the stains? I dyed my sponges black to solve that problem but now I'm stumped for the brushes.

even if you try to remove the stains with something like 91% rubbing alcohol, they will restain next time you paint. i just live with it someone should make brushes with black bristles, lol.

jlirie's tips are perfect! I would just add that while cleaning, I use an all natural, skin safe oil to keep the bristles looking nice, and it also removes stains. I usually use olive oil or grapeseed oil. Those are ones in which people have the least amount of allergies to, although I'm not sure it matters because I do rinse out the oil. I just swirl my brush in the oil in the palm of my hand (gently!). Works magic and my brushes look brand new every time and I have not replaced them since I started face painting about 2 years ago.

thanks for the tip, tronnor21, i will try that.     you reminded me, i seem to remember someone mentioning that for practice heads, too. my face shell is faintly stained with wolfe black, in spite of scouring it with rubbing alcohol, going to try oil.

To reshape mine I hold them bristles down in boiling water for about 15 - 30 seconds. My Lowe Cornell's have been through 2 festival seasons and I am just now getting to the point where they need replaced.

Kal wrote:To reshape mine I hold them bristles down in boiling water for about 15 - 30 seconds. My Lowe Cornell's have been through 2 festival seasons and I am just now getting to the point where they need replaced.

this worked for me! A few weeks ago I had a brush twisted in the bristles and I remembered someone from here said boil the water then dip brush in for a few seconds. It worked, just dont dip brush too far if there is glue in the ferrule holding bristles

thanks, kal, i forgot that one

I clean my brushes with soap I purchased from an art shop.  I purchased a product called Brush Shaper. I dip each one in Brush shaper to restore their shape.  It is an extra step but they go back to that hard brush that you bought when it was first purchased.  I love the stuff.  It just takes extra time but is great if you don't paint every day.  Daisy

being the curious sort, i looked up brush shaper ingredients and found the MSDS sheet.

https://www.google.com/search?q=mona+lisa+brush+shaper+ingredients&oq=brush+shaper+ingredients&gs_l=mobile-heirloom-serp.1.0.0i22i30.169644.173304.0.175560.12.12.0.0.0.0.334.2257.1j7j2j2.12.0....0...1c.1.34.mobile-heirloom-serp..3.9.1461.DNBXgLiFKls

the ingredient listed is borax, for any of you do-it-yourself types

Borax is a combination of mineral and sodium. The name brand product Brush Shaper cleans, conditions and shapes the brush. I imagine the borax is the cleaner and not aiding in the shaping or restoration of the bristles. unless like the hot water all that sodium plumps out the bristles and they come back together where they were designed to lay.
Hummm..... Darn it we are out of Brush Shaper or I'd look at the packaging. But then nothing beats a new brush.

it is so helpful