Monday, March 28, 2011

cleaning brushes

many have asked how to clean brushes and i want to put it up here how i clean mine.

i have menda dispensers: (google menda dispenser to see picture)

these dispensers distribute small amounts of liquid and keep chemicals from spilling and becoming a problem. when using acrylic paint, i use just a menda with water..i rinse off my brush and go to the next color

for harder jobs..i have s dispenser full of acetone (polish remover) i pump out enough liquid and wipe the brush over it and then wipe in a sweeping motion across a towel i have near my brush to clean it out completely. synthetic brushes begin to freak out after awhile when you clean them with acetone and can be reshaped by sweeping them over a bar of soap and making a new point with your fingertips and letting it dry overnight....you can rinse the soap out and your brush will have a new point on it.

for natural hair the same thing except you must condition natural hair brushes with oil every once in awhile if they get dried out (like hair) this keeps them pliable and nice.

now, i also have a very small menda dispenser with rubber cement thinner i clean out goopy messes i have had with glues (this is more for the hardcore professionals who work with chemicals and have a license) but i want to put it out there in case someone is doing it at home and might be harming themself and creating a dangerous environment.

chemicals must never be mixed or in hot places or around open flames. the menda containers keep them separated and safe from being spilled.  after each time you clean your brush you must wash your towel.....chemicals in towels  collect and become toxic. now, i am writing this because i once worked in a shop that was carefully monitored by state board.

every 6 weeks a state board member would monitor our shop, make sure we were all up to code etc....and one day, a flame came too close to a towel that was not clean and saturated in chemicals and all i heard was a "whoosh" and i looked up and the girl in front of me was on fire. her towels were not clean, they were one on top of the other and they were just saturated with many chemicals and there was a reaction.......state board cant monitor chemicals that are all invisible....it is up to YOU to keep yourself safe. it is up to YOU to keep your area clean. you must pick up good habits and keep your area clean and sanitized at all times for your safety and for the safety of others!!!!! and acetone and superglue and thinners and polish and everything are very dangerous when you have them in hot places or near flames (candles, cigarettes) .....you can seriously hurt yourself...the manicurist i worked with was SEVERELY burned and suffered tremendously and i was in a shop....so, if you are doing this at home, please be mindful of yourself and others.....you only get one life. be careful with it!


i am new to the ONLINE scene...i am new to what to say on camera and what to say in the description and i might leave things out or mis-communicate something i am trying to teach, but please..............always read my descriptions and learn what i am trying to teach and be very careful because i want you guys to have fun.

cleaning brushes is easy and a pain in the butt, but really...just soap and water....most of the time and acetone .................what is more important than cleaning your brush...is cleaning the area you cleaned your brush in after you have cleaned your brushes. be safe....i cant say this enough.

and always always watch my videos for updates for things i have forgotten or learn along the way...i want my channel to be a place to have fun and learn to make beautiful things.

love,
robin