Acrylic Brush Care

Taking care of your acrylic brush seems to be a controversial topic nowadays!  Let me lay out the facts for you:

FACT: Most brush cleaners are made from acetone.

FACT: Hairs in the brush are made from animal fur, just like fur coats. Would you soak your fur coat in acetone?  Acetone is very drying to the hairs on your brush.

FACT: Contaminated liquid is the #1 cause of yellowing in nails.  Using brush cleaner is willingly introducing a containment into your brush.

FACT: The ferrule holds the bristles in the brush with glue. This glue is very soluble in acetone.   Therefore soaking your brush in a brush cleaner can loosen hairs from the ferrule.

FACT: Storing your brush upside down allows liquid to drip into the ferrule which also loosens up the adhesive holding in the bristles.

FACT: Storing your brush in the springs of your lamp allows for dust and contaminants to stick to your brush. (Unless you are covering up your brush somehow.)


Back in 2001, Vicki Peters did a Tip of the Week on this very subject.  I will leave you with her expertise

Tip Of the Week #4 : Brush Care

 Everyone experiences bad hair days, bristles falling out or acrylic stuck in their application brushes. There are some things you can do to prevent this from happening and hopefully these tips can help.

On-going Brush Care

Wipe in-between, after and before and all the time.  I find that I waste more liquid than use, sometimes, keeping my brush in shape as I use it because I constantly re-dip into the liquid and wipe the brush out to keep my point and shape as I work.

I dip my brush into the liquid then wipe it against a dappen dish that is firmly on the table so I can press against the inside of the dish without the dish moving. Then I twirl the tip on my table towel to bring it back to a point. When doing so wipe the tip and reshape without wiping all the liquid out of the brush. Wipe the brush gently instead of bending the bristles at the feral beating it up on the table towel. I find most techs do not care for their brush as gently as I do and I end up replacing my brush less often because of it.

 Application Stickies

 Another little thing I do when applying the white tip product to my nails (most white powder tends to be sticky when first applied). So I dip the brush into the liquid, saturate the brush and wipe it completely out, then re-dip it to the liquid I do want. Pick up the white tip powder and drop it on the tip of the nail. Then wipe your brush gently without wiping all the liquid out and bring the brush back to its original shape. While you're doing this, the product has set up a speck and is not as sticky so you don't have to make a mess as you press it into place.

Digging right into freshly applied acrylic when it is still sticky will only smoosh the acrylic into the brush and if you keep working the acrylic is drying in the brush and then you can't get it out and can't make a smooth nails because there is dry acrylic in it.

When you put the brush away

 If you do not wipe your brush well and put it away the acrylic will dry in the tips. If this is the case do not comb out the dry acrylic with your cuticle pusher or orangewood stick or nippers, you will only break the hairs and you won't like the brush anymore. Get a shot glass or a slammer glass for those who have never been to Mexico and don't know what a slammer is it is a taller shot glass. Suspend the brush with a clothespin. Fill the glass with enough liquid to cover the bristles without touching the bottom of the glass. Let it set for about 30 - 60 minutes and the dried acrylic will eventually melt out of the brush.

There are lots of brush cleaners on the market but I feel they can be harsh and disturb the chemical balance of the liquid. I do not believe you should soak them in acetone either and some brush cleaners have acetone in them. Use liquid monomer to soak the brushes if needed. Remember the hairs in the brush are made from the same animals fur coats are made from and you would not soak your fur coat in acetone would you. Now don't slam me about fur coats ok??? (I don't own one for a reason.)

Traveling with your brush

I found a silver metal flat brush case for $8 at the art store that stores brushed without moving perfectly. It has two springs one at each end for the brush to fit in so they won't move when traveling. The box is about 3/4" by 8' by 4" can fit up to 8 brushes, won't bend and is not plastic so it won't melt if the brushes happen to touch the metal. I have not ruined a brush yet in the box.

If you're booked and work full time you will probably replace your brush every few months if you take good care of it. Brushes can cost anywhere from $10 to $45 or more. The average brush cost is about $25. You get what you pay for that is for sure. There are only two or three true brush manufacturers that make brushes for companies in the nail business. Shop around and try new brushes all the time.

Brush care is a constant thing, take good care of your brushes as you work with them and always have a spare just in case you're having a bad hair day!

 Vicki

The Peters Perspective

"When you stop learning your career ends and your job begins"

Acrylic Nail Brushes

The brush is the nail technician’s most important tool. Nail technicians choose their brush’s size and shape in a number of ways and for many different reasons. Below we discuss some aspects of the brush.

Size
Until they understand product consistency, newer nail technicians and those trying a new product should purchase the brush that is sold with the acrylic system they choose. "Brush size is not determined by what the nail technician likes, but by what the product requires her to use to get the right ratio of liquid to powder," says Kim Patterson, director of education for FPO nails. "Most systems call for two parts liquid to one part powder and require the use of a size 7 or 8 brush."

Once the tech understands the proper mix ratio for their chosen system, they can really work with any brush size. The most important thing is making sure that your mix ratio is correct, no matter the brush size.
 

Shape
There are three basic brush shapes – flat, which has a flattened ferrule (the metal part of the brush that holds the bristles) and has flat-across-the-top bristles, round which has an un-flattened ferule and a pointed tip and oval, which has a pointed tip and flattened ferrule. The shape of the brush largely depends on personal preference.
 

New Brushes
New brushes often come with a coating to protect the bristles, which needs to be removed before the first use. Manufacturers supply instructions on how to break the seal and prepare your brush for use. Generally you will use your fingers to break apart the coating and get as much of the residue out of the bristles. This is the ONLY time you should ever touch your brush bristles. Touching your bristles once you start using the brush can lead to overexposure for you and contaminated product for your client.

Doug Schoon, the world authority on nail chemistry, advises not to use your brush for more than one kind of monomer or it will cause contamination of your brush and service failure (whether or not you can "see" it). This means if you use several different systems, you will need a brush for each.
 

Keeping Them Clean
If you are working with a natural hair brush, it’s best to just swish your brush in clean monomer and wipe on a clean lint-free towel several times until the bristles are clean. If the brush has hardened product that can’t be removed, it should soak overnight. To prevent fraying or disheveling the brush, reshape the bristles after cleaning them (but not with your bare fingers!). Then, store the brush on its side.

Brush cleaners often use acetone as the main ingredient, and if you use it on a natural hair brush it can dehydrate the hair and make it fan out.
However, in extreme cases where monomer won’t remove the acrylic, brush cleaners or acetone can be used. After soaking the brush in brush cleaner, the tech should use a dish of clean monomer to repeatedly swish the brush and wipe out any remaining brush cleaner and then discard that monomer. Since cleaner can dry out the bristles of acrylic brushes, do not soak brushes in cleaner for a long period of time. Brush cleaner that is left over in the brush can cause contamination which could lead to yellowing or product breakdown.
 

Life Span
The life span of a brush depends on a number of things. There is no hard-and-fast rule for replacing brushes (assuming you are not changing products) - you want to replace the brush whenever the bristles start to fray or if you’re finding it difficult to control the flow of product.


Storing Brushes
If the brush comes with a cap, allow the brush to dry for a few minutes and then cover it with the cap. You can store cap-less brushes in a drawer or under a towel to protect them from dust and dirt. Storing brushes with the bristles “up” can cause monomer to run into the ferrule and loosen the adhesive holding the bristles which leads to bristle loss and contaminated product.  Storing brushes in a lamp clip can allow for the brush to pick up filing dust.  The best way tot store brushes is flat on its side in a drawer . Do not sore your brushes in an airtight container because this can cause contamination by not allowing the monomer to evaporate out of the brush.
 

Join the conversation: do you have a favorite brush?

The Anatomy of a Nail Brush

Bristles: Bristles can be made of animal hair or synthetic materials like nylon filament, Taklon, or polyester.

Ferrule: The ferrule is the metal portion that holds the bristles. It keeps the bristles tightly in place and helps protect them from damage. The bristles are held in the ferrule with glue which will break down if exposed to monomer or acetone. For this reason you should never store your brush with the bristles up.

Handle: Acrylic brushes in the nail industry typically have handles made of wood, plastic, or in some cases aluminum. If you get a wood handle with a coating be sure it is solvent resistant.

Belly: The belly of the brush is the fullest part of the bristles. It is also the portion of the brush used to press acrylic flat.
 

Sable and Kolinsky Acrylic Brushes
Kolinsky are small forest animals related to badgers and mink that are valued for their fur. The fur has been favored amongst artists for hundreds of years. Because of its strength, spring, and ability to retain shape ("snap"), it is considered the finest fiber for art and acrylic brushes. It holds a very fine point or edge. Kolinsky is considered to be a professional grade of hair, and if properly cared for, it will last for many years.
- Avoid skin contact with the bristles - oils from the body can deteriorate the bristles over time.
- Only use monomer for cleaning natural hair acrylic brushes

Kolinsky hair is obtained from the tail of the Kolinsky weasel during the winter months as the fur is thicker, fuller and healthier. Kolinsky bristles tend to be pale red in color with darker tips. The weasel is not an animal that is raised well in captivity, and is generally isolated to the geographical region of Siberia. Due to this difficulty in harvesting the hair, and the fact that other natural and artificial bristles are not comparable in quality, these bristles are expensive.

Red Sable is obtained from any weasel with "red" hair, not from the animal known as the sable. Its quality and characteristics that vary greatly. A quality pure red sable brush is a good alternative to the more expensive Kolinsky, with similar performance and durability.

Gel Brushes
Synthetic bristles are a favored choice for working with gel. They are durable and hold up well to commercial cleaners. They also don’t have to be cleaned as thoroughly as a sable acrylic brush. Alcohol can actually be used to remove most of the gel from the bristles, and the brushes can always be stored upright as alcohol evaporates much more quickly than monomer. To clean a gel brush, simply swish it back and forth in cleaner or alcohol and press dry between two pieces of paper towel.

Nail Art Brushes
Nail art brushes are usually thinner for more detailed work. Some are as tiny as four or five hairs thick. Extreme care must be given to these types of brushes. Some cannot afford to even have one or two bristles mangled. If you’re using the brush with a water-based medium such as acrylic nail art paint, swish it slightly in soapy lukewarm water, rinse in cool water, and reshape with a dry paper towel. If you are doing art with nail polish you would have to clean your brushes in acetone which will deteriorate the brush. You may wish to have an inexpensive set of brushes if you use polish. More about nail art brush types here:http://www.nailsmag.com/article/82013/the-right-brush