How Should You Clean Gel Nail Brushes?
Should you soak them in acetone?
Scrub them until every trace of colour disappears?
Put cuticle oil through the bristles to keep them soft?
When it comes to cleaning gel nail brushes, there is a lot of conflicting advice.
And sometimes trying to get your brush too clean can actually shorten its life.
Here’s how to care for your Katie Barnes gel and nail art brushes correctly.
Does a gel brush need to be completely product free?
Not necessarily.
A brush used with gel doesn’t need to look completely brand new after every use.
Aggressively stripping every trace of gel from the bristles using strong solvents can cause unnecessary wear.
Instead, remove excess product and clean your brush appropriately for the gel system you’ve been using.
Always consider the manufacturer’s instructions for both your brush and nail product.
Should you soak gel brushes in acetone?
We don’t recommend repeatedly soaking your gel brushes in acetone as part of your normal brush care routine.
Acetone is a powerful solvent and can be extremely drying to brush fibres.
It can also travel into the ferrule - the metal section securing your bristles to the handle, potentially affecting the adhesive holding the brush together.
Repeated aggressive solvent exposure can contribute to damaged bristles, shedding and a loss of shape.
Don’t scrub your brush
Your nail art brush is a precision tool. Don’t mash the bristles backwards and forwards against a surface trying to force product out. This can bend, separate and fray the hairs. Instead, gently work your appropriate cleaning product through the bristles in their natural direction. Treat the shape of your brush as something you’re trying to preserve.
Don’t use cuticle oil
We see this advice regularly:
“Put cuticle oil through your brush to condition it.”
Please don’t.
Oil can migrate into the ferrule and potentially affect the adhesive securing your bristles.
It can also remain within the brush.
The next time you dip that brush into your gel, you’re potentially introducing oil into your nail product which will contaminate it and cause retention issues.
Keep cuticle oil for the cuticles.
Keep product away from the ferrule
When loading your brush, you don’t need to submerge the entire length of the bristles in gel.
Try to prevent unnecessary product build up close to or inside the ferrule.
Product trapped deep within the bristles is much harder to manage and, if exposed to UV light, can begin curing inside the brush.
Reshape your brush after cleaning
Once you’ve finished, gently bring the bristles back into their intended shape.
This is particularly important for those where the shape is critical for results such as the french brush. Your liner needs to retain its fine working shape. Your French brush relies on its specific shape to help create smile lines. Your ombré brush has a particular bristle arrangement designed for blending. Protecting the shape protects the performance.
Keep gel brushes away from your lamp
One of the easiest ways to ruin a gel brush is to leave it beside your curing lamp. Gel doesn’t care whether you intended to cure it. UV exposure from your lamp can begin polymerising residual gel within the bristles. Once gel has fully cured inside a precision brush, removing it without damaging the bristles can be extremely difficult. Create a dedicated brush area away from your curing lamp while you’re working.
Sunlight matters too
Natural daylight contains UV. Leaving uncovered gel brushes beside a sunny salon window can expose residual product to UV and potentially begin the curing process. Store your brushes covered and away from direct sunlight.
How should gel brushes be stored?
Once you’ve finished cleaning and reshaping your brush, replace its protective cap.Store it somewhere where the bristles won’t be crushed, bent or exposed to UV light. Don’t throw precision brushes loose into a drawer underneath heavy tools.
Look after your brushes from day one
You don’t need to wait until your brush has become hard, split or frayed before thinking about brush care.
- Avoid aggressive cleaning.
- Avoid repeatedly soaking in acetone.
- Don’t use cuticle oil.
- Protect the ferrule.
- Reshape the bristles.
- Keep them away from UV light.
- Store them correctly.
A professional nail art brush is designed to give you precision but it can only do that while its bristles remain in the condition and shape they were designed to have.
Look after your nail brushes, and they’ll make creating beautiful nail art much easier.
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