If you are just getting started with body painting or face painting, one thing you may not have considered is how you are going to remove all that paint again.
While your client may like to be a zombie or tiger at a party, they may not want to go to work looking like one. In any case, they will want to clean up before bed or do just about anything else, and you are expected to know how to remove the paint you put on them safely and painlessly.
Here are 7 quick tips to remove body paint from skin and also to stay clean and tidy while you work.
1. Check your paintings and packaging.
Always use safe paints that have been manufactured specifically for face and body painting. They should explicitly say that’s what they’re for. Read what they say, either on the label or on the website, about how to clean them. Some body paints are made to be cleaned with water; others may use a special type of remover that you will have to purchase. Be sure to remove them from the skin using the methods on the package.
2. Use warm water, sponges, and cloths.
If your body paint or face paint supplies say to use only water, or a mild soap and water, follow those instructions. Use lukewarm water if possible to make cleaning more pleasant for your customers and to make paint removal easier. Sponges (the same type used to apply body paints) and soft cloths are the best tools; You can use paper towels, but why not save the environment a bit and use something reusable? And if you use the same types of sponges that you use for painting, you will also get the best ways to remove it.
3. Use safe, natural, non-allergenic skin soaps.
If you’ve chosen your face and body paints correctly, you’ve made sure they are for face and body paint and almost certainly won’t cause an allergic reaction. Make sure your cleaning soaps follow the same standards. Natural bases like glycerin and castile are good; try to avoid perfumes, artificial colors, and chemicals. If it says ‘natural’ or ‘hypoallergenic’ on the label, you may still want to check the ingredients, they may still include scents or high amounts of alcohol stearates, which can cause sensitive skin to react.
4. Be careful around the eyes.
Pay particular attention to the cleanliness around the eyes; of course, ask your client to close their eyes and go slow. Some makeup providers (Mehron, for example) have special cleansers made especially to clean around the eyes; you might want to try one of those. You can also look at makeup providers for smaller tools designed to clean around the eyes. The skin around the eyes (and of course the eye itself) is more sensitive than the rest of the skin, so what works on the rest of the skin may not work as well around the eyes.
A good trick is to clean the other areas completely first and save your eyes for last; That way, you won’t get any more paint near your eyes once they’re clean, and you’ll only have to clean them once. That way, you can avoid repetitive cleaning (and irritation) of the eye area, as well as extra work on your part.
5. Baby wipes are great, but use the right ones.
Baby wipes are great to have on hand, but remember that they were formulated to clean a very different area of the body than the face. This means that facial irritation and safety tests have probably not been performed. I would recommend getting baby wipes that are ‘natural’, but again, check the ingredients on the back. If possible, you don’t want fragrances or dyes. Sometimes you can get these especially for ‘sensitive skin’, again, read the labels. Then try them on your face to see how they work before using them on others.
6. Protect clothing while painting and washing.
Paints made for face and body painting should never stain the face, but the same cannot be said for clothing. Even water-based body paints can stain clothes. Keep clothing away from paint while applying, of course, but you’ll also want to observe it when you’re cleaning. Soaking paints in water and washing them can be a dripping process, and colors are more likely to stain clothes than when painted. Consider using cloths to cover while you are cleaning, even if you did not do it when painting.
7. And last but not least: Don’t rub!
Do not rub the skin, even if the paints do not peel off properly. Rubbing can cause bad reactions even if everything else is safe for your skin. If your paint doesn’t come off quickly, be patient, let it soak in for a bit and try again, gently. Try using something else to clean, such as baby wipes or a cloth with a little soap sprayed directly on it. You may also want to take a look at the paint’s instructions on how to clean again; maybe something was lost while cleaning. In any case, don’t get frustrated and rub! Your client will appreciate it.
So that’s it – top 7 tips to safely and easily clean after face or body painting. You may want to print them out as a reminder sheet to include in your painting supplies, that way if you have a cleaning problem you can quickly refer to them!