Face Painting is an incredibly fun and exciting activity. While generally a harmless creative outlet, there are things to note to ensure safety when painting faces, especially when painting multiple faces in the same setting. Here are 7 of the must know safety tips for your face painting journey.
- Choose the best paint
Simply because a paint says it is non-toxic does not mean it is safe to put on your skin. Acrylic craft paints, for example, should never be used on the skin, as well as watercolor or colored pencils. In fact, many people are allergic to the non-FDA approved chemicals that many craft paints contain which can result in a rash. However, there are a multitude of paints for purchase that are specifically made to be safely used on the skin, for both adults and children. Maydear offers full face painting kits that contain not only professional face paints, but also everything else you'll need - from brushes and sponges to reusable stencils - to begin face painting safely today.
- Clean your sponges and brushes
You may assume that you can clean your face paint brushes with regular old alcohol because it kills germs. However, alcohol is not the best cleaner for your brushes. If any alcohol is remaining on the brush when being used, it can irritate skin. A gentle mixture of warm water and soap is a great way to get your brushes and sponges clean.
- Take health into consideration
Make sure the person whose face you are painting is in a good state of health. Never paint over open sores or wounds either. You should even proceed with caution when painting over acne. In situations where someone may have acne or an open wound on their face, it is recommended to paint somewhere else, like on their arm or leg. Whatever the health status of those whom you are painting, wash your hands between customers.
- Consider head lice
The vast majority of those getting their faces painted are children and with children come a variety of other concerns. Head lice is fairly common among children, so it is important to make sure it is not present in your face painting customers. Since holding the child’s head steady is an important part of painting their faces, spreading lice can happen seamlessly. It is also recommended that both the painter and the paintee pull their hair back.
- Remove face paint staining
On occasion, staining can be left on the skin after removal of face paint. While generally faint, it can still be unnerving to have a stain on your skin, especially your face, and when you’ve been scrubbing with soap and water and there is no change, there is only so much you can do before rubbing your skin raw. However, there are some tricks to removing stains from the skin. Shaving cream has been known to aid in removing skin staining as well as shampoo. The only drawback to these two is that if they get into your eyes, they can burn. Another option that you most likely have in your home is coconut or olive oil. While they may require more effort than the shampoo, this is a mild solution and will not irritate the eyes so severely. Similarly to kitchen oil, an oil based make up remover may help as well. Make up remover wipes and micellar water are some of the best stain removal methods. Little effort and scrubbing is required when utilizing these methods in the event of skin stain.