If you plan to do acrylic nails at home, there are a few secrets to make the process both easier and more effective. One of the tips we frequently share is how important it is to use quality tools and products. To that point, it’s also crucial to take excellent care of those products and tools. In today’s blog, we explain why it’s so important to clean your acrylic nail brushes and what the best strategies are for doing so.
Do I need to clean acrylic nail brushes after every use?
Yes, you do.
Cleaning your acrylic nail brushes is essential to both the health of your nails and the look of your manicure. Here’s why:
- Using a dirty brush can lead to both aesthetic issues (like a messy manicure) or hygiene issues (like a bacterial infection, which no one wants!).
- Regularly & properly cleaning your acrylic nail brushes prevents product from clumping on the brush, which will affect the outcome of your manicure. Completely removing acrylic liquid and powder after every use is essential, so that you are always starting with a clean slate.
- Stripping the acrylic brush of all products after each use will maintain the health and longevity of your brushes.
What tools do I need to clean my acrylic nail brushes?
First, you’ll need the dirty acrylic nail brushes you used during your last manicure.
Next, you’ll need a high-quality and trustworthy acrylic nail brush cleaner, like Ultra Plus Acrylic Nail Brush Cleaner.
Finally, you’ll need a cup or jar for soaking your brushes. We prefer the Apollo Brush Cleaning Jar.
What are the best strategies for cleaning acrylic nail brushes?
Here’s how to safely and effectively clean your acrylic nail brushes after a manicure:
- Pour brush cleaning liquid into your brush cleaning jar—just enough that the brush will be submerged in the liquid.
- Insert brush into jar, snapping the brush into a ridge that fits the brush.
- Let the brush bristles hang in the liquid and let it soak for 15 minutes—set a timer!
- Take out brush, shake off liquid, and let it air dry; do not use paper towels as the paper towel can pull or misshape your brush.
Now your brush is clean, clump-free, and ready for its next manicure!
Anything else I should know about cleaning acrylic nail brushes?
We prefer providing helpful tutorials on how to do nails, rather than admonishing our readers about what NOT to do. But every once in a while, we see a common practice in the nail artistry community that is just not in the best interest of your nail artistry tools and turn to admonishment as a last resort! In the case of cleaning acrylic nail brushes, we recommend that nail artists not use acetone or liquid monomer. Acetone may damage your brushes, and liquid monomer may not effectively remove all of the acrylic nail product from your brush, thus leading to build-up of product over time, which will shorten the life of your brushes.
We hope this is a helpful guide to keeping your acrylic nail brushes clean and happy!
Don’t forget, you can also contact us directly with any questions about the products—we’re happy to talk all things nails + beauty!
Beautifully Yours,