What about painting lips and sanitation

Speaking of wet wipes, I always start by cleaning off a client's face with an unscented baby wipe. I tell them that they're not dirty but I clean everyone to keep my paints clean and safe for them. Does anyone else do this?

I do. I wipe where ever I am painting to start with a clean slate and to keep everything clean... It's also refreshing :p

JBM wrote:I use Q-tips. Also worth noting - don't double dip. ie once the q-tip touches the lips don't dip it back in the paint.
I follow this rule with sponges too as for full face they touch the lips. Then throw them in the wash.

Quite a few of my relatives get coldsores so I know how painful they are and also that they can be transmitted really easily, even when you can't see them so I'm pretty careful about lips cause I'd had to cross contaminate kids.

Besides I'm with Heff - it's not worth it for the 3mins the lipstick lasts. If I'm at home and doing a big piece for a photos/comp I'll use brushes but then sanitize them after.

I totally agree with everything you just said. Single use applicators and no double dips are absolutely the best policies for safety and sanitation. Anything used as a "sanitizer" has serious drawbacks and really is not a guarantee that you are not spreading contamination from one person to another anyway.You can not see a virus, so you'd have no idea that herpes virus is shedding off someone's lips as you sweep your brush across them.

Who likes the smell or taste of vinegar or alcohol? YUCK! Especially if you must use it full strength to disinfect.

I also always use q-tips on the lips,although I haven't found a brand that keeps compact after getting wet with paint(suggestions anyone?) It keeps things more sanitary and I think the parents like seeing one new swab used per face and than it getting thrown away.

I always find it interesting that people are particular about painting the lips.. like say, for a princess face or whatever.. but they will paint the lips for a design and not think twice.

Example: -Painter paints lips with sponge for tiger muzzle
- Paints lips with sponge for zebra nose
- Paints the split of a cat/dog muzzle with brush onto top lip
-Paints the teeth of a vampire or dragon on lip, or a spider coming out of a mouth....

It's all very subjective.

Not that all painters do this, but I have seen many. They will paint the 'lipstick' on a princess with a qtip and paint the teeth on a dragon with a brush, even though both cover the lips.

Sparklyone wrote:Actually vinegar is an excellent disinfectant!
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vinegar-kills-bacteria-mold-germs.html

That 5% vinegar you pick up in the grocery store? Nope.

Does it kill 99% of some virus, bacteria, and mold? Sure.

Does it kill the viruses and bacteria we care about transmitting between clients such as CAMRSA (community acquired MRSA), other types of staph bacteria, EPEC (enteropathic E. Coli), rhinovirus (common cold), hepatitis A (food poisoning), herpes virus (cold sores), influenza viruses?
NOPE.

Plus, doesn't it weird you out that they don't cite one peer-reviewed science journal reference to back up their claims? I don't know about you, but Good Housekeeping is not a reference I look to for medical-grade asepsis trials.

There is a reason it's not used in the medical or research field as a disinfectant, and it's not because big-government wants to sell us more bleach and quaternary ammonium compounds...

The rate of transmission of bacteria and viruses speaks more to the low risk of what we do than the sanitation practices we "think" we're taking.

Dunking brushes in alcohol? Sure it kills some stuff, but contact time is what is important when dealing with killing viruses and bacteria. Ever give blood? They scrub your arm with iodine or chlorhex for 90 seconds to three minutes to prevent surface bacteria from entering with the large bore needle. Scrubbing prior to surgery? A minimum five minute scrub with iodine alternating with alcohol. That little swab your doctor gives you with alcohol prior to injecting a vaccine? That's for YOUR piece of mind, not because it does much.

We stand a bigger risk of transmitting viruses and bacteria on our hands from client to client or from us to our clients than we do via paintbrushes. The risk is higher if we don't wash our hands after using the restroom. Good handwashing practices will get us farther than freaking out and dumping vinegar on our paints or wiping down our brushes with triclosan-based "sanitizer" products (hormone disruption, yo!)...back away from your Dial soap!

Yes, use a disposable product such as half a q-tip on lips, but realize you just painted a tiger muzzle underneath a nose that is likely a bigger source of infectious agents and infection reception than lips.... It's all about appropriate risk assessment and management.

well..Ashley...Of course we can only be somewhat sterile...sometimes the "illusion" and practice of sanitation for our customers is well received and appreciated even though at times as you have stated not always able to be put into fruition..but every bit helps..

Very good points, Julie. Also why I use vinegar as a post-cleaning disinfectant on sponges and brushes after gigs and not as a sanitizer between clients. It's just an extra measure of cleanliness to me, not a means of preventing staph or herpes. I think most fp'ers are able to find a healthy balance of risk assessment and proper hygenic methods.

Even though I know it's not nearly as striking, I am steering away entirely from painting mouths. Even my dino and dragon teeth get painted just above the lips. This is not only due to sanitary preference but also because I hate seeing smeared teeth and lips and it usually occurs within minutes after leaving my chair. As a parent I really do not appreciate a kid with paint all over their mouth and find most parents agree.

Just a thought... I have a toothbrush sanitizer that uses UV light to sanitize. Anyone ever thought to use this on your brushes etc? Click of a button and a few minutes wait and voila sanitized. You could have a stack of brushes to use and sanitize as you go along between kids if something looks questionable.

But I think any parent who has a child knows that kids pick up bugs/ viruses everywhere. Why would they expect face paint to be any different. I have seen kids wipe their noses on their hands, lick the weirdest grossest surfaces like grocery carts etc. I dont know a kid that isnt a germ factory... so I would assume that most parents would know that face paint isnt 100% sanitary as well as any viruses that can be transmitted could be from anyone of the germs the kids pick up on a daily basis. Lips, eyes noses... just the same as all the other gross surfaces that kids use like water fountains, door knobs etc. If a parent questions about the cleaning practices I would for sure take an extra moment to clean things for that particular child but otherwise I would continue on with my usual fresh water rinse, babywipe cleaning if neccessary, and avoiding areas of question by filling in the spot with my finger and then using hand sanitizer.