Can I “Save/Preserve” Nail Polish Brushes for Later Use?

[thursday next]

I have some nail polish that I need to chunk. The brushes work perfectly on some other polish I have. That polish is not ready to be opened yet, however. So I ask you, Dopers, is there a way that I can save these brushes for later use?

[Ferret Herder]

I'd try cleaning the brush and handle in nail polish remover and seeing how the brush feels after it dries out. Maybe do another rinse in plain water to make sure all of the remover's residue is flushed out, and again let dry completely.

[needscoffee]

What nail polish doesn't come with its own brush that you'd need to save an old one for?

[Al Bundy]

Just clean them with acetone or nail polish remover, which is acetone and water. Or wait until you need them before pitching the old containers. Say, why do you need them as new polish comes with new brushes anyway? I use the old containers and brushes for touch up paint.

[Ferret Herder]

My wild guess was that this was a particularly awesome brush. Can't say I've ever noticed much difference, myself.

[thursday next]

Thanks for the help, Ferret Herder & Al Bundy. I was afraid that if I just left them dry after cleaning them, they would go bad, and the brush would fall apart or something.

As for why I want to keep these brushes, a while ago OPI came out with the pro-wide brush. Some of my unopened colors (that they don’t make anymore) have the older style brush that is not anywhere near as awesome as the pro-wide one.

[zweisamkeit]

Not sure if this is your reason, but I figured I'd post this for anyone who may find it useful. If you're throwing the polish away because it's gotten thick and goopy, you can purchase nail polish thinner at places like Sally Beauty Supply. I use their house brand's version (Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner) and it has saved polishes over a decade old that had thickened to literally the texture of peanut butter.

The thinner is composed of the solvents that are in nail polish (like butyl acetate) that evaporate over time and exposure to air, which is what makes a polish thicken. You're basically just putting back in what had evaporated out.

Do NOT USE ACETONE TO THIN POLISH! Yes, it also is a solvent, but it reacts by breaking down the polish (instead of working to nicely hold the pigments etc in suspension). It'll make the polish thinner but it'll fuck it up (stay soft on your nail instead of fully curing, etc).

[Lynn Bodoni]

I used to work next to a nail salon. Many of the people who did nails said that they bought and used artists' brushes for the polish. I get my brushes at a comics and gaming shop, which sells them for painting miniature figurines. They're also available in hobby shops (Hobby Lobby, Michaels). If you want a wide brush, may I suggest that you look at a #2 flat? You'd have to clean it after every use, to keep the bristles from clumping up, but you can just use acetone for that.