General Pencil General 105-BP Pencil Masters Brush Cleaner & Preserver, 1 Pack, Clear

*See MakeUp Update at bottom!*Bought this brush soap & conditioner at the recommendation of a painting friend/mentor. He had an enormous tub of it; I wasn't sure I was ready for that kind of investment and got this little size instead.I paint in spurts, so it sat around for months before I started using it this week. Holy Crap!! This stuff is Amazing! I suppose they teach you all this in art school, but as a hobbyist I've been just figuring things out as I go, and people seem to assume you just inherently know how to take care of that $40 brush they had you buy... you know? So I had been cleaning my brushes like they taught me in ... elementary? Rinse, soap, rinse, when the water runs clear, it's clean, lay flat to dry. Sometimes subbing shampoo for hand soap.Well this soap has step by step instructions on the tub and packaging, and it's Super easy to use. I'm finding that it works better on natural brushes than synthetic brushes, though it will clean both. And not just fresh cleaning- it will clean old dried paint that's been there for months.My Amaze moment was with this one natural hair 2in flat brush (like a super fancy soft chip brush) that I had used with black gesso about a year ago. Even after the usual washing that naturally white brush was stained dark grey. I grabbed this brush when I went to start washing this week, and immediately the paint in it started breaking down- when I was done it was nearly white again. Incredible.So that's my experience. If you're like me and only paint occasionally, this small size may be just fine. If you have lots of brushes to restore or you paint daily, you might crank through this fairly quickly. It is perfect for a travel size regardless of your workload though. (The soap is solid inside the tub, so removing a small amount from a larger size for travel would be questionably valuable for the effort.)If you paint at all I would recommend this soap. If you use any natural brushes, I would extremely recommend this soap.I'll definitely be keeping this around. It would probably do well on MakeUp brushes too.*MakeUp Update!!*Exciting News: I tried it with my MakeUp Brushes, and it was Amazing!!! Seriously. I'm going to have to buy another one for the art studio, bc this one isn't leaving the bathroom.I pulled out all the MakeUp Brushes I could find, old ones I haven't used in years, cheapy ones, expensive ones, and the ones I use on the daily. This unbelievable soap tackled them All. I watched as old foundation, powder, and eye shadow just poured down the drain like it was nothing. Remember I said how well this soap works on natural hair brushes? Well this took a surprising amount of dye out of a few of my older ones. I was shocked by how quickly the ones I normally use got clean. (I typically alternate between shampooing them monthlyish and using alcohol as I use them) When I wash them it's generally an ordeal, but this brush cleaner made very quick work of it, rinsing out easily. It really was shocking. From fluffy powder brushes, to flat foundation brushes, to a variety of eye brushes... they all did extremely well with the soap, lathering well, and rinsing just as easily.**beauty blenders**So of course I had to try my **beauty blenders** (Sephora branded) I had one that had been out of commission bc of silicon foundation. No matter what soap I tried with it, foundation just Kept Coming Out like the tube was stuck inside it or something. It was nuts. And then I had my current use one (mutisided) with a CC type product on it as well as a variety of cream products (highlight, blush, etc). All I can say is WoW. Masters Brush Cleaner puts Every youTube comparison video about blender cleaning products to Shame. No Joke. It's like a 1 swipe Wonder. And just like with the brushes, it rinsed out so Easily. The product is finally all out of my old sponge! And my new one was like nothing even though it had so many different products on it. It was all just Astounding how simple and easy it was.If you own a blender, or have used silicon based foundation, you understand what can be the nightmare of attempting to clean that sponge. I'll never be able to use my blenders without this soap again. And as it strips out dyes so well, any new brushes or sponges I invest in will definitely be dye free.This certainly makes the prospect of playing with cream MakeUp options this summer more enticing. With the blenders so ridiculously easy to clean, it's time to play!New Recommendation: if you wear or do MakeUp as well as paint, buy 2! Also, this would make an Excellent gift for any of your friends who wear or do MakeUp.Rating: 10/5 for exceeding expectations, flexibility of use, adaptability, and all around amazingness.

This product cleans quite well and can be used both as a soap and as a leave-in conditioner without the need to rinse it out. Essentially, it's a 2-in-1 product. I have the 2-ounce version and have been using it consistently for quite a while. It seems to be very effective. It’s good for helping to preserve both new and quality brushes.For new/quality brushes: First, I clean them with the brush cleaner, then rinse them thoroughly to remove the paint, and finally, leave a bit of the product in the bristles to condition them. Leaving the conditioner on the brushes might cause them to become a bit stiff, but this is completely normal. It's precisely what helps the bristles maintain their shape. When you use them again, simply soak them in water and they’ll be ready to use as usualFor old brushes/ones about to be discarded: To try to save my old brushes, I first wash them well with the soap to remove any paint residue. Then, I soak the old brushes in warm water for a few minutes (without letting the ferrule touch the water, as hot/warm water can dissolve the glue holding the ferrule to the handle, especially with cheaper brushes). Finally, I apply a bit of the product to the bristles and let them dry as they are, allowing for conditioning. This method helped me save a few brushes that I thought were beyond rescue.Overall, it’s a good product with no complaints.

This stuff works good. Had one old brush with a little caked in paint, but was more brittle and course. This stuff cleaned the paint off and also reconditioned it. Brush is soft, smooth, and clean. I'll buy it again, but next time I'll buy a larger size.

I absolutely love this cleaner! It’s really easy to use and the paint comes right out of my brushes when I clean them. I do exactly what the instructions say and rub the brushes on the balm until they have a little coated on there, then I create a lather, wait 2-3 minutes (I probably don’t have to but it doesn’t hurt anything and has been working for me) Anyway, once they set in the cleaner for a couple minutes I rinse and wrap my brushes up in a clean cloth to get any excess moisture out. When I go to use my brushes the next time, it’s like I’m painting with brand new brushes! And any fellow artist knows how exciting new brushes are lol- so this can give you that feeling every time you paint! I ordered a backup cleaner that I’m still waiting on but that was before I used this for the first time. At least the one that’s coming can restore brushes that you’ve frayed or that won’t go back to the shape it was when you got it- I have a bunch that could use a good restoration cleanser- but as far as cleaning new/good shape brushes going forward, I will definitely be buying more of this. (Also I painted about 8 hours a day every day for about the last 7 days, it doesn’t even look like I put a dent in this cleanser balm. The container is still full; it really only takes a couple sweeps across the cleaner and you have enough to get a good, clean result:)