Body painting is an incredibly fun and rewarding art form. Whether you put hours into a full-body masterpiece or a small face painting, it’s always a shame to see it get smudged and wrecked immediately.
But if you take some simple precautions, you can make your body paint last longer and keep it looking great all night long.
Setting and sealing is a great precautionary method that helps preserve artwork on the skin for the long haul.
Setting and sealing body paint involves using a setting spray. Setting spray is an alcohol-based solution that helps secure paint on the skin and guards against the smudging effects of sweat and touching.
This article is all about how to set and seal your body paint properly. Read on for information on the best setting spray, how to apply setting spray, and other tips to make your body paint last longer.
NOTE: For those that want a quick recommendation, here’s the best setting spray that I have used over the years:
NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray is the best setting spray that I have used for body paint because of its smudge resistance and quick-dry characteristics.
Best Setting Spray for Body Paint
Setting spray is a product typically used in makeup applications. Because the makeup industry is so huge, there are literally 100s of different setting sprays out there.
Over my years of body painting, I’ve tried many setting sprays and found that alcohol-based setting sprays work the best.
Alcohol-based setting sprays work by delivering a polymer solution to the surface of your skin. You spray it on, the alcohol evaporates, and what’s left is a thin polymer protective finish.
In contrast, setting sprays that are water-based often have too high of a moisturizing component. These setting sprays are often marketed as “primers” or “moisturizers”.
Even though they are sometimes marketed as setting spray/primer/moisturizer 3-in-1s, I’ve found that these primers and moisturizers will actually make the skin oilier and break down body paint faster.
Therefore, my recommendation is to use alcohol-based setting sprays only.
One of the best alcohol-based setting sprays that I have come across is the NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray.
NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray
This setting spray is majority alcohol based which makes it a quick-dry matte finish. It doesn’t give the skin an oily finish and creates a great smudge-resistant layer.
Although there are some higher quality makeup settings sprays out there, NYX is a good price and just works the best for body paint.
When to Set and Seal Body Paint
Before whipping out the setting spray and dousing your model from head to toe, let’s think about when setting and sealing are really appropriate. The top three things I think you should consider are:
- What kind of paint are you using?
- What part of the body are you painting?
- How much moving around will your model be doing?
The alcohol-based setting spray works mainly by rapid evaporation which helps to set the paint in place. However, some professional-grade body paints such as ProAiir are already alcohol-based and formulated to stick to the skin. These natural adhesion properties already provide resistance against smudging while giving your body paint a congruent, matte finish.
Therefore, applying setting spray on top of alcohol-based paints like ProAiir is kind of overkill.
If you’re using a chapter water-based body paint like Createx Colors (which is still a tremendous body paint) a little setting spray can really help hold it in place.
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Secondly, setting spray is kind of expensive! If you body paint a lot, and you want to set and seal every single body part that you paint, get ready to go through a mess of setting spray.
Instead, I’ve found a few select areas on the body that work well with setting spray:
- face
- arms
- belly
- skin creases that rub together
The big/smooth areas of skin such as the face, arms, and belly will last the longest and set the best. Legs, back, and shoulders are just so big that they’re not even worth the spray.
Skin creases like inside the elbows, underarms, and neck can also benefit from a little set and seal. As your model moves, these areas will rub more which leads to smudging.
That leads to the third point which is considering how much your model is moving.
The truth is that movement creates sweating and rubbing.
The only way to completely avoid sweating and rubbing is to essentially not move. Unfortunately, bodypainting is a fun, dynamic artform for kids at the fair, adults at bars and parties, or cosplayers at events and conferences – all of which are not stationary events.
Sweating breaks up the paint adhesion from underneath while rubbing will start to flake the weakened paint off.
Instead of trying to stand like a statue all night, a little setting and sealing will give you the protection to rock out and just not worry about it.
DIY Setting Spray
Store-bought setting spray works great but it can get a little pricey. Here’s a little recipe that I found to make your own setting spray:
- Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol (2 Parts)
- Witch Hazel (1 Part)
- Water (1 Part)
The rubbing alcohol acts as a quick evaporating base, the witch hazel adds a slight skin-soothing component, and the water adds a little more volume to the mix.
Here’s a video explaining how to make this mix:
NOTE: This video recommends mixing equal parts of each ingredient. However, I’ve found that a 2-to-1 parts alcohol base produces slightly better setting and sealing properties.
Step-By-Step to Set and Seal Body Paint with Setting Spray
The long and short of how to set and seal body paint is really quite straightforward.
Apply your body paint, let it dry, and then apply a light mist of setting spray on top.
If you want to take it to the next level, you can apply setting spray in layers for maximum effectiveness. I’ve found that putting a light level of setting spray on the skin first will help reduce sweating. And layering the setting spray can strengthen the setting properties for extra smudge resistance.
Here’s a step-by-step instruction on how to layer your setting spray:
Step 1: Spray on Setting Spray – Fan for 15 to 30 seconds until dry.
Step 2: Apply Body Paint – Using an airbrush, paintbrush, or sponge.
Step 3: Apply Additional Layers – With every additional layer of body paint, apply a layer of setting spray and fan for 15 to 30 seconds until dry.
Step 4: Apply a top layer of setting spray – a final layer of setting spray on top of the body paint will set it in place and provide extra smudge resistance.
Tips to Make Your Body Paint Last Longer
Setting and sealing can help keep body paint on the skin where it’s supposed to be, but it works even better when used with other paint-preserving methods.
Here are a few tips to help your body paint last longer:
- Use high quality body paint, alcohol based paints like ProAiir are the best
- Wipe skin with a wash cloth & water dry with a towel before paint application
- Shave very hairy areas such as pubes or armpits
- Don’t apply too much body paint! – Excessive layering can make the paint crack and start to peel off. Always use just enough paint for the design but no more.
- Experiment with different paint application methods – Airbrush body painting is one of my favorites because it looks so smooth and adheres so well to the skin.
Hopefully, this article has given you the info you need to set and seal body paint like a pro. Ultimately, the way to preserve your body paint is to find the right balance in application style, skin preparations, and setting and sealing technique.
Follow the steps and recommendations outlined in this article, practice your own unique style, and your body painting artwork will only get better and better.
Happy painting!
