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This is starting to cost me money and it's extremely annoying... Most brushes I buy, loose bristles start splaying out from the tip within a week or two. This even happened with a Windsor Newton series 7 one time. Took about a week. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I don't abuse the brush. I use a kitchen towel with parchment paper on top for a wet palette. I use a piece of kitchen roll to dry the brush and twirl it slightly after I've dipped it in paint or water, to get some moisture out and make a sharp tip. I rinse the brush after use and use Marseille soap to clean it. I usually twirl it again in the Marseille soap after I've cleaned it and leave it in as a conditioner, tip down. I don't dip it in water beyond the ferrule. I don't let paint soak up into the ferrule. What am I doing wrong? What causes this splaying? This is driving me crazy and I can't afford to buy new brushes so often.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things as far as brush care goes, but what about how you actually use the brush? Do you paint forcefully, jabbing it into cracks and crevices? Do you use it for drybrushing? Are you using a too-small brush to paint large areas? Just throwing some ideas out there.

Another thing to bear in mind, is you should never poke with the brush, it's ALWAYS a pulling movement. Even for dotting.

 Mymearan wrote:
twirl it slightly after I've dipped it in paint or water, to get some moisture out and make a sharp tip.

This is your problem. I know lots of people do this, and I've even seen tutorials where people recommend twisting to get a sharp point, but it's not a good habit. It trains the bristles to point in different directions and then they end up splitting into two groups. You should try to always pull straight down when you reform the tip.

If you want to fix brushes that are already split, you can try using a clothes iron. Just plug it in and leave it upright, then using a bit of water on your brush, run the brush along the bottom of the iron like you were painting it, then turn the brush and run it the other way to try and slowly get a sharp point back on it (don't twist while you're brushing though). Obviously, it's better if you don't let your brushes get that bad in the first place.

Personally, I think the best way of reforming the brush tip is to use your lips and the tip of your tongue. Some people say that's gross, but you could say the same thing about putting a trumpet or a harmonica up to your lips. That's just how it's done.

I have many brushes. Strangely enough its some of the cheapest ones I have (I think they might have come from fred Meyers ten years ago) continue to retain the best points.

I bought a Windsor recently and it was terrible. Lost its point in the first use. Never buying from them again.

 Smacks wrote:

 Mymearan wrote:
twirl it slightly after I've dipped it in paint or water, to get some moisture out and make a sharp tip.

This is your problem. I know lots of people do this, and I've even seen tutorials where people recommend twisting to get a sharp point, but it's not a good habit. It trains the bristles to point in different directions and then they end up splitting into two groups. You should try to always pull straight down when you reform the tip.

If you want to fix brushes that are already split, you can try using a clothes iron. Just plug it in and leave it upright, then using a bit of water on your brush, run the brush along the bottom of the iron like you were painting it, then turn the brush and run it the other way to try and slowly get a sharp point back on it (don't twist while you're brushing though). Obviously, it's better if you don't let your brushes get that bad in the first place.

Personally, I think the best way of reforming the brush tip is to use your lips and the tip of your tongue. Some people say that's gross, but you could say the same thing about putting a trumpet or a harmonica up to your lips. That's just how it's done.

This might actually be it, I've started to figure it out myself and began twisting the brushes less... but maybe I will stop completely. I might even start to lick the brush before dipping it in the paint, although I'm a bit baffled that that seems to be the best alternative for proper brush care...

" I don't dip it in water beyond the ferrule. "

Thats a thing? I always put the whole thing in water and just avoid hitting the bottom.
Should I stop doing that?

(Sorry for abusing your thread)

Im pretty new to painting models and literally did almost everything the OP said he didn't do, no wonder my brushes all look like the top of a fern after like 5 uses.