Zest-it is an environmentally friendly, non flammable, non-toxic and biodegradable alternative to commonly used solvents in oil painting – turpentine and white spirit. Zest-it is a natural solvent made from the zest of citrus fruit with a neutral pH and containing no CFC’s or aromatics. It is ideal for cleaning brushes, varnishing finished artworks and thinning paint to removing adhesives and blending coloured pencils and pastels.
Most solvents used with traditional oil colours are an irritant, toxic or highly flammable and often all three. They evaporate very quickly and fill the air with harmful and toxic chemicals, usually accompanied by a nauseating smell. Even ‘odourless’ solvents still give off fumes – they just cannot be seen or smelt, yet still fill the air with harmful chemicals.
Zest-it is a ‘studio safe’ solvent. It has a very low evaporative loss meaning there are few fumes released into the surrounding air and thus ideal for small studio’s or home use. The active strength of Zest-it is longer lasting than turpentine or white spirit and independent laboratory tests have shown it has proven stability and a long shelf life and no detrimental effect oil paint or pigment quality. Zest-it is perfect for use in the classroom or anywhere where the use of harmful solvents has been restricted and for anyone who has given up using oil colours for health