Is it bad to use white spirit to thin oil paints. I have some turpentine also but hate the smell.?

I'm new to oil painting and don't wish to spend a lot of money on odourless thinner. Which is best, and for what reasons should I, or should I not, use these products?Is it bad to use white spirit to thin oil paints. I have some turpentine also but hate the smell.?
Too much turpentine will thin out the paints and once dry they will look flat and lack the shine of well painted oils. You have to add a little linseed oil to correct this but too much well cause the dried oil paints to eventually yellow.





ps: If the smell of turpentine turns you off, well yes, go for acrylic paints. Yes they can be thinned with water but you will have to add acrylic medium to return the gloss. Otherwise the colours will look flat. The more medium you add the more transparent the paint will be, this is great if you are seeking to paint Multi-layers. Something that can't be done successfully in oils.Is it bad to use white spirit to thin oil paints. I have some turpentine also but hate the smell.?
These paints are already mixed with solvents that are essentially white spirit.





No problem.
try thinning with an oil painting medium or linseed oil
It's not bad to use white spirit or turps to thin oil paints, so long as you make sure the room is well ventilated.





I wouldn't say there's a 'best' as such, they all do the same job.





If you really can't stand the smell, try using acrylic paints - they have a similar consitency to oil paint, but can be thinned with water instead.