Makeup Brush Hair Types

Makeup brushes are the most important beauty tools that you can own. With gentle and regular cleansing, quality brushes should last a lifetime. I hope that you've found my series on makeup brush hair types educational. Below is a six-post roundup that you can refer back to for help before applying makeup and shopping for new brushes.

Keep in mind that the firmer the fiber, the better the brush is for depositing and blending colour. Also note that makeup brushes have three parts to them: hair, handle and ferrule. The ferrule is the metal piece that connects the handle as well as holds the bristles in place. You want to buy ferrules made of seamless brass, copper or aluminum (nickel plated is ok too) since these are very durable metals — enjoy!

• Part I: Goat Hair
• Part II: Pony Hair
• Part III: Sable Hair
• Part IV: Badger Hair
• Part V: Squirrel Hair
• Part VI: Synthetic Hair

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Welcome to my final installment on makeup brush hair types. Today's topic is synthetic hair. Sometimes faux is the way to go! Cosmetics companies make makeup brushes from a synthetic material like nylon as opposed to natural hair because this type of bristle is less expensive, and it provides a smooth and even finish for cream products. (Since it lacks a cuticle, it can't trap makeup.)

A common type of synthetic hair used to apply concealer, cream shadow, cream blush or cream foundation is taklon. This is a fine-grade nylon that is less absorbent than natural hair.

An excellent nylon brush is this Laura Mercier Creme Blush Brush ($36) which happens to be the perfect size to add natural definition to the cheeks. The downside of taklon is that it is less durable than natural hair brushes, and synthetic brushes also tend to become very stiff over time.

Part five of my six part series on makeup brush hair is about squirrel hair. This type of hair is durable, fine, thin and has a thick belly with a fine tip — that's where it gets its conical shape. Also, it's the softest natural hair used in makeup brushes.

The type of hair that coveted for these highly sought after brushes is from the long-haired squirrel, not the typical garden variety that you see running around in your backyard, so don't worry about your chubby lil' nut-stealing friends.

Squirrel hair is ideal for blending heavy pigment, which is why it is commonly found in eye shadow crease brushes like this Professional Platinum Natural Crease Brush from Sephora ($24). Squirrel hair is also often mixed with other types of hair to bring down the cost, so if you are buying something expensive, it is important to inquire about the origin of the hairs.

Badger hair has the firmest bristles, which makes it ideal for eyebrow brushes, fan brushes, bronzer brushes and for grooming. Badger hair typically comes from China and is similar to sable hair in the sense that it has a thicker middle and a thin top, tapering out into a conical shape.

High-quality badger hair has a light and dark brown color, while lower-quality badger hair is gray and is commonly found in shaving brushes. Although badger hair is extremely firm, it is also very soft and has an elastic quality so it will never scratch up your face.

This Shu Uemura Natural Fan Brush ($45) is a popular brush used for powder and liquid face color. It's great for blending and dusting with accuracy. Keep in mind that because badger hair is so soft and bouncy, it must be kept clean at all times.

Sable is the most durable and soft hair used in makeup brushes. They should be viewed as an investment since they'll last a lifetime if you take proper care of them. There are three types of sable brushes: Kolinsky is the highest quality, then red sable and then just plain sable.

Sable is popular because its brushes are very resilient, they snap back and they have pointy tips. The hair on sable brushes is long with a fine pointed tip and a thick middle so that it naturally creates a conical shape.

Kolinsky Sable is amazingly soft, golden brown and is commonly found in expensive designer brushes such as this Tarte All-Over Eyeshadow Brush ($24, pictured left). It comes from species of mink found in Russia and China and has the longest length of any of the sable categories (2.25 inches).

Welcome to the second installment of my makeup brush hair types series. Today's topic is pony hair. It's the most common type of hair in fluffy cheek, contour and powder brushes where dense color deposits are needed.

Like goat hair, pony hair does not come to a point — another great reason to use it on cheeks, because the bristles lend themselves well to blending.

Pony hair is a little bit less coarse than goat hair, though. It comes from the mane of young horses and is very fine and soft. In the finest quality of brushes, the hair comes from the belly of the pony.

As you can see in this Make Up Forever Blush Brush ($38) the brush is a cylindrical shape. Stay tuned for more makeup brush hair types all week long!

Welcome to part one of my series on makeup brush hair. When shopping for different styles of cosmetics brushes, most of you tend to look for the softest hairs that won't scratch your face. While I happen to do the same thing, what I didn't realize is that hairs have vastly different functions. I am hoping this series can help to facilitate your brush shopping experience as well as help to educate you on tools of the trade.

Thanks to the help from my pals at Nars, I've come to understand that the quality in makeup brushes also varies according to hair type. High-quality brushes contain mostly virgin hair with tapered ends, which stays soft on the skin. Also, natural hair gets softer with use and synthetic hair becomes more stiff.

Today I am going to begin with goat hair since it is the coarsest hair and is very common in makeup brushes.

For example, that deliciously fluffy and tightly woven Nars #19 Bronzing Brush ($50) is crafted from goat hair to distribute bronzing powder evenly.

It is believed to be the most effective hair to pick up powder and deposit it smoothly. It is also ideal for buffing and blending, since goat hair naturally brings luster to the skin. Let me know if you have any questions or if you have anything to add!