Cosmetic Brushes Explained

Posted by albertareid on April 19th, 2012

The task of purchasing cosmetic brushes is quite similar to the task of purchasing a carpet in the sense that one cannot really rely on the price in order to find out about the quality of the product. A brush may be soft and nice to touch, but one has to find out whether it is going to last over time or not. Well-constructed cosmetics brushes have a shell life of more than ten years if they are maintained properly. Therefore it is high time for you to stop purchasing cheap brushes from departmental stores because they would end up as throwaways in the near future.

Using correct cosmetics brushes is a point which cannot be stressed enough because when one is using the correct brush for applying make up, the application will be easier and smoother. It is advisable to go for cosmetic brushes that are hand-made because these are the best. Hand-made brushes have great tips and their bristles are packed together more securely as opposed to the bristles of makeup brushes manufactured by a machine. Hence, if you had to choose between a mass-produced brush and a handcrafted one, you should always choose the latter, even though it is more expensive.

All cosmetic brushes can be divided into three parts namely the handle, the hair and the ferrule. The ferrule is the part of the brush made with metal that holds the bristles to the handle. Out of all these parts, the hair or the bristles remains the most important part since this is the distinguishing factor between a good makeup brush and a bad one. The hair used for cosmetics brushes can be of three types - natural bristle, synthetic hair and natural hair. In order to ensure that you get the best brush, you have to select the ideal hair for your brushes because this is the most ‘mysterious’ part of a makeup brush.

One of the best types of cosmetics brushes are those that feature natural hair because these pick up and trap the powders the best. When one applies pressure against the skin the powder or product trappings of these cosmetic brushes are released. Natural hair on the brushes also tend to get softer with time and use, which makes it comparable to wine, meaning the older the better. Synthetic hair is the worst kind of hair for your brushes because these are not absorbent and nor can they trap powders, thus making it extremely important to stay away from nylon hair brushes.

Different types of animal hairs are used in the construction of cosmetic brushes. The best type of hairs for brushes is the first cut since these have the best quality and they are cruelty-free. It is just like the hair on your skin before you used razor on it and after you shave it, the hair that grows back after shaving would definitely not be as soft as the original. Thus, when you are shopping around for cosmetics brushes you have to pay attention to two factors only: - first cut hairs and handmade brushes, as these ensure unmatched softness and incomparable quality.

Hairs of different animals like badger, mink, squirrel, pony and goat are used in the construction of cosmetic brushes. Among all these hairs, goat hairs are used most commonly in cosmetics brushes as this hair works best as a substitute for the ultra-soft squirrel hair. Makeup brushes using squirrel hair is usually handmade in order to preserve the high quality of the hair. Amongst these it is mink hair which is considered as being the best and most expensive makeup brushes in the world are constructed with the help of mink hair. These brushes are the softest and the finest and hence sought-after.

Knowing about cosmetic brushes is essential for a person who is planning to purchase these. Acquiring this information pertaining to cosmetics brushes would help to distinguish between the various types and render the decision making process easier.