When shopping for makeup brushes, many women do consider whether the hair on the brush is natural or synthetic. But do you ever consider whether the hair is cut or uncut?
Uncut hair tips are considered top-of-the-line in the world of makeup brushes. Whether the hair comes from a goat, pony or squirrel, these uncut natural hair tips are, essentially, baby fine animal hair. And brushes made with this virgin animal hair are coveted by serious beauty addicts.
That’s because the uncut ends of natural animal hair are beautifully, naturally and finely tapered at the point. This makes them exceptionally soft and excellent for fine blending. And for lighter application of makeup, if you have a heavier hand.
Because they lack uniformity, uncut brush hairs must be assembled into their final toe shape by hand. Skilled hands, actually.
Can you tell the difference between virgin, uncut animal hair and synthetic fiber?
Anyone who has had their hair cut is pretty much capable of telling whether the hair on their makeup brushes is cut or not. Simply hold the brush up to the light and closely inspect the hair tips.
Uncut hair tips aren’t ideal for all makeup brush applications, of course. Natural brush hair tips that have been trimmed are (relatively) rougher and can actually be helpful in picking up and applying cream-based foundations and products.
Sometimes, it can actually be more challenging to tell if brush hair is natural or synthetic than whether the tips of natural hair have been trimmed or not.
Some makers of synthetic brush fibers or “hair” actually have methods to give them a tip that is similar to an uncut hair. This can make it tricky to tell what’s what, and studies have shown that many people cannot tell the difference between goat hair, which is the most commonly used animal hair in brushes, and synthetic fibers.
In fact, 95% of powder brushes are made with natural hair, most often goat, according to a 2010 DuPont report. But, according to its research, 67% of women believe they are using a brush made with synthetic fibers.
In any case, uncut animal hair is considered top-of-the-line when it comes to makeup brushes. So, baaa!