How much shedding is normal for makeup brushes?

We sometimes get asked about brush shedding. While it can be alarming to see a few strands come loose from your precious Fude brushes, most of the time this is entirely normal.

When the artisans makers have finished crafting a brush, they roll the head over tape to catch any loose bristles. However, due to the handmade nature of the brushes, sometimes not all excess bristles are picked up, and these are the ones that might come out when your brush is new.

The recommendations, from Yutaro Takemori, third-generation Chikuhodo artisan, are to:

• Not be alarmed unless this continues over several weeks, or is a significant amount of bristles. 
• Keep deep cleaning of your brushes to a minimum, especially the more delicate fibres. Instead, have a regular practice of remove any excess product on the brushes by tapping them and gently wiping them clean with soft tissue or cloth. Do not rub the bristle too hard during this process as it could damage the hairs and cause them to shed.

A note on the fibres:

• Goat hair is the more hardy of the bristle fibres, if you're looking for durability (Chikuhodo recommend their Takumi series, G series and GSN series if you're looking for brushes that can be used with tougher products and washed more frequently).
• Avoid using the more delicate brushes (such as silver fox and gray squirrel) with tougher makeup
• Synthetic and natural-synthetic blends tend to be more durable

In the words of Takemori-san:

"It's the same thing as with clothes - if you have a T-shirt from Uniqlo, you can wash it very easily; but it's more difficult to wash a cashmere sweater, as it's very delicate." 

If you have concerns about your brush, please reach out to us at support@fudebeauty.com with photos.