Why do makeup brushes shed bristles?
Some shedding is normal when a brush is new, but ongoing shedding usually points to cheap construction or poor cleaning habits.
Short answer
A small amount of shedding in a brush's first few uses is normal - loose bristles from manufacturing work their way out early on. Shedding that continues well beyond that points to the brush's construction or how it's being cared for.
Why it happens
Brush bristles are set into the ferrule (the metal band) with glue and, in better brushes, additional mechanical crimping. Cheaper brushes rely on glue alone, which weakens with repeated exposure to water and cleaner. Soaking the ferrule itself when washing, using harsh cleaners, or storing brushes bristle-down while wet all accelerate that breakdown.
How to prevent or fix it
- Keep water away from the ferrule. Wet only the bristles when cleaning; water reaching the glue inside the ferrule is the most common cause of ongoing shedding.
- Dry brushes flat or bristle-down, never upright. Laying them flat, or angling them bristle-down off the edge of a counter, lets water drain away from the ferrule instead of running down into it. See Brush Cleaner.
- Use a gentle brush cleaner, not dish soap or harsh solvents. Aggressive cleaners break down the glue faster than a formula made for brushes.
- Expect natural-hair brushes to shed a bit more. Natural bristles are more porous and slightly more prone to breakage than synthetic ones, so some ongoing minor shedding is expected there.
- Replace brushes that shed heavily after proper care. If a brush is cleaned correctly and still sheds noticeably, it's a construction-quality issue rather than something to keep troubleshooting.
If it's already happened
- For loose bristles on your face, lift them off with a clean, dry fingertip or a clean spoolie rather than brushing across the skin, which can drag your makeup.
- If the metal ferrule has come loose from the handle, a small amount of strong glue where the handle meets the ferrule usually fixes it. Keep the glue well away from the bristles, and let it cure fully before washing the brush again.
- Gently tug a shedding brush after it's fully dry, over a sink, to remove any already-loose bristles before your next use rather than during it.