As with any art, the right tools are crucial to the final result. We can't do hair without the right tools, we can't recreate our favorite makeup tutorials without good nail art brushes, and the same is true for the art of nail art. That's why nail art brushes come into the market.
But with a bewildering variety of shapes and sizes available, which nail art brush will help you create your favorite design?
Therefore, today in this article, I will focus on the introduction of different types of nail art brushes.And you can also get some tips about how to choose a right nail art brush and how to take care of it from this post.
Introduction to Nail Art Brush
A nail art brush is a tool used by manicurists to draw designs nail polish and patterns on natural or artificial nails. These nail art brushes are also sometimes used to create designs and patterns on toenails. In addition to being used in professional places such as nail salons and spas, these nail art brushes are sometimes used at home by people who have learned to make their own nail paintings. There are nail art brush models that are used to create various effects, just as there are different nail art brushes used to create different effects in a painting on the canvas.
In most cases, a nail art brush is a very fine tool with only a few fibers or hairs. The tiny tip of the nail art brush enables the user to create very fine lines and details. This is important because even on larger nails, such as those on the thumb and big toe, the working area is small. In order to create detailed designs in these small spaces, both skill and precise tools must be used.
Types of Nail Art Brushes
Liner Brush
This type of nail art brush has a short length, a round point and it uses for the outlining of images.
Example- Outlining of images, for creating a straight line and striping stroke patterns. You can also use them to make animal patterns such as zebra or tiger prints.
Shader Brush
This type of nail art brush, also known as a flat brush, has short with a square endpoint and it uses for filling the background and painting.
Fan Brush
It has a medium-length brush with many functions such as creating gradient effects, mixing the color, and airbrush effect also. These brushes help to be used for creating swirls and trying out different kinds of aesthetic stroke effects.
You can create a beautiful stroke effect with the help of this brush. You can also, use this brush if you intend to spread some glitter over your nails.
Marbler (Dotter) Brush
This is usually the one with the smallest tip and is used solely for creating small dots. For larger dots, you might prefer to go for other types of brushes. This is an integral part of any nail art brush kit, as it is practically impossible to get clear and smudge-free dots without this one (and all of us are well aware of the importance of dots in nail art).
Angular Brush
This nail art brush is cut at a 45-degree angle which is a very flat brush. The angled brush can be used to create quite a few intricate designs. An angular brush is perfect for every nail art design. The angular brush is available at every cosmetic store around the world.
Crooked Detailer Brushes
The crooked detailer brush like the normal detailer brush has also been created with a pointed tip that helps to create the intricate designs that you love. The crooked detailer brush has just one exception of it being more portable which is it is easier to use for you.
Detailer Brush
This nail art brush has flat composition & short bristles. Its use for drawing delicate flowers as well as the petal of the flower can easily fill with color.
Striper Brush
This type of nail art brush usually comes in sets of three. They may be used to create pinstripes or zebra prints. Tiger stripes can also be attempted as it is easy to get straight lines with these. This type of fine brush having a sharp tip is an absolute must for anyone who wants to try their hands at nail art. There are three different types of stripper brushes that are available in the market.
Grass Comb Brush
This type of nail art brush has a flat, short-length brush. It has great techniques by which we can create airbrush effects, grass, feathers e.t.c.
What to Consider When Buying Nail Art Brushes?
Bristle
The bristles of nail art brushes are made from natural animal hair (usually kolinsky or sable), synthetic fibers, or a combination of both. Each tech has its own preferences when it comes to what works best and when.
Natural animal hair brushes can outlast synthetics—and, if the gel is accidentally cured into the bristles, it can be removed.
And natural kolinsky bristles for acrylics can hold enough monomer to create the correct product ratio, and, therefore, the best beading. Meanwhile, you can select synthetic for gels because they maintain shape and a wider synthetic model for fast lacquer application.
Again, however, much of it comes down to personal preference.
Size Matters
It's best to stock a range of brush sizes to handle any task.
You should select a thin brush with bristles about the length of a fingernail for painting lines (the extra length adds control), and shorter bristles for painting details like flowers.
For acrylic, I prefer a smaller nail art brush, applying three beads of acrylic per nail. This helps you control the product around the cuticle better and perfect your work to do less filing. But larger brush sizes definitely speed up application time.
You can also designate brushes for each job (full-coverage, blending, detailing, or one-stroke) and for different product types, such as lacquer, gel, and acrylic, but generally prefers smaller sizes. And make sure the brush is not too big (larger than the nail itself), which helps with product control.
Sometimes we think if we go big it'll shorten our application time, and sometimes it does, but then we need to correct application issues or waste a ton of product.
For gels, keep it simple: a #5 flat oval kolinsky brush. Any smaller, and tech can't pick up enough product to do a single nail application, which adds more service time and may introduce excess bubbles into the gel. I prefer flat oval over square or round brushes because it mimics the shape of the cuticle area and offers better control. Plus, you can keep the gel on one side of the brush. So I recommend keeping three separate brushes—one each for pink-and-whites, gel polishes, and glitters—to avoid accidentally melding colors.
Brush Shape
One of the most important things to consider when shopping for a nail art brush is its shape. You can achieve completely different nail art styles just by changing the brush that you use. A striper brush is long and thin and helps to achieve straight lines, while a short detailer brush allows you to get in and shape the tiniest details with precision.
Quality
There is a wide range of quality in the nail art brush market. There are sets that include 20 brushes for just a few dollars, while others can cost upwards of $20 for a single brush! When you're just starting out, it's OK to grab one of the value sets — this allows you to experiment and play with the brushes without fear of wasting your investment. However, when you start getting more serious about nail art, it may be worth it to spring for a pricier set. These types of brushes usually offer better control, a more comfortable feel, and longer-lasting bristles.
Cost Considerations
To save or splurge on your nail art brush arsenal? That is the question. Though quality materials may justify a hefty price (think $50 or more for a high-end kolinsky), budget brushes are great for beginners who are still settling on their preferred sizes and bristle shapes, and you typically spend less than $5 on a nail art brush.
While having a good-quality brush is helpful, if you know how to use it, you can use any brush. For years, I've used cheap brushes I found on Amazon ($2 for three!) and feel like they work better than most more expensive ones. They don't even necessarily need to be nail-specific!
And if you take care of your brushes, they can last for years.
Extra Details
There are other features to look out for when shopping for nail art brushes. Brushes that come with caps are a luxury that may be worth seeking out — you can store the brushes in an implement box, travel bag, or drawer without fear of damaging the bristles. Some brushes may also come in a carrying case or folded organizer, which can be helpful if you don't have a method in place for storing your brushes. And finally - don't forget about style! Many brushes come color coded to help you distinguish them from one another, while others come embellished with glittery handles or even a mermaid's tail on the end.
How to Prepare Brushes before First Use?
All brushes during the manufacturing process have a "gum" type product put into the hairs to aid with shaping and also to protect the hairs till it is used. This gum-type product has to be fully removed before using the brush for the first time, if you do not remove this gum from your brushes it can cause discoloring of the product you're applying and cause the hairs on the brush to split down the middle.
Firstly, take the protective plastic sleeve off your new brush. Carefully "break" the gum seal on your brush and then hold it up under a light, with your thumb and forefinger gently start to tease the hairs of your brush and you will see a fine "dust" coming out of the brush. This is the "gum" residue being removed, you must keep doing this until there is no "dust" remaining.
For larger brushes like the salon acrylic or salon gel brush, it can take quite a few minutes to get all the residue out of it, especially the acrylic brush as it has a large belly on it. To ensure all the residue is removed, also very gently use a blunt-ended metal tool ( like a marbelizing tool) to get right into the belly of the brush to loosen any remaining "gum".
Once you are sure all the residue has been removed you can then continue with the advice below for individual preparation depending on what product/system you are going to use with your brush.
Also remember that if you are going to use a brush with gel products (example) you can only then ever use that brush with gel-type products, don't try and then use it with acrylic paint, etc as the brush will not work how you need it to. Buy a separate brush for each product/system you need, I put a small piece of colored tape around the bottom of the handle of any brushes that I have 2 of but I use for different systems.
Moreover, never replace the plastic sleeve with any brush that you've used with monomer as the monomer can melt the plastic and damage your brush.
How to Clean a Nail Polish Brush?
Alcohol and Acetone method:
One common method nail techs use to clean their nail brushes is to use 70% to 90% Isopropyl Alcohol or acetone. You can use alcohol for gel products and acetone for regular nail polish.) Remember that brushes have sable hair and are made of natural fibers that can damage acrylic nail brushes if prolonged use.
The alcohol and acetone will slowly ruin your brush's texture, and you want to prevent that from happening. You can use alcohol or acetone as a cleaning or disinfecting agent as part of your nail salon sanitation routine. It's advisable not to clean your nail brushes with alcohol daily and only soak them for five minutes.
Gel or Top Coat method:
Step 1:
You can also use your paint pallet and swish the dirty brush through a dab of gel as it cleans off the paint, then gently wipe it with a lint-free wipe. Then store the nail art brushes with the slightest bit of topcoat on the bristles to keep them squeaky clean.
Conclusion
Nail art rules the beauty industry now! And anyone can try it at home, but only if you have the right tools.
To be honest, what causes the difference is the precision with which you carry out the nail art and for that, you need appropriate brushes.
Good nail art brushes are key to perfect nail art that will make heads turn wherever you go. So, if you wish to flaunt some art on your nails, you should definitely invest in a good nail art brush.