Why You Need The Brush Guard For Your Makeup Brushes

Last year, I invested in some Wayne Goss, Koyudo, Hakuhodo and Chikuhodo makeup brushes - see here for the Wayne Goss brushes and my thoughts on them. All of these are handcrafted in Kumano, Japan, and the bristles, made of natural goat or squirrel hair, is never cut at the tips, so the brushes are the softest and most delicate.
Being the rough handler and klutz that I am, I knew it was only a matter of time before I ended up mutilating the bristles. After all, we are talking about someone who once stepped on a glass nail file.
The Brush Guard protects your makeup brushes from rough handling, travel, dust, accidents and even the rigours of washing and drying. It keeps the bristles even and in shape. 

Scroll down for more on how Brush Guards protect makeup brushes.

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The Brush Guards come in four sizes:

• Powder/kabuki - The largest size; 1''
• Foundation - Medium, 5/8''
• Cheek/Blush - Small, 3/8''
• Shadow - Extra-small, 1/4''

Apart from sized packs, you get variety packs, which include an assortment of sizes. The regular variety pack contains one extra small, two small, two medium, and one large Brush Guard.
You get Brush Guards in black and transparent versions. I prefer transparent Brush Guards.


These are made out of stretchable, breathable polyester, and are very simple to use - after washing and blotting your brushes, shape the bristles with your hand, and slip on the Brush Guard - done. You don't have to wait for the brushes to dry before using the Brush Guards.

I have been using the same Brush Guards since late 2015 and have not had any problems with their durability. The guards have been in good nick for almost a year.
Apart from keeping the bristles in shape, the Brush Guard also keeps your brushes safe while travelling. I keep most of my Wayne Goss and Chikuhodo brushes protected with the Brush Guards all the time.

This is what happened with one of my Wayne Goss brushes after washing:

Six hours after being covered by a Brush Guard, all was well (forgive the slightly darker lighting in the second pic):

Verdict and where to buy brush guards

Do you need them? If you are anal-retentive about frayed bristles, if you want to protect your makeup brushes from being squashed while travelling, if you store your makeup brushes open and want to protect them from dust, if you want your brushes to last longer, then, yes, you do.  Maybe not for your budget brushes. For big-girl ones, these are mandatory. For super-soft brushes, yes. For uncut-tip brushes such as Wayne Goss and Chikuhodo, absolutely. 
I cannot live without these and need a lifetime supply.
Mandatory nit-picking: They don't have a fan-shaped brush guard for fan brushes. Also, I wish they would sell these in assorted packs of 50, rather than six. 
A large variety pack, containing 18 Brush Guards, costs $36 here. The regular variety pack contains six assorted Brush Guards and costs $12.95 from here. Brush Guards ship worldwide.

How do you protect your makeup brushes? Tell me in the Disqus comments widget below. Check out other makeup posts this week.

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