Part.2 Why We Blend Brush Hairs: The Design Philosophy Behind BoBo Do Natural Hair Makeup Brushes

Canadian Squirrel Hair: Delicate, Precise, and Best for Smaller Brushes

Canadian squirrel hair is a very special natural hair.

It is rare, delicate, and has beautiful gathering ability and control. But because the hair is relatively short and has limited natural spring, I would not use it blindly without first considering the brush size and purpose.

Hakuhodo notes that Canadian squirrel hair has soft, fine tips but less resilience, and is often used for eye shadow brushes or smaller highlighting brushes. Koyudo also describes Canadian squirrel as rare, expensive, and well controlled, often used in eye brushes. When used in face brushes such as powder or cheek brushes, it becomes especially precious.

This is why BoBo Do likes the idea of blending White Canadian Squirrel hair with Saikoho goat hair for eye brushes and smaller face brushes.

Canadian squirrel hair brings delicacy, softness, and precision.
Saikoho goat hair adds pickup, resilience, and stability.

This type of blend is especially suitable for:

• eye shadow brushes;
• small highlighter brushes;
• under-eye setting brushes;
• precise cheek brushes;
• detail contour brushes;
• controlled placement around smaller areas.

For sensitive eyelids, this blend can be very meaningful. It keeps the softness, but it does not feel weak or floppy.

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Silver Fox Hair: A Beautiful Balance Between Squirrel and Goat

Silver fox hair is one of the most fascinating natural hairs to me.

It feels like a bridge between different hair categories. Koyudo describes silver fox as having the softness of high-grade squirrel hair and the moderate resilience of goat hair, creating a natural glow on the skin. Chikuhodo also explains that silver fox has a smooth touch similar to gray squirrel, while offering thickness and volume closer to goat hair.

This is why I do not think of silver fox as simply “soft.”

To me, silver fox is:

soft but not empty, silky but not flat, airy but with more presence than gray squirrel.

Silver fox hair is beautiful for powder, blush, highlighter, and contour, especially when we want a soft finish but still need enough pickup and support.

This is why Silver Fox × Saikoho Goat Hair is such an interesting blending direction.

Silver fox provides a silky touch, airiness, and a refined finish.
Saikoho goat hair provides structure, pickup, and durability.

For American and Western makeup users, this blend can be especially practical. Many pressed blushes, bronzers, highlighters, and powder foundations from Western brands are firmer than many Japanese powders. A pure gray squirrel brush may feel exquisite, but sometimes does not pick up enough product. A pure goat brush may perform beautifully, but may not feel as luxurious on the skin.

Silver fox blended with Saikoho sits beautifully between the two: soft but practical, elegant but not too delicate.

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Is Fox Hair Suitable for Cream and Liquid Products?

This is a topic that needs careful discussion.

Some factories or brands say that fox hair is suitable for cream and liquid products. I understand this, especially when the brush is designed to be short, dense, and structurally firm. In that kind of brush design, fox hair can handle certain cream products.

But I would not simply say that all fox hair brushes are suitable for liquid foundation.

Koyudo’s description of silver fox focuses mainly on powder and cheek applications. Hakuhodo and Chikuhodo more clearly describe weasel hair, Kolinsky hair, and synthetic fibers as suitable for liquid and cream products.

So BoBo Do’s view is:

When the brush design is right, fox hair can be used with some cream products, but it is not naturally a liquid-foundation-specific hair.

A short, dense, well-structured fox hair brush may be tested with:

• cream blush;
• cream highlighter;
• cream contour;
• very thin foundation application;
• powder foundation or cream-to-powder formulas.

However, for frequent liquid foundation use, especially with oily, long-wear, or high-coverage formulas, I still believe synthetic fiber, weasel hair, Kolinsky hair, or certain goat hair brush designs are usually more stable and easier to maintain.

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Weasel Hair: Elasticity, Direction, and Precise Control

Weasel hair has a very different personality from gray squirrel or fox hair.

It is not about airy softness. It is about control.

Koyudo, Hakuhodo, and Chikuhodo all describe weasel hair as having excellent elasticity, color payoff, durability, and compatibility with powder, liquid, and cream products.

This is why BoBo Do is interested in blending weasel hair with softer hairs.

For example, Gray Squirrel × Weasel Hair can create a very different experience from a traditional squirrel brush.

Gray squirrel softens the skin feel and creates a diffused finish.
Weasel hair adds direction, elasticity, and clearer placement.

I would not make this kind of blend into a very large face brush, because the strength of weasel hair tips may feel more noticeable when used over a large area, especially on sensitive skin.

But in smaller brushes, it has great potential.

It can work beautifully for:

• precise blush;
• nose contour;
• detail contour;
• under-eye setting;
• small-area highlight;
• controlled eye blending.

The goal is to create a brush that feels soft on the skin, but still knows exactly where to place the product.

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Kolinsky Hair: Rare, Controlled, and Not Just Soft

Kolinsky hair is often associated with luxury, but I believe its true beauty is not simply softness.

It is control.

Hakuhodo notes that Kolinsky hair is softer, longer, and higher in quality than regular weasel hair, with excellent gathering ability and control. Koyudo also describes Kolinsky hair as having finer and longer tips, a gentler skin feel, scarcity, and a high cost.

In face brush development, Kolinsky hair can give a brush:

• exceptional precision;
• unique elasticity;
• thinner and more controlled application layers;
• better gathering ability;
• more intentional product release.

A Kolinsky face brush does not simply “dust” powder onto the face. It feels more like it places product with intention.

This is why using Kolinsky for face brushes is so precious. It is not only about the cost of the material. It is about the kind of control that ordinary hair materials cannot easily replicate.

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