What size acrylic brush should I buy?

Acrylic brushes on this page run from #8 to #20. Chaun Legend names #10 as its standard size and suggests it for most acrylic work, from overlays to sculpting. For longer extensions built with EMA monomer, the LAVIS acrylic method uses a brush in the #10 to #20 range. If you already work with one powder line, the brush from the same brand keeps your system consistent. Each size is its own listing, so you can buy just the one you need.

What is a Kolinsky brush?

A Kolinsky brush is made from natural Kolinsky hair, which is strong and flexible and holds liquid well. That is why it is used for acrylic: it holds monomer evenly and gives smooth control when you pick up a bead and sculpt. The Chaun Legend and Kiara Sky acrylic brushes here are built on acetone-resistant bases.

How do I clean a Kolinsky acrylic brush?

Clean it in monomer, never acetone. Before first use, rinse it gently in monomer to remove the factory coating. After each service, wipe off excess acrylic on a lint-free towel, rinse the bristles in monomer, reshape the tip and cap the brush. Store it flat or bristles-down so the tip keeps its shape.

Which brush do I need for builder gel in a jar or poly gel?

Builder gel in a jar has no brush built in, so you need one. A double-ended polymer brush handles both jar builder gel and poly gel, and a liner brush pulls the gel out to the sidewalls and handles design work. For gel sculpted on forms, oval and cat tongue brushes are the usual shapes.

Do I need a separate dusting brush?

Yes, it helps. After filing and buffing, the nail has to be free of dust before primer or base goes on, and a clean dusting brush or a dust collector does that job. Keep a dusting brush for prep only, so it stays clean and soft, and use a separate brush cleaner for your gel and art brushes. Options here include the LDS Nail Dusting Brush and mini dusting brushes in several handle colours.

NAIL BRUSH

Every nail brush we stock in one place: 80+ acrylic, gel, nail art and dusting brushes from Chaun Legend, Kiara Sky, LAVIS and LDS, sold one by one in each size. Free shipping on qualifying orders.

Learn More About This Collection

Nail brushes at DTK: what is on this page

This page gathers the brushes a nail station uses every day: acrylic brushes for sculpting and overlays, gel and builder brushes, French and oval brushes, liner and ombre brushes for nail art, and dusting brushes for prep. Most brushes are listed one size per listing, so you can replace a single worn brush without buying a whole kit. The brands here are Chaun Legend, Kiara Sky, LAVIS and LDS, plus a group of value art brushes and dusting brushes for everyday station use.

Use the filters beside the grid to narrow by availability, price or product type. Stock changes brush by brush, so check each listing before you plan a reorder.

Acrylic brushes by brand and size

Acrylic work pairs a brush with EMA monomer and acrylic powder. In the LAVIS acrylic method, extensions are built with EMA monomer and an acrylic brush in the #10 to #20 range, and every acrylic line on this page sits inside that range.

Line	Sizes listed	Hair and build	Notes
Chaun Legend 100% Kolinsky	#8, #10, #12, #14, #16, #18	100% Kolinsky hair, acetone-resistant ferrule and base	Chaun Legend calls #10 its standard size for overlays through sculpting
Kiara Sky Acrylic Brush	#10, #12, #14, #16, #18, #20	Soft, sturdy hair on an acetone-resistant base, handcrafted	Curved shape for smooth acrylic application
LAVIS Kolinsky Acrylic Brush Pink	#10, #12, #14, #16, #18	Kolinsky hair	Fits the LAVIS acrylic method with EMA monomer
Acrylic Brush Crystal Handle	#10, #12, #14, #16, #18	Soft, sturdy brush hair	Handy as a second brush at the station
Wood-Handle Acrylic Nail Brush	Round, Flat, Wedge, or the set of 3	Synthetic bristles, wood handle	Three tip shapes on one listing

For the powders and liquids that go with these brushes, see acrylic powder and EMA monomer by brand and the EMA monomer and nail prep liquids.

How to choose an acrylic brush size

One brush for most work: Chaun Legend names #10 as its standard size, the one it suggests for most acrylic applications from overlays to sculpting.
Extensions: the LAVIS acrylic method builds longer extensions with EMA monomer and a brush between #10 and #20, so pick within that range.
Matching your powder line: Chaun Legend and Kiara Sky both pair their brush with their own monomer and powder, which keeps the system consistent if you already use one of those lines.
A backup at the station: the Crystal Handle and wood-handle brushes cover a spare or a training brush for a new tech.

Gel, builder and poly gel brushes

Gel in a bottle carries its own brush, but builder gel in a jar does not, so it needs a separate brush. Two shapes do most of the work. A double-ended polymer brush handles both poly gel and jar builder gel, and a liner brush pulls the gel out to the sidewalls and handles design work. For gel sculpted on forms, the Russian form technique uses cat tongue and oval brushes.

LAVIS Poly Gel Brush for picking up and spreading poly gel.
LAVIS Kolinsky Brush Oval for laying gel and building shape.
LAVIS Double Ended Oval in three pairings: Oval #6 with a 10mm liner, Oval #8 with a 20mm liner, and Oval #8 with a spatula end.
LAVIS French Brush in #10, #12 and #14, plus a pink-handle version in the same sizes.

Builder gel and dual forms are covered in LAVIS builder gel jars and poly gel and dual forms for poly gel.

Liner, ombre and nail art brushes

Nail art brushes are about tip shape. Thin liners draw line art, spider gel webs and rounded lettering, an ombre or blending brush softens the zone where two colours meet, and small flat and oval tips handle colour blocking and small accents.

Liners: LAVIS Kolinsky Liner in 9mm, 15mm and 20mm, LAVIS Kolinsky Brush in sizes #2 and #4, and the LAVIS Retractable Liner Brush with a 10mm tip that retracts into the body.
Ombre and blending: LAVIS Kolinsky Brush Ombré, the LDS Ombre Brush with a soft fan tip, the Bamboo Gradient Smudge Brush and an ombre brush with a rhinestone handle.
Sets: the LAVIS Artist Nail Art Brushes listing comes as a full set or as single brushes (three art tips, two linerwork tips and a detail tip), plus 6-piece and 8-piece multi-tip sets.
Value singles: the numbered art brushes #02 to #07, from long cable to sweep.
Special tools: a plaid brush for crosshatch lines and a stamp pen for stamping patterns.

For a spider effect, use a fine liner and avoid loading the brush with too much product. Gradients can also be built with a sponge, and both routes are covered in ombre and pat pat gels. Gels for line work are grouped in line art and metallic gels, and every art brush in one grid is in nail art brushes by tip shape.

Dusting brushes for prep

After filing and buffing, the nail plate has to be free of dust before primer, base or product goes on. Dust is cleared with a clean brush or a dust collector. The dusting brushes here are small, soft-bristle tools made for that step:

LDS Nail Dusting Brush, plus a listing that pairs one LDS brush with one mini brush.
Mini Nail Dusting Brush in five handle colours, and a 4-pack in random colours.
Soft Nail Dusting Brush in several tip colours, and the Blossom Dust Brush in pink or white.

The dusting brushes alone are grouped in dusting brushes, and a portable dust collector takes care of the dust at the source.

Which brush for which job

Job	Brush to reach for
Acrylic overlay or sculpted extension	Kolinsky acrylic brush, #10 to #20
Builder gel from a jar, poly gel	Double-ended polymer brush or poly gel brush, plus a liner
Gel sculpted on forms	Oval or cat tongue brush
French tip	French brush #10 to #14
Line art, spider gel, lettering	Fine liner, 9mm to 20mm
Ombre and gradient	Ombre or fan brush, or a sponge
Clearing dust after filing	Dusting brush or dust collector

How to look after your brushes

Kolinsky acrylic brushes use natural hair, so they are cleaned with monomer, never acetone. The steps below follow Chaun Legend's care guide for its Kolinsky brush:

Before first use: clean the brush gently in monomer to remove the factory coating.
During the service: dip in monomer before picking up powder, and work with light, controlled strokes.
After each use: wipe off excess acrylic on a lint-free towel, then rinse the bristles in monomer.
Never acetone: do not soak or rinse Kolinsky bristles in acetone; it damages natural hair.
Reshape and store: reshape the tip, cap the brush and store it flat or bristles-down.

For gel and art brushes, a brush cleaner made for both natural and synthetic bristles keeps the hair soft. LAVIS Brush Cleaner Gel (100ml) works by immersing the brush and washing it in under a minute.

Stocking brushes for a salon station

A working station usually needs one acrylic brush in the size each tech prefers, a liner and an ombre brush for art, a brush for builder or poly gel if you offer those services, a dusting brush, and a cleaner. Because the acrylic and liner brushes are listed one size per listing, you can reorder the size that wore out first. Prices are shown on each listing.