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The right kind of hair brush can make a night and day difference to how your hair looks and feels. Coupled with good hair care, a good brush can also improve the overall health of your hair, including growth, volume, and luster.
But choosing the right brush is no easy task. And frankly, no one brush can take care of all your hair needs. That’s why you see your hair stylist working with around half a dozen at a time.
For your own personal needs, you may need 2-3 different brushes/combs depending on your hair care and styling needs. If you are a low-key person with short hair, a single brush or comb might be enough. But if you like some oomph to your hair days, you’ll need to know which type of hair brush to buy for what needs.
There are two factors that influence the effectiveness of a hair brush: its shape and the type of bristles.
The Shape Of The Brush:
Hair brushes come in various shapes and sizes. Different shapes perform different functions.
● Oval
This shape is mostly used for wet hair brushes and for detangles because it resembles the natural curve of the head. The idea is to glide these brushes on the scalp to create natural sections for quick drying and damage-less styling.
● Square
These are usually paddle brushes and ideal for scalp stimulation and distributing hair oils throughout the hair. Square shaped brushes are suitable for fine, long hair as they don’t take too much hair in one sweep.
● Rectangular
Rectangular brushes are often used as daily styling and general brushing. You can use them for styling and even as curl-shapers when you are using a flat-iron.
● Round
Round brushes offer the perfect bend and curl to the hair. They are ideal shapes for a blow-dry. They are great for curly and wavy hair too and keep the curls intact and even enhance the volume and shape of the curl.
The Bristles On The Brush:
● Boar bristles
Boar bristles are made from actual boar hairs. The reason they are such a popular choice for human hair brushes is because the boar hair structure is very similar to the human hair structure and even contains the critical hair protein, keratin.
Boar bristle brushes contain many benefits. They stimulate the scalp, distribute sebum evenly through the hair, and help distribute hair’s natural oils from roots to the tips.
Use boar bristle brushes for heat-less styling and general brushing. They aren’t suitable to use on wet or tangled hair.
● Synthetic bristles
These bristles are made from man-made materials, such as plastic or nylon. These are much sturdier than boar bristles and quite long-lasting. If you properly care for them, they can even last you a lifetime.
Because synthetic bristles can withstand heat, they are great for blow drying or when using a flat iron. But keep in mind that synthetic bristles can cause static in dry and cold weather. So for finishing touches, use a brush with natural bristles.
● Mixed bristles
They combine the goodness of both boar bristles and synthetic bristles and can be your go-to hair brushes for low-maintenance, every day styling.
10 Types Of Brushes And What They Are Good For
1. Paddle Brush
Hair type: All
Best for: General brushing, low-maintenance styles
These are wide brushes and work great on sleek, straight hair. When you have to undo a hair style after an event, a paddle brush is something that you should go for. It loosens the curls and waves and lets your hair rest with volume. Paddle brushes are great anyway for a last sweep before you call it a night.
2. Detangling Brush
Hair type: All
Best for: Detangling; can be used as wet hair brush
To smooth out knots in your hair and resolve the tangles, a detangler brush is a must for your vanity box. It usually has spaced-out bristles to ensure least damage. Good detangling brushes come with synthetic bristles, curved bases, and wooden handles.
3. Round Brush
Hair type: All
Best for: Blow dry
These are the brushes for salon-made lush blow outs. They produce the most gorgeous curls and the lushest of waves. Round brushes are usually made with synthetic bristles so they can take the heat of the hair dryer, and are best to give your hair volume and structure.
4. Vent brush
Hair type: All
Best for: Quick Blow dry
Sometimes you don’t have the time to spend on a lengthy blow dry. Vented brushes come with spaces in the base of the brush so when you start your hair dryer, the heat is distributed to all layers of the hair, drying the hair quickly, with less heat damage, too.
Vented brushes can also be used as detanglers because of the distance between bristles.
5. Teasing Brush
Hair type: fine, limp hair
Best for: Adding volume
This is another must-have in your beauty bag or if you are an aspiring hair stylist. They create the illusion of volume and make your hair look fuller. For best results, use a teasing brush with boar bristles for great styling and less damage.
6. Rat Tail Comb
Hair type: All
Best for: Sectioning of hair
This is a styling tool. The long tail is used for sectioning hair for different styles such as braids or for updos, while the fine teeth are used to apply finishing touches to the style, to smooth out bumps, and gather strands.
You can also use it to backcomb your hair for a fuller look.
7. Wide Tooth Comb
Hair type: Curly, wavy
Best for: wet hair, brushing thick hair
If you have got curls or waves in your hair, a wide tooth comb will be your best investment. It glides softly and easily into textured hair and helps give bounce to waves and curls. Because it’s so easy for hair, you can use it on your wet or dry hair, both.
8. Mixed Bristle Brush
Hair type: All
Best for: to get shiny hair
As you can guess from the name, it uses both synthetic bristles as well as natural boar and combines the benefits of both. You get glossy, shiny hair from boar bristles and detangling benefits of synthetic ones.
9. Curved Brush
Hair type: All, but best for fine, thin hair
Best for: oil distribution from scalp to tips
These are ergonomically designed to fit the natural, sloping shape of the head. It offers many benefits. Easy detangling, gentle hair massaging that releases natural scalp oils and distributes them evenly throughout the hair. It also is the best choice for thin, fine hair because it glides through the hair and doesn’t pull on thin hairs.
10. Loop Brush
Hair type: All
Best for: Hair extensions
When you have got extensions in your hair, you need a loop brush to ensure no snagging or tangling. It has looped bristles that glide over extension wefts without disturbing them. The loop brush is your friend whether you have permanent extensions or temporary clip-in ones.
Conclusion
Caring for your hair includes knowing brushing tools and techniques that lessen your hair woes and amplify their strength. Choosing the right kind of brush is a start. Next we’ll talk about other accessories and then move on to techniques that take your hair from not bad to ravishing.
Till then.
