Along with heat tools that are designed to deliver great results without damage, a well-designed hairbrush is key to your hair care and styling routine. The brush you pick can make a huge difference to making the job enjoyable, as well as a lasting, frizz-free hairstyle.
To best understand why they aren’t created equal, it’s probably worth considering what a not-so good one might do: that is, disturb the cuticles of your hair, rough up your scalp and stretch stands and cause split ends.
Why a quality hairbrush is important
High-quality brushes are designed to prevent hair damage, with natural or flexible plastic bristles that glide through hair without pulling or snagging.
They also gently stimulate the scalp, increasing blood flow in the area, which has been proven to promote healthy hair growth. This can also help distribute natural oils from the scalp down the hair shaft, keeping hair moisturised and shiny.
Perhaps most-importantly, a good brush help to reduce frizz and flyaways by smoothing the hair cuticle, which helps your do look polished and ‘done’ in a way that lasts longer.
Carefully-considered design that goes into the placement and material choice of those bristles also means a better outcome.
If it’s been one element of our beauty routine you’ve held off dropping a chunk of change on, consider this: A good quality hairbrush will last well for years. Comparing to that favoured fashion equation – cost per wear – the cost per use of a hair brush is very low if you use it every day.
According to luxe French brush brand La Bonne Brosse, three minutes of hair brushing per day equates to a 50% reduction in the quantity of haircare products used.
Try these: La Bonne Brosse N.02 The Essential Brush; Denman Handbag Classic Styling Brush (5 row); Mason Pearson Handy Hairbrush; GHD Paddle Brush; EVO Hank 43mm Ceramic Radial Brush
What to choose
Different hair types can benefit from different brush types. All hair has different different amounts of elasticity and the point where it will break, so a brush with too strong of bristles will break some hair types, while ones that are too weak won’t work as intended.
For example, taking to very curly or coily hair with a dense-bristle brush can often increase fuzz and frizz. This type benefits from being gently detangled with a wide tooth comb or carefully brushed with a a tool with widely spaced ionic nylon bristles like a Denman brush.
Though not one for vegans and vegetarians, a natural boar-bristle brush has long been used for effective detangling on many hair types as it moves through the hair smoothly. They are also known to help distribute hair’s natural oils well, given strands protection and shine. There are now vegan brushes from the likes of Briogeo that use man-made bristles that mimic the effect of animal-sourced boar bristles.
Brushes with a bristles attached to a cushion base tend to be more gentle on strands and scalp.
Fine hair can benefit from a brush with a mixture of both boar and synthetic bristles.
If you’re looking to add volume and lift to your roots, blow drying with a large oval brush is perfect. Try a thermal styling brush with a metal or ceramic core that helps distribute heat though strands for a faster, smoother result.
Paddle brushes are a must for those with thicker, coarser hair as the sparser bristles work deep into your locks to remove tangles and add shine.
Perhaps the most famous brush brand in the world, Mason Pearson is named after its inventor, an engineer originally from Yorkshire, England. Though boasting eye-watering price tags, the brushes have been fine tuned over the years to deliver beautiful performance and smooth results, keeping hair healthy with less breakage.
Three key brushing tips
- Detangle from the ends: Always detangle hair from the ends towards the roots to minimise breakage.
- Be careful with wet hair: Use a wide-tooth comb or a brush designed for wet hair to avoid breakage. Wet Brush and Tangle Teezer are two brands specifically designed for this job.
- Master your blow dry: Use brushes that allow airflow, like vent brushes, for faster blow-drying and less heat damage.
