Hair brushes are underrated by many women but they are very important to achieve the desired look. Good hair brushes are an investment as the right tools will make your hair look healthier and shinier. There are different types of brushes to style hair in different ways and selecting the wrong one could ruin your look or even damage your hair! So, have you chosen the right hair brush for your hair? Read on to find out the characteristics of the different type of brushes to help you choose the right one for you.
TYPES OF BRUSHES
Cushion Brush
The brush has a soft cushion base and bristles, often curved, on one side. It smooths and straightens medium to long hair that isn’t too thick. It also massages the scalp.
Paddle Brush
This brush has a flat base and small to medium bristles. It is great for straightening thick medium to long hair. it smooths and lengthens hair but doesn’t add volume. It also gives a scalp massage.
Styling Brush
It has close-set bristles that make it easier to control hair. It adheres to the hair nicely and is used to smooth, shape and polish it.
Thermal Brush
The central of a thermal brush is a heat conductive material, which gets hot when you use a hairdryer. This way, you increase the heat drying your hair, working both on the surface of the hair and internally. However, if the brush gets too hot, you could scorch your hair, so be careful.
Thermal round brushes
are available in different sizes: jumbo, large, medium and small. The size of the brush to use is determined by the lenght of your hair and the style you want. The small ones are used to roll hair to get curls while heating them with a blowdryer. The large ones, instead, smoothen hair and give a light massage.
Thermal flat
brushes work like a flat iron, straightening and smoothening hair without any bend.
Vent Brush
This brush has holes in the base to let air circulate through hair to blow dry it faster. It creates more volume and detangles hair.
SHAPE
Half-round: available in different sizes, they are used for every type of styling and blowdrying. It can be used on both wet and dry hair.
Oval: it styles the hair as well as penetrating it and massaging the scalp.
Round: used to add body and curl to straight hair. The smaller the barrel, the tighter the curl. Round brushes with densely packed bristles straightens and smoothens naturally wavy hair, while brushes with open bristles are good to achieve lift. However round brushes get tangled in hair easily.
BRISTLES
Metal bristles:
they are widely used but can damage your hair. Therefore, they should only be used on wigs.
Natural Boar bristles:
they are made with a boar’s hair and are recommended because they cause less friction on your hair and are therefore less damaging than synthetic bristles. They also distribute sebum, the hair’s natural conditioner that keeps it shiny and healthy, along the hair shaft. These bristles are especially good for people with thin hair.
Synthetic bristles:
synthetic materials like nylon massage the scalp, stimulate oil release, are easier to clean and last a long time. They are also usually less expensive than natural bristles. However, they don’t distribute the oil throughout the hair and therefore they don’t clean your hair very well. Some synthetic bristles can also be too stiff, which can damage your hair.
