How to Make a Hairbrush

For the maintenance of soft, smooth, tangle-free hair, hairbrushes have become a normal tool of personal care in modern days. Though hairbrushes today are generally mass-produced and store bought, the tradition of using them grew up around brushes that were homemade. You, too, can make your own hairbrush from scratch with crafting supplies and some recycled materials.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Thick dowel rod (at least 3/4 inch diameter), 8 inches long
• Scissors
• Crafting foam
• Several old plastic combs
• Wire snips
• Hot glue gun

1. Cut a strip of foam long enough to cover the top third of the dowel (about 2 1/2 inches wide). Wrap it around the dowel to measure and trim just enough to wrap completely around once.

2. Remove bristles from the combs using wire snips. If your combs have two sizes of bristles, just snip the larger ones and be sure to trim them as close to the same size as possible.

3. Push a bristle through the foam, pointed edge first. Push it through to the other side, leaving just the bottom slightly protruding on the underside.

4. Glue each bristle in place. Use a small dot of hot glue at the base of the bristle on the top side and a slightly larger dot of glue on the bottom.

5. Arrange all bristles on the foam in rows. Position the bristles in the rows about 1/8 inch apart and position the rows 1/4 inch apart. Cover the entire strip of foam.

6. Wrap the top of the dowel with the foam, bristle side out., securing in place with several stripes of hot glue. The brush will be ready to use once the glue has completely cooled.