How to Choose the Right Brush For Your Hair

"Naw," you say, " who needs to worry about the type of brush they use?" I learned the importance of a proper brush when I went on a week-long vacation recently and forgot to pack my hairbrush. I borrowed someone else's for the duration of the trip... and boy, I ended up with "Bad Hair Week"!

Here's how sort through different hair bristle and brush types and find the one that will give you your best look.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. The brush bristles are made from many different materials, all possessing different capabilities in regards to hair styling.
   
   Boar: Boar bristles are soft, especially suitable for fragile hair and children's hair. They produce a shiny effect on hair and are often combined with nylon bristles for better styling ability.

2. Nylon: Nylon bristles can offer no control to fantastic control, depending on the stiffness and spacing of the material.

3. Porcupine: This is a combination of nylon and boar bristle. Brushes made with porcupine are good for gently combing even thick hair and taking care of fine hair.

4. Metal: metal bristles are not recommended for anyone's hair, and are only good for use with hairpieces. Metal is stiff and inflexible and can lead to hair breakage.

5. In addition to bristle types, you need to pay attention to brush designs.

6. 
    

   Cushion brushes do well with medium to long hair, massaging the scalp and straightening the hair.

7. 
    

   The paddle brush also works with medium to long hair; it straightens hair without adding volume and also massages the scalp.

8. 
    

   The styling brush has a lot of control, thanks to its close, thick bristles. It smoothes, shines, and polishes hair.

9. 
    

   Thermal brushes have heat-conducing material in the core of the brush, making styling while hair-drying much easier. Do take care that the brush does not get too hot.

10. 
     

    Vent brushes, available in different sizes for different lengths of hair, is used in conjunction with hair dryers to volumize and detangle hair. It also allows hair to dry faster.

11. Armed with this knowledge, you should be able to make the brush purchase that's best for the needs of you and your hair.

[goodselfme]

on 12/7/2009 I learned that metal bristles can lead to hair breakage so will so be selecting that as a purchase when I choose the right brush for my hair. TX for all the good information and sharing this with me.

[mrsmore]

on 10/29/2009 I love my hair. It's nice to know how to properly take care of it. Rec.

[askanna]

on 10/10/2009 Very informative article. We spend a lot on our hair for processing, cutting, washing- a good hair brush does make a difference. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on the topic!