Choosing The Right Brush For Any Hair Types
Your hair is a major part of your style and personality. But no matter what hair type or style you're rocking, your locks need a lot of daily love to stay in good shape.
Hair brushing is an essential component to a healthy hair and scalp routine. But will any old brush do? As most hair care pros will tell you: “well, no, not exactly.” To maximize the hair-healthy benefits of daily brushing, it is important to find the best tool for your gorgeous mane. Whether your hair is short or long or whether you’re hoping for volume boosting or detangling, there are so many types of brushes, each with its own set of uses, that there’s definitely a perfect brush for you.
The Not-So-Obvious Benefits of Brushing Your Hair
You may be the type of person who gets up an hour early so you have time to wash, dry, and style your locks. Or, you might be the up-and-out-the-door type who quickly runs a brush through your hair as you brush your teeth and text your boss (and that's cool, too). No matter what your personal preference, it's worth your while to get in the habit of regular, daily hair brushing—one that does more for you than just get rid of bed head! Here are a few benefits of regular brushing:
- It helps remove dead skin cells, dirt, and other debris that naturally build up on the scalp and hair strands (consider it the original dry shampoo).
- It increases blood flow to your scalp, delivering more nutrients and oxygen to your hair follicles and thus stimulating growth.
- It strengthens and conditions your hair by evenly spreading out the natural lubricating and protective oils produced by specialized glands in your scalp.
How to Brush Your Hair Like a Pro
Even if you've established plenty of good reasons why you should brush your hair regularly, you still may not know how you should brush your hair. This is where some hairbrush investigation comes in. First and foremost, brush gently. Hair damage can happen for many reasons, and too-rough brushing is one of the most common culprits.
Most experts recommend brushing your hair at least two to three times per day, for at least three to five minutes. Starting at your scalp, run your brush through the entire length of your hair, making sure that you spend time on each section (nape of the neck, sides of the head, and crown of the head). Consider doing a first round of hair brushing while bending over with your head mostly upside down: this may sound a little crazy, but the inverted position helps stimulate blood flow.
There, easy-peasy. Hair brushing is truly simple, effective, and self-loving. Now, which brush is best for your type of hair?
The Perfect Brush to Use
Fine and Short
Use a thin vented brush with wide bristles to minimize blow-drying time and protect the scalp and shorter strands.
Fine and Medium/Long
Use a brush featuring natural soft bristles that are tipped with small rubber balls and set in a flexible rubber cushion. This brush prevents over-heating and scalp irritation.
Fine and Normal
Use the industry-standard natural boar bristle brush for breakage-free brushing.
Thin and Delicate
Use a gentle brush with sensitive bristles that can encourage hair growth by stimulating your scalp.
Thick and Long
Use a wider brush with a mix of nylon and boar bristles to increase styling ease and efficiency. Try a paddle brush for thick, long and straight hair.
Thick and Coarse
Use a vented brush with widely-spaced nylon bristles to maintain natural texture. A vented brush works best when hair is still wet.
Curly
Use a wide-tooth comb or a brush with thick and widely spaced bristles to prevent snagging.
Expert recommendations even extend to specialized brushes that can help you achieve whatever look you desire.
The Best Hairbrush For
Smoothing flyaways
Use a barrel-shaped ceramic brush with a mix of nylon and boar bristles to help seal hair cuticles and eliminate frizz. The longer the hair, the larger the barrel should be.
Turning up volume
Use a large, rounded boar bristle brush, and consider adding a teasing brush for extra dimension.
Detangling
Use a specially designed detangling hairbrush that contains firm plastic bristles to avoid breakage while knots and tangles are worked out. While using a detangling brush, be sure to start at the ends and work your way up to prevent knots from getting worse.
Post-shower
Use a wide-toothed comb or detangling hair brush with spaced-out teeth or bristles to prevent catching. This brush is best for wet, more fragile hair. Here’s the bottom line: Daily brushing is key for a gorgeous head of hair. Just make sure you're setting yourself up for success by using the right tools in the right way.