The hairbrush is a simple invention, but a completely revolutionary one for hair and its chic-ness. It is a truth universally acknowledged that when your hair looks good, you feel good; beautiful, shiny hair can feel difficult to accomplish, but is easy enough with the right tools. It just so happens that a set of decent brushes and combs constitute a good few of those tools. But with so many different kinds available, how are you to know which does which? Look no further!
Paddle Hairbrush
The humble paddle hairbrush is one of the most recognisable hairbrushes you will come across, and likely one you have used almost every day since you were in primary school. This is an – unsurprisingly – paddle-shaped brush with ball-tipped bristles and a soft padded paddle base. But what is it good for?
Paddle hairbrushes cover a wide area, but are great at getting in the middle of it when it counts. They’re strong candidates for detangling hair, but can also be used in conjunction with hair products to disperse them well. When used alongside hair thickening shampoo, the results speak for themselves, resulting in finely styled yet elegant locks.
Barrel Hairbrush
The barrel hairbrush is another pre-eminent form of hairbrush, often used more for its imaginary microphone properties by inventive teens than for its actual purpose. Barrel brushes have sharp bristles round a cylindrical barrel; they’re used in conjunction with hairdryers to help achieve curls and waves while taming all that unwelcome frizz.
Tangle Teasers
There are many iterations of this, but the name has been derived from a branded version that’s extremely popular as part of our ‘hair emergency’ kits. Tangle teasers are plastic brushes with flexible plastic bristles, purpose-built to seek and destroy tangles and knots in our hair. The density and distribution of bristles make brushing out knots relatively painless – a miracle product!
Rat-Tail Comb
The rat-tail comb is perhaps what an illustrator would draw if asked to draw a comb. Its distinctive sharp ‘handle’ is not, in fact, a handle; it’s there to help you separate your hair into sections during styling! The rat-tail comb is a precision instrument, there to help you style different zones of your hair and tame your baby hairs all at once.
Vented Brush
Vented brushes are slight things, with similar bristles to a paddle brush but a much more compact form. These are rough-and-ready kinds of brushes, excellent for travelling with – but the true magic comes via the vents in its base. These vents enable hot air to blow right on through, making for an expeditious blow-dry with more-than-passable results. This is the brush of choice for go-getters.
Boar-Bristle Brush
Finally, boar-bristle brushes are something of a caustic affair and not the most fun to brush with. Their stiff, painful bristles have a purpose, though. These brushes are designed to stimulate growth in your scalp, and can also do a plum job of exfoliating while they do it!
