Boar bristle brushes - hard or soft?

[Spinder]

So I know a lot of ladies here use BBB's too. ;) Does anyone have a preference for harder or softer bristles?

In spite of having not very thick hair, I found the softer bristles didn't work so well, they simply would not penetrate all the way through... so I got one with longer much harder bristles, and I must say I quite like it so far! :)

[Zesty]

Soft. I don't expect it to "penetrate," and when I had stiffer bristles on a brush I felt they tore up my hair (I'm also very paranoid about damage :p). So now I use super soft bristles and just section my hair to get to everything.

[Madora]

Many boar bristle brushes do not penetrate to the scalp. The brushes with stiffer bristles stand more chance on achieving that. However, your scalp, particularly if it is not used to brushing, may be very unhappy with the prickliness of the boar bristles.

So, what I recommend is to "test" the bristles on your inner wrist, or on top of your hand to see how "stiff" or "soft" they are. Also, be sure the clumps are not too close together.

I have 3 brushes now and the only one that penetrates is the Madora ($40.00 from Madora Long Hair Heaven, or Enchantress salon in Ohio). My go to brush is my wonderful Goody brush (purchased in 1970). It's bristles are fairly zonked out now (after 6 years' use). The stiffness of the bristles will lessen gradually..depending on how often you use it.

[Lindar]

I didn't realize boar bristle brushes came in soft or hard. I have 2 - how do I to tell if they are hard or soft?

[Madora]

I didn't realize boar bristle brushes came in soft or hard. I have 2 - how do I to tell if they are hard or soft?

I think it more a question of how flexible ...or not...the bristles are. The really stiff bristles (at least the ones I encountered many years ago) were really stiff and hated my thick hair. The softer, more flexible bristles, might be more appealing to your scalp.

Brushing should never be an exercise in discomfort! Brushes come in all types of "stiffness" or "not so stiff". Boar bristles for babies, for instance, are very, very soft and flexible..ideal for baby hair. I found that very soft bristles were not worth the money. YMMV, of course.

[jupiterinleo]

I think I prefer stiff bristles. The stiffer-bristled ones probably last a lot longer than softer bristles, as boar bristles tend to soften over time. I also like them reaching the scalp.
The only BBB I have right now is one with nylon bits in it, which might actually do some damage to my fine hair. Definitely regretting ordering one with the nylon. It has soft bristles, too. Not sure if it's for me. I might ask for a harder-bristled brush as a holiday gift.

[Nadine <3]

I have two BBB's, a hard one and a soft one. I like using the hard one just on my scalp and then I go back over with the softer brush down my length.

[Larki]

I prefer soft. I tried using a stiff one once and stopped after couple strokes because it felt like it was ripping up my hair. The soft one works great.

[spirals]

I have one that has plastic bristles interspersed in order to get my scalp. But I wish I'd picked one with longer, stiffer boar bristles instead. I need a reason, such as "Oops, this one broke!"