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Mírien
April 21st, 2011, 02:54 AM
Hi there, long-haired ladies and gents. :) I am now contemplating to buy a boar bristle brush but unsure about what type to choose. Short, medium or long bristles? Wooden/plastic/metal handle? Could you please tell me what kind of BBB works for you? I would appreciate some pics as well. ;) I would also be glad if you could direct me to a thread on this topic. :D Thank you so much. Cheeeeeese! :cheese:

louisemg82
April 21st, 2011, 03:10 AM
Ohhh, good question. I'd also like to know more about BBB. I know there's an article on here somewhere... but I can't for the life of me find it. Sorry.

I believe (and please correct me if I'm wrong anyone) that BBBs should only be used by people whose hair is already in good condition. I think on damaged hair, it just makes things worse. I also believe that you should go for wooden handles to avoid seams on plastic or metal that could catch your hair.

I know that Mason Pearson is a highly recommended BBB maker here in the UK but the price of their brushes goes up from £60!!! For that kind of price it'd better coat my hair in 24K gold and do my washng up!!! :p
Seriously though, I'd expect it to be the best hairbrush ever if I paid that kind of money. Their website recommends that the more hair you have, the bigger the brush you need to get.

skyblue
April 21st, 2011, 03:59 AM
Be careful I got me one with very stiff bristles
and it tore my hair up badly! I think it was for
coarse hair, mine is more fine, but I found one
with softer bristles that said 100 % real boars hair on it
and I love it! I still have to be careful but this brush is so
much more gentle on my hair
Oh and I found it at the grocery store, it was
from con air I think or one from scunci, I'm not sure
but it was just around 5 bucks

aenflex
April 21st, 2011, 12:16 PM
I too had awful results.
Hint: spend just a little on your 1st BBB, that way if you don't like it, you aren't out 40 bucks.

PeacenQuietGal
April 21st, 2011, 12:56 PM
I got mine from Ulta for $14.99. The brand is Hanna K. It has a pretty wooden handle (Dymondwood) with a pink crystal on it. It is the square one, but they make a smaller oval one also.

It works very well for me, and I think it is pretty on my vanity to boot!

Mírien
April 21st, 2011, 01:59 PM
Thank you for your replies. In the meantime I have found a nice page selling some really nice BBB-s (sorry, I don't think it would worth sharing, it's the homepage of a local store and is in Hungarian). They all have beautiful wooden handles!:D My favourite is the one made of walnut it has such nice dark colour. As for the prices - I have no clue how much they would cost in dollars or pounds but they seem to have a reasonable price which I can afford even if I find out later that my hair is not in favour of it.
Anyway, thank you skyblue, I will be careful not to go for stiff bristles as my hair is only M.

The strange thing is that I would have never thought that I could ever benefit from brushing my hair. But since I started a much better haircare I realized that the horrible tangles I used to have were rather due to improper handling and dryness. Now, I hardly ever get serious tangles and my hair (and scalp) really loves being brushed with my old wooden brush. Therefore, I wondered whether it would also benefit from using a bbb. Looking forward to get one. :eyebrows:

Miss Catrina
April 21st, 2011, 07:23 PM
Mine came from a Kroger and cost about 5 bucks... plastic handle, I guess medium bristles. Works great. I don't think anything fancy is really necessary.

Madora
April 21st, 2011, 07:30 PM
If at all possible, feel the brush, test the bristles to see how firm they are, how long they are, and most importantly, how the brush feels in your hand. If it doesn't feel comfortable, don't bother with it. Also check out the number of rows in the brush. It should have at least 6.

Personally, I've been using the Goody brand of 100% pure boar bristle brushes for more than 30 years. They have held up like iron (lasting on average of 10 years).

When you purchase your brush, be SURE it is a 100% PURE boar bristle brush..NOT mixed with anything..no nylon!

It's HOW you brush with your bbb that will ultimately determine how well your hair responds. You should always DETANGLE with a widetooth comb BEFORE using the brush! Never brush wet hair!

When cleaning your brush, use warm water diluted with 8 oz of water. Let the brush soak for 10 minutes (not longer because it isn't good for the glue holding the bristles). Rinse thoroughly with COLD water, shake well, run your fingers over the bristles to remove excess water, then place it, bristles side down, on a lint free cloth. If you have a wooden handled brush, be sure to wipe it thoroughly so the wood doesn't warp.

Wash your brush and comb frequently (I wash mine every other day). Happy brushing!

jojo
April 21st, 2011, 08:04 PM
Be careful I got me one with very stiff bristles
and it tore my hair up badly! I think it was for
coarse hair, mine is more fine, but I found one
with softer bristles that said 100 % real boars hair on it
and I love it! I still have to be careful but this brush is so
much more gentle on my hair
Oh and I found it at the grocery store, it was
from con air I think or one from scunci, I'm not sure
but it was just around 5 bucks

a 100% BBB should not rip hair, its notion of hair on hair is what prevents splits and breakage. I would question if the brush you had was a boar bristle brush or just one which stated it was natural bristle.

I have a cheap BBB which I purchased on ebay a few years back. My hair didnt like them on shorter lengths, but this was due to using it incorrectly. You need to brush and smooth the hair down with each stroke. Ive recently started using a BBB and I have wavy hair, yes I lose some wave but my hair gets so much shine and I am sure by using this, my hair is growing faster.

I think you need bristles which are long enough to reach your scalp, so the thicker the hair, the longer the bristles. I personally love the feeling of my scalp being brushed! so would always go for the longer bristles. I wouldnt reccomend the ones mixed with nylon, I was taught that the nylon produced heat and can cause damage.

Its my birthday next month and my daughters have put together to buy me a Mason Pearson brush which is expensive but will last a long time.

I can honestly say using a BBB is by far the best thing I have ever done for my hair and I give thanks to Madora for her advice and instructions on how to use it correctly. If you check her albums out you will see how beautiful her hair is!

jojo
April 21st, 2011, 08:08 PM
If at all possible, feel the brush, test the bristles to see how firm they are, how long they are, and most importantly, how the brush feels in your hand. If it doesn't feel comfortable, don't bother with it. Also check out the number of rows in the brush. It should have at least 6.

Personally, I've been using the Goody brand of 100% pure boar bristle brushes for more than 30 years. They have held up like iron (lasting on average of 10 years).

When you purchase your brush, be SURE it is a 100% PURE boar bristle brush..NOT mixed with anything..no nylon!

It's HOW you brush with your bbb that will ultimately determine how well your hair responds. You should always DETANGLE with a widetooth comb BEFORE using the brush! Never brush wet hair!

When cleaning your brush, use warm water diluted with 8 oz of water. Let the brush soak for 10 minutes (not longer because it isn't good for the glue holding the bristles). Rinse thoroughly with COLD water, shake well, run your fingers over the bristles to remove excess water, then place it, bristles side down, on a lint free cloth. If you have a wooden handled brush, be sure to wipe it thoroughly so the wood doesn't warp.

Wash your brush and comb frequently (I wash mine every other day). Happy brushing!
I wish we had a like button; id press it! you taught me everything about BBB's and my hair and I are forever greatful:)

Madora
April 21st, 2011, 09:52 PM
JoJo, you are sweet!

You know that I find natural BBBs the best possible tool a long hair could ask for. So many benefits just from brushing..and it doesn't take that long either!

I would caution anyone who is thinking of purchasing a 100% pure bbb to test the bristles for stiffness (or lack thereof). Unfortunately, with time the bristle stiffness will decrease.

Also, I found thru expensive error (over $40.00) that my Kent of London hairbrush (which looked wonderful in its red box) didn't work well with my thick, long hair. I believe the reason for this was because the bristles were longer than I was accustomed to (about an inch long) and each bristle was thicker than the bristles used in previous generic boar bristle brushes. Brushing my hair with these longer, thicker bristles was a hassle and I soon went back to my previous brush.

Brushing offers so many benefits and you don't have to go to expend a lot of effort to reap those rewards. Just be consistent every day..if you brush 20 strokes, do it every day. If you brush more, keep it consistent.

Now, if they'd only invent a genie in a bottle who would pop out and brush my hair, I'd be in heaven. (I've rarely had my hair brushed by anyone, except when I was very small) and the feeling is fantastic! That's one of the reasons I adore visiting the George Michael Salon in NYC..they really know how to brush!

christine1989
April 21st, 2011, 09:57 PM
When I saw the thread title I thought that this was going to be a question regarding the Better Buisness Bureau! :laugh: After being on LHC for over a year I should know better. ;)

Karmi
April 21st, 2011, 11:31 PM
I have a Mason Pearson Junior Nylon and BB. I wanted a pure BBB, but it was not in the cards (it was a mystery gift, and monogrammed with my initials). I loved it at first, because I was still straightening my hair at the time. I have since stopped straightening and let my massive waves free and now the Mason Pearson is only something I use before a shower, after I comb with a wide tooth. I would NEVER soak it in water. I use a cleaning brush dipped in a bit of soapy water and rush it through a few times as needed. It is a lovely brush, though I am not convinced it warrants the $120 price-tag. I wouldn't use a cheap BBB though, either. In terms of bristle cut and shape, the Mason Pearson wins hands down.

Mírien
April 26th, 2011, 11:02 PM
Thank you for all your advice, ladies. :) In the meantime I bought my first boar bristle brush and have just tried it out half an hour ago. So, my experiences: I detangled as thorughly as possible with a wide tooth comb, than brushed. Not hundred strokes but quite a few.
Results: I usually do not devote enough time to detangling, just a few moves with my comb and then I put it up. Now, that I took my time I got more shed hairs out. :( But ok, I know it's still within normal. The another thing I noticed is that BBB is truly "cleaning" hair. I didn't imagine that there was that much dirt in my hair. :disgust: (Note to self brush should also be cleaned regularly.)
All in all: it made my hair nice and soft and it gave me a good scalp massage. The only problem is that the whole procedure took me - well, quite some time. I need practice...