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View Full Version : How to tell if a BBB, is really a BBB



Miss Catrina
March 2nd, 2012, 09:26 PM
I was at the dollar store tonight and saw a "100% boar bristle" brush... for 2 dollars. It felt softer than any BBB I've ever felt, and had no color variation in the bristles - solid black, no tan tips.

Needless to say I'm guessing it was completely fake and just went right on shopping. But it got me to thinking... How can you tell if a boar bristle brush is "legit" and not just convincing plastic?

Madora
March 2nd, 2012, 09:37 PM
Either the packaging or the brush itself will say 100% boar bristle. The colors of the bristles can range from black to blonde.
Stiffness can vary greatly..from very soft to very stiff (although the stiffness will decrease with usage).

Miss Catrina
March 2nd, 2012, 09:38 PM
Hmm. I guess it could have been authentic... But we all know packaging can lie, and $2 just seems way too good to be true. Wish I could put it under a microscope.

Schmoomunitions
March 2nd, 2012, 10:21 PM
It will have tapered or split ends , like human hair, but you'd need a magnifying glass. Nylon has a blunt ends . Also if you burnt it, real hair will burn and turn to ash, nylon or plastic will curl up and melt.

BBdck1
March 2nd, 2012, 11:44 PM
I put the tips of the bristles at eye level. Most BBB have real hair (pointy tip) mix with nylon (black, blunt tips). 100% BBB should not have any blunt nylon bristles although I've encountered some that calm to be 100% but clearly have nylon mixed in. Maybe they meant that the boar bristles that are in the brush are 100% real?

sfgirl
March 3rd, 2012, 02:14 AM
Buy it from a store with a good return policy. Also, I've gotten super soft brushes that were spaced weird so I didn't like them. But my cats, and even my short haired chihuahuas LOVED them, even though they don't need brushing really. :)

arabicfrizz
March 3rd, 2012, 03:24 AM
I've been wondering the same thing since purchasing a round brush that proved not to be real boar bristles (bought at Ulta on sale). After stumbling upon Mason Pearson brushes, which are super-expensive and out of my current price range (while trying to order a less costly French Pierre-something-brand one for my boyfriend's mom, which of course has been discontinued), I've considered trying to true boar bristle brush for my fine, thinnish, curly hair. Undoubtedly the Mason Pearson one would be authentic boar hairs, for that price tag, but I wonder what other quality, less pricey, 100% bbb alternatives exist out there.

Anyone know of a good brand available on folica or drugstore.com? Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

terpentyna
March 3rd, 2012, 04:26 AM
Honestly, I don't think you can tell. The only thing you can do is buy from a reliable source. I have a BBB that has pointed bristles (if you look closely), but the same woman that made mine also makes "neater" ones that are trimmed to be blunt. I also have a fake BBB that has color variation to apear more authentic. So I really don't think you can tell unless you put a bristle under a microscope. I have pics in my album that compare hair when brushed with one and the other, but this will vary for everyone.

jaquelines
March 3rd, 2012, 06:25 AM
I bought from amazon for a friend a kent BBB, and one for me. But after reading this thread I am concerned that it is not a pure BBB brush. Some ends are pink, some are browner. I was told by the kent store it is original, but...I am not sure anymore. I hope the pictures will show up here.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1436&pictureid=127701
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1436&pictureid=127700
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1436&pictureid=127699
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1436&pictureid=127698

jaquelines
March 3rd, 2012, 06:28 AM
ok.no idea why the pictures won`t show up. They are in my album http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1436.

jaquelines
March 3rd, 2012, 06:29 AM
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1436&pictureid=127701

Sorry, don`t know what do to. I am trying to enter the link of my pictures in the album, but they won`t show up in the posting.

Madora
March 3rd, 2012, 07:18 AM
ok.no idea why the pictures won`t show up. They are in my album http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=1436.

It certainly looks like a Kent of London hairbrush.

One thing I've found: real boar bristles are dull, not shiny.

jaquelines
March 3rd, 2012, 08:37 AM
Thank you, Madora. I was hoping you would take a look at this. But why is it , if this is pure bristle boar, that some strands/ends are pink? This is what made me wondering..

Madora
March 3rd, 2012, 09:30 AM
Thank you, Madora. I was hoping you would take a look at this. But why is it , if this is pure bristle boar, that some strands/ends are pink? This is what made me wondering..

Just a guess that somewhere along the line the brush came in contact with something that was pink and it got on the tips. This would seem highly unusual with the Kent of London company, a very prestigous one known for quality in every respect.

I'm assuming that your brush is a true Kent of London brush and not a knock off product named "Kent".

heidi w.
March 3rd, 2012, 09:40 AM
Either the packaging or the brush itself will say 100% boar bristle. The colors of the bristles can range from black to blonde.
Stiffness can vary greatly..from very soft to very stiff (although the stiffness will decrease with usage).

Correct. If the label says so, it is. There's no consistency otherwise to go by.

heidi w.

jaquelines
March 3rd, 2012, 09:42 AM
Just a guess that somewhere along the line the brush came in contact with something that was pink and it got on the tips. This would seem highly unusual with the Kent of London company, a very prestigous one known for quality in every respect.

I'm assuming that your brush is a true Kent of London brush and not a knock off product named "Kent".

That sounds reasonable to me now.

Annalouise
March 3rd, 2012, 09:47 AM
Just to be fair, the counterfeit industry is a multi-million dollar industry. The only way to know if you are buying the REAL product is to contact the company, and ask them who their distributors are. They will be more than happy to tell you.:)

jaquelines
March 3rd, 2012, 10:57 AM
Just to be fair, the counterfeit industry is a multi-million dollar industry. The only way to know if you are buying the REAL product is to contact the company, and ask them who their distributors are. They will be more than happy to tell you.:)

I have bought from www.luxuryhaircare.co.uk , which is the same as gorgeousshop.co.uk.
They are online distributors of kent brushes. And they have been scamming me. I had to report them. Now I forwarded the scam to my credit card company.
The sold me twice the wrong brush, I returned them the brushes on my own costs, never refunded the amount. They knew the brush I need is not in stock anymore and not only they tried to fool me around by shipping a similar brush, but they pretended to have refunded the amount and they never did.

Annalouise
March 3rd, 2012, 11:43 AM
I have bought from www.luxuryhaircare.co.uk (http://www.luxuryhaircare.co.uk) , which is the same as gorgeousshop.co.uk.
They are online distributors of kent brushes. And they have been scamming me. I had to report them. Now I forwarded the scam to my credit card company.
The sold me twice the wrong brush, I returned them the brushes on my own costs, never refunded the amount. They knew the brush I need is not in stock anymore and not only they tried to fool me around by shipping a similar brush, but they pretended to have refunded the amount and they never did.

I'm sorry to hear that.:( Did you email Kent and ask them if they were an authorized distributor? Usually high end brands only use real salons as distributors and not online websites. At least, that is what I found with M. Pearson brushes, but I don't know about Kent I never contacted the company. However, to be safe, you should be dealing with a real physical location and store, not an internet dealer.

Madora
March 3rd, 2012, 11:50 AM
I'm sorry to hear that.:( Did you email Kent and ask them if they were an authorized distributor? Usually high end brands only use real salons as distributors and not online websites. At least, that is what I found with M. Pearson brushes, but I don't know about Kent I never contacted the company. However, to be safe, you should be dealing with a real physical location and store, not an internet dealer.

I agree, Annalouise, purchasing from a salon or reputable store is a lot safer. Also, you get to "test" the brush by running your fingertips over the bristles to see how stiff (or not) they are plus getting a "feel" for how the brush feels in your hand.

Kent of London sold their brushes in several better quality stores..i.e. Macy's.

It should be noted that if you do buy hairgoods on line, it is best to know their policy about returns. I doubt if a hairbrush could be returned and your money refunded..unless it was still in its original, untampered with packaging.

ratgirldjh
March 3rd, 2012, 11:54 AM
I once found a black bristled 100% boar bristle brush at Sally's for around $2.00. It was wooden and the bristles were short enough that they were pretty stiff. My hair loved this brush! But my dbf stole it for his hair! Alas - he uses it on his WET hair!!!

jeanniet
March 3rd, 2012, 01:30 PM
I'm sorry to hear that.:( Did you email Kent and ask them if they were an authorized distributor? Usually high end brands only use real salons as distributors and not online websites. At least, that is what I found with M. Pearson brushes, but I don't know about Kent I never contacted the company. However, to be safe, you should be dealing with a real physical location and store, not an internet dealer.
There are at least two online distributors of MP brushes that are reputable and reliable, both of which have often been recommended here (and I have brushes from both). So I wouldn't discount online buying, but you do have to be cautious.

IMO, a $2 BBB brush, even if it's real, isn't likely to be something you want to use on your hair. They're going to be using the poorest quality bristles possible, which means there might be broken/roughed up bristles that could cause a lot of damage.

DoubleCrowned
March 3rd, 2012, 02:22 PM
I have an easy way to tell if the bristles are boar or nylon. Just look directly down on the tip of the bristles, turning the brush back and forth slightly so that the light changes. Let your eyes adjust... The tips of the nylon bristles appear to be tiny, perfectly round disks. These may be scattered among the boar bristles, the tops of which will not reflect light or look like little disks. Once you spot a bristle with the round, flat end, you will see that the bristle itself is shiny and uniform in thickness--nylon.

I have a $2 boar bristle brush from Sally's that is, indeed, all boar bristle, although I know nothing about assessing the quality of said bristles. I have also seen brushes that said that they were 100% boar bristle, but there were nylon bristles mixed in.

Now run and look at your bristles, everyone! See if you can spot the difference.

jaquelines
March 4th, 2012, 02:10 AM
I'm sorry to hear that.:( Did you email Kent and ask them if they were an authorized distributor? Usually high end brands only use real salons as distributors and not online websites. At least, that is what I found with M. Pearson brushes, but I don't know about Kent I never contacted the company. However, to be safe, you should be dealing with a real physical location and store, not an internet dealer.
I did not quite get clear answers from them. Further they are not many store who sell Kent brushes. Even on their own site, they listed the brush that I wanted to buy as available and it wasn`t. They don`t seem to be very organized with their stock. When I have informed them about their distributor`s scam, they didn`t seem to care. Every other serious store would have issued an apology and take measures.


I agree, Annalouise, purchasing from a salon or reputable store is a lot safer. Also, you get to "test" the brush by running your fingertips over the bristles to see how stiff (or not) they are plus getting a "feel" for how the brush feels in your hand.

Kent of London sold their brushes in several better quality stores..i.e. Macy's.

It should be noted that if you do buy hairgoods on line, it is best to know their policy about returns. I doubt if a hairbrush could be returned and your money refunded..unless it was still in its original, untampered with packaging.

They sent the wrong item, twice. In this case they are the ones responsable for any damages they caused. I did not used the brush anyway. I bought the SL9 ( hope I am write with the no ) and they sent me SL9S, which is so much different from the other one. I haven`t used the brush. They were required by law to return my the money + the shipping fees I had to pay for the returning.Twice. From Germany to UK that`s a lot. I was also told by one of their employees that they never had that brush in the stock. They were probably trying to get rid of the other brush and thought they will fool me.

Annalouise
March 4th, 2012, 09:02 AM
There are at least two online distributors of MP brushes that are reputable and reliable, both of which have often been recommended here (and I have brushes from both). So I wouldn't discount online buying, but you do have to be cautious.


Who are the two online distributors? I'm looking at Nordstrom's site because they sell Mason Pearson brushes. I think that was one of the businesses Mason Pearson recommended to me. And the other was a salon in L.A..:)

Annalouise
March 4th, 2012, 09:06 AM
I did not quite get clear answers from them. Further they are not many store who sell Kent brushes. Even on their own site, they listed the brush that I wanted to buy as available and it wasn`t. They don`t seem to be very organized with their stock. When I have informed them about their distributor`s scam, they didn`t seem to care. Every other serious store would have issued an apology and take measures.



They sent the wrong item, twice. In this case they are the ones responsable for any damages they caused. I did not used the brush anyway. I bought the SL9 ( hope I am write with the no ) and they sent me SL9S, which is so much different from the other one. I haven`t used the brush. They were required by law to return my the money + the shipping fees I had to pay for the returning.Twice. From Germany to UK that`s a lot. I was also told by one of their employees that they never had that brush in the stock. They were probably trying to get rid of the other brush and thought they will fool me.

Thanks for letting us know about your bad experience with Kent. That is too bad. Do you live near any salons that carry the item?
I am often afraid to buy online for the simple reason that shipping costs can easily get out of hand if you have to return an item and re-order another item. I am sorry you had a bad experience. Maybe try another company. I hope you find the right brush.

bedazzlecat
March 4th, 2012, 09:33 AM
I have the dollar store BBB and it is authentic, but the bristles fall out easily.

jaquelines
March 4th, 2012, 12:22 PM
Thanks for letting us know about your bad experience with Kent. That is too bad. Do you live near any salons that carry the item?
I am often afraid to buy online for the simple reason that shipping costs can easily get out of hand if you have to return an item and re-order another item. I am sorry you had a bad experience. Maybe try another company. I hope you find the right brush.
No, unfortunately. But I travel some times, and maybe next time I`ll get around a kent store. Just keep the fingers away of www.luxuryhaircare.co.uk. They are scammers. :mad:

SakuraGirl
March 4th, 2012, 01:25 PM
Thank you for the tips ladies, I will keep this in mind...

LakeofGlass
April 12th, 2013, 04:39 PM
Can anyone verify if this is real BBB? I've noticed that the fake ones, with nylon mixed in, have very blunt, sharply cut ends instead of ends that naturally taper. I think the link feature is currently disabled so I can only link this way: http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/jump/productDetail/Health_&_Beauty/Hair_Care/Brushes_&_Styling/Boar-Bristle_Brushes_For_Both_Men_and_Women/54602

If this is real, I'd definitely like to buy it. I have trouble finding it locally, and I only recently realized the current brush I have is nylon with very few boar hairs.