I found an inexpensive BBB

[caadam]

That is ALL pure 100% boar bristle, too!

And at Wal Mart. Tch... I know... lol

I actually bought it some time ago, and kept forgetting to tell everyone about it on the forum. I know that quality is a big issue (and it should be with BBBs), and there are probably better BBBs than this one, but it's been working very well for me.

For one, I usually have static problems with BBBs, but not with this one. It's given me no static whatsoever, so I thought that would be good to share. Also, this has one side with firm bristles, and the other side has soft bristles. I've found that with my thick hair, the firm bristles were able to to reach all the way to my scalp, and the soft bristles, while they couldn't, were able to to create a nice finishing shine.

SO HERE IT IS!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Wavenforcer-Double-Sided-Military-Brush/15724250

It says "military brush," but don't let that connote it's somehow a rough brush or something. It really isn't, at least in my experience. :flower: Now, from what I've seen, not all of the BBBs from this brand are pure 100% boar bristle, but this one is. Just fyi ♥

Hope that helps anyone in their search for a new BBB, or even their very first BBB (especially those, like me, who are on a budget)! :D

[LadyHazel]

Im very lucky as the Afro shop near me sells all different kinds of pure boar bristles for about 2 pounds all pure in different grades, however this is great news as Walmart is so easily accessible for a lot of people where's an Afro shop is far more specific,

I managed to pick up a medium sized denman ultimate grooming pure boar bristle brush for 7 pounds down from 30 pounds in t k max, they're like the most expensive ones out of all of the denman range and it was such a one off, it's made really well and even came with a cleaning brush!

[heidi w.]

Quality long hair care is conducive to tight budgeting. You can get by on little expense, and save a whole lot of money on haircuts (at $40-$80) a crack!

I hardly spend any money at all on my hair care plan. It's very low maintenance. And I live on $1000/month.

One does not need to spend more than maybe about $20 at most on a BBB, and that's already kind of high end. One can acquire a BBB from the grocery store, usually.

heidi w.

[caadam]

Im very lucky as the Afro shop near me sells all different kinds of pure boar bristles for about 2 pounds all pure in different grades, however this is great news as Walmart is so easily accessible for a lot of people where's an Afro shop is far more specific,

I managed to pick up a medium sized denman ultimate grooming pure boar bristle brush for 7 pounds down from 30 pounds in t k max, they're like the most expensive ones out of all of the denman range and it was such a one off, it's made really well and even came with a cleaning brush!

That IS nice. lol Good find!

And yeah! I remember buying a BBB from this same brand at Wal Mart, and it was a mixture of boar bristles and plastic ones. I wasn't very pleased.

However, I actually took the time to stand there in the aisle and look over every bristle (as best as I could) to make sure it was totally pure. I didn't find a single plastic bristle.

I had one lady who watched me for a little bit as I was doing this. I noticed her and said, "I'm checking to make sure if all the bristles are boar bristle." She said, "Oooh! *laughs* I was like, 'What is that girl doing?' I see... good for you, baby. Good for you." She was awesome. lol

[Madora]

Congratulations on your new all boar bristle brush, caadam! Your hair will reap the benefits of bbbing!

I'm pleased that you took pains to make sure there was no plastic mixed in with the boar bristles.

[GoblinTart]

Walmart is my go to place for my hair. I got my bbb there. I still haven't found a good comb though. Sigh....

[LadyHazel]

Haha I get stares too when I stand in the hair sections of shops and pick up every bottle in sight and read the ingredients back to front, put the bottle back, pick up another, come back to pick up the same bottle that I picked up ten minutes ago. If my local shopkeepers didn't know me better they may have the assumption I was conspiring to shop lift haha , in new shops I always attract security guards attention and then have to explain what I'm actually doing and why, sigh.

I mean so what? We care for our hair and it shows, let the careless suffer the consequences of poor regime and research! :)

[caadam]

Walmart is my go to place for my hair. I got my bbb there. I still haven't found a good comb though. Sigh....

I saw them selling this awesome Conair wide-toothed comb! I mean, it was plastic, but it looked like good quality. Very sturdy. Maybe you can see if they have it. :D If not, I just linked someone to it in another thread on this forum (a newbie thread lol I forget the thread's title, but it had "newbie" in the title. I know this... I was just there!) for SUPER CHEAP.

And thanks, Madora! Really, I have to thank people like you and Heidi and plenty of others for helping me to understand hair products and items like this. It's done nothing but benefit my hair's health. Also, I don't think I would have EVER looked at those BBBs if it weren't for you planting the idea some time ago that Wal Mart used to carry any pure ones (because like Heidi said, "Quality long hair care is conducive to tight budgeting." So true). So thank you all very much for that. :flower:

[caadam]

Haha I get stares too when I stand in the hair sections of shops and pick up every bottle in sight and read the ingredients back to front, put the bottle back, pick up another, come back to pick up the same bottle that I picked up ten minutes ago. If my local shopkeepers didn't know me better they may have the assumption I was conspiring to shop lift haha , in new shops I always attract security guards attention and then have to explain what I'm actually doing and why, sigh.

I mean so what? We care for our hair and it shows, let the careless suffer the consequences of poor regime and research! :)

Yeah... I get those kind of stares, too. lol I also tend to talk to myself when looking at ingredients on bottles. Like, when I'm checking out different conditioners... lol

Me: ...silicone... oh, lovely chloride... UGH PROTEIN. *looks around* :o

Hehehe.

[LadyHazel]

Gosh my hair hates protein too! Haha!

Oh I have a habit of talkin to myself, no one else knows me better lol!

When I'm with my boyfriend he gets so annoyed because I lecture him a lot on ingredients, it's like ' you going to buy that?' an then ill be like 'no dont be silly it has alcohol denat as a primary ingredient which is exceptionally drying for your hair and toxic for human consumption so why would I ever buy that you see,' and he will sigh, knowing that he has a LONG shopping trip ahead of him haha !

[akilina]

I got a "Goody" BBB but it said "100%" boar bristle brush. So I guess I believe it? Sometimes I feel like this is synthetic a little bit but why would they post it to be 100% real then throw something else in. Unless the bristles that actually are boar bristle are 100% real but there are others in it.
Does anyone know about this brush? It works great for me I just wonder.

[caadam]

I got a "Goody" BBB but it said "100%" boar bristle brush. So I guess I believe it? Sometimes I feel like this is synthetic a little bit but why would they post it to be 100% real then throw something else in. Unless the bristles that actually are boar bristle are 100% real but there are others in it.
Does anyone know about this brush? It works great for me I just wonder.

Madora would know this better than I would, actually. However, I think she said that the Goody BBBs she has are not the same as the ones they have nowadays. Hers are pure 100%, but the ones they have now... I'm not sure. I haven't seen any up close! lol I couldn't tell you myself. :o

[Madora]

I got a "Goody" BBB but it said "100%" boar bristle brush. So I guess I believe it? Sometimes I feel like this is synthetic a little bit but why would they post it to be 100% real then throw something else in. Unless the bristles that actually are boar bristle are 100% real but there are others in it.
Does anyone know about this brush? It works great for me I just wonder.

If it says "100 boar bristle" then it is. But sometimes companies fake it a bit and say it is boar bristles..mixed with nylon. The boar bristles are the closest thing in nature that mimic your hair structure.

My Goody brushes were purchased back in 1970 (I bought 3 of them) and am on my last one now. Bought them for under $10.00 at Walgreen's. Sure wish Goody still made them.

I'm glad your brush is proving satisfactory and that you're getting good results using it.

[akilina]

If it says "100 boar bristle" then it is. But sometimes companies fake it a bit and say it is boar bristles..mixed with nylon. The boar bristles are the closest thing in nature that mimic your hair structure.

My Goody brushes were purchased back in 1970 (I bought 3 of them) and am on my last one now. Bought them for under $10.00 at Walgreen's. Sure wish Goody still made them.

I'm glad your brush is proving satisfactory and that you're getting good results using it.

Aha that is so awesome you have been holding em around since '70. I got the one I have at walgreens. Its good to know that mine is probably okay. Ive had it for about 9 months with nothing bad to report of :)

[HintOfMint]

Yeah... I get those kind of stares, too. lol I also tend to talk to myself when looking at ingredients on bottles. Like, when I'm checking out different conditioners... lol

Me: ...silicone... oh, lovely chloride... UGH PROTEIN. *looks around* :o

Hehehe.

A complete and shameless thread hijack but, what conditioners don't have a form of something-something-chloride in it?

I remember reading that the sulfate and chloride interaction can lead to buildup that is more difficult to remove, so I toyed with removing chlorides from my hair care regimen, but it seems nigh impossible.

[lmfbs]

caadam, I see that we're similar hair types - do you find the BBB makes your hair tangly and frizzy? When do you BBB? Would you do it then wear your hair loose, or braid/bun? I'm just trying to decide if I get one and am a bit concerned about how my hair will react.

Thanks in advance.

[silverthread]

Great find, Cadaam! I'm going to get one for myself.

[Rufflebutt]

That's where I got my brush as well! But I got the "styling" brush. :P It's just like a traditional hairbrush, really. I've only had it a couple days, though. So I don't know about the results quite yet.

[CurlyCap]

People's hunt for boar bristle is always a bit amusing and shocking to me.

We grew up on them in my house and my dad still grooms his hair with one every morning. I think it's just the go-to tool for smooth black hair...and so I don't think there's anything special about them.

And then I come here and read about the quest to find a good brush! I shake my head thinking about how many I've thrown away over the years....

[caadam]

A complete and shameless thread hijack but, what conditioners don't have a form of something-something-chloride in it?

I remember reading that the sulfate and chloride interaction can lead to buildup that is more difficult to remove, so I toyed with removing chlorides from my hair care regimen, but it seems nigh impossible.

No hijack offense taken! (jk) lol

No, you're right. When I say that, it's not me making sure a conditioner has chloride... I just say aloud regardless. lol That's all.

The kind of ingredients I DO actually look for are silicones (because I don't want too many or none at all for a regular CO product), and protein (because I've only found ONE product ever that has protein and my hair likes).

All of the other stuff is mostly balderdash. :)

ETA: I have found a conditioner that does not have chloride in it. Trader Joe's Nourish Spa conditioner. All it has is water, extracts, essential oils, and preservatives. Nothing else. I don't really like it as a regular CO conditioner (it doesn't really clean my hair), so I use it as a body wash! lol

[caadam]

caadam, I see that we're similar hair types - do you find the BBB makes your hair tangly and frizzy?

Some - well, most - BBBs will make my hair frizzy, but not tangly. However, this BBB doesn't give me that problem.


When do you BBB?

I try to do it right after I wake up, but if not, usually in the middle of the day.


Would you do it then wear your hair loose, or braid/bun?

I brush my hair, then comb it back and bun my hair (or braid).


I'm just trying to decide if I get one and am a bit concerned about how my hair will react.

Thanks in advance.

No problem! I hope that my answers will help you out. :D

[lilliemer]

So how can you tell if the bristles are real boar bristle or plastic? How do you know if the brush has worn out? Does the shape of the brush matter (round vs. flat backed)? I currently use a goody "boar bristle" brush that is maybe 5 years old that i LOVE. It is a round type brush that is meant for straightening with a blow dryer. I have given up heat styling but would not be happy if I had to forsake the bbb too!!

I still brush my hair before going to sleep at night even though as a very wavy or even curly hair type the prevailing advice is that I'm not really supposed to. It looks a little frizzy after I'm done, but I like the scalp stimulation/oil distribution and the curls seem to come back if my hair is moisturized enough. My hair goes right back to its usual curly/wavy black cloud in the morning no matter what I do...

[caadam]

So how can you tell if the bristles are real boar bristle or plastic? How do you know if the brush has worn out? Does the shape of the brush matter (round vs. flat backed)? I currently use a goody "boar bristle" brush that is maybe 5 years old that i LOVE. It is a round type brush that is meant for straightening with a blow dryer. I have given up heat styling but would not be happy if I had to forsake the bbb too!!

I still brush my hair before going to sleep at night even though as a very wavy or even curly hair type the prevailing advice is that I'm not really supposed to. It looks a little frizzy after I'm done, but I like the scalp stimulation/oil distribution and the curls seem to come back if my hair is moisturized enough. My hair goes right back to its usual curly/wavy black cloud in the morning no matter what I do...

Boar bristles are very different looking compared to plastic/nylon bristles. Boar bristles are usually tapered with a creamy white tip and different sizes overall (though not terribly uneven). They look like natural bristles off an animal! Plastic/nylon bristles are not tapered and are all black, and are artificial in appearance. A lot of cheaper BBBs will have them scattered all over the brush along with boar bristles. They're easy to spot most of the time.

A worn out brush, I would think, is one that has bent over bristles, lost ones and broken ones. Though, I think if a brush is in that state, then I would think it's way past its usefulness. lol

Also... it's not that you're not "supposed" to brush out wavy/curly hair... it's just that most people with that kind of hair type prefer to preserve their curl, and BBBs do the opposite of that. lol But I've been noticing that a few people don't really care to, and that's fine. As long as there's no damage being done, I see no issue with it. It's their hair after all. So if you don't mind it, then no worries! :D

[HumanBean]

In reading this thread I realized my BBB was one of those cheap ones. I feel stupid not having realized before. The plastic bristles are actually taller than the boar bristles, as if it was an intentional design. I decided to go through the brush and cut them down, below the boar bristles.

I hadn't been in love with my BBB before. We'll see if this does the trick. If it does, I'll get a proper one.

[ariesfairies]

Arghh... which they had that in Australia - I bought my first BBB the other day, and it wasn't 100%..

Don't think I'd have the patience to cut down the artificial threads though!

[Madora]

So how can you tell if the bristles are real boar bristle or plastic? How do you know if the brush has worn out? Does the shape of the brush matter (round vs. flat backed)? I currently use a goody "boar bristle" brush that is maybe 5 years old that i LOVE. It is a round type brush that is meant for straightening with a blow dryer. I have given up heat styling but would not be happy if I had to forsake the bbb too!!

I still brush my hair before going to sleep at night even though as a very wavy or even curly hair type the prevailing advice is that I'm not really supposed to. It looks a little frizzy after I'm done, but I like the scalp stimulation/oil distribution and the curls seem to come back if my hair is moisturized enough. My hair goes right back to its usual curly/wavy black cloud in the morning no matter what I do...

lilliemer, at your current length, your round style brush is fine..but when your hair becomes longer, you'll find that the brush will be harder to use as the hair will get snagged in the brush. So you see, the shape of the brush does matter. I prefer a narrow, rectangular brush with 6 rows of bristles as opposed to an oval one. How you hold the brush can make a difference too.

Brushing will bring out static but you can eliminate a lot of that this way: follow each brush stroke with the palm of your other hand. The brush is the plus (+) and your hand is the minus (-).