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View Full Version : Why do you avoid brushes with balls on the tips?



lmfbs
July 19th, 2012, 08:23 PM
What do the balls do? Why does everyone recommend avoiding them? What sort of brush should you use instead?

domisimone
July 19th, 2012, 08:34 PM
I hear they snag the hair and rip it out. I've never had any problems with mine, but I stopped using it a month ago because I'm experimenting with finger detangling.

petali
July 19th, 2012, 08:39 PM
Yes, they cause breakage.

petali
July 19th, 2012, 08:40 PM
I forgot to add: brushing your hair makes splits travel furher up the hairshaft

Madora
July 19th, 2012, 08:44 PM
A natural boar bristle brush (no nylon) is the closest thing in nature that mimics your own hair.

It's HOW you use that bbb that makes all the difference.

GabrielleRose
July 19th, 2012, 08:47 PM
That makes me wonder if my brush could be causing more damage? I have one so maybe I should stop using it?

lmfbs
July 19th, 2012, 08:47 PM
I hear they snag the hair and rip it out. I've never had any problems with mine, but I stopped using it a month ago because I'm experimenting with finger detangling.


Yes, they cause breakage.

Yes, I hear they snag hair and rip it out, and cause breakage, but HOW? What is it about the balls that rips out your hair?


I forgot to add: brushing your hair makes splits travel furher up the hairshaft

Well, that's really dependent on hair type, the type of damage, the type of brush you use and the way you use it.

lmfbs
July 19th, 2012, 08:48 PM
A natural boar bristle brush (no nylon) is the closest thing in nature that mimics your own hair.

It's HOW you use that bbb that makes all the difference.


I have a BBB but I'm a wavy so only use it to smooth out my hair when doing an up-do or something, or if I'm just at home and want smooth (fluffy) hair.

Madora
July 19th, 2012, 08:51 PM
That makes me wonder if my brush could be causing more damage? I have one so maybe I should stop using it?

That depends on what type of brush you have. Is it pure bbb or is it bbb mixed with something else?

As I said before, the brush isn't the culprit, it is how you use the brush...and of course, you always detangle your hair before the brush touches your head.

elbow chic
July 19th, 2012, 08:53 PM
I think a lot depends on the quality of the brush. I've had some that were hair-rippers and some that weren't. Cheapie ones tend to be rippy! (I think because the balls are not well attached to the bristle, and hair gets snagged in the little gap, and RIIIP! Or because the plastic on the balls is of low quality and gets abraded over time, leaving a rough texture ripping thru your hair.)

I still use mine when I feel like it. the balls are smooth, well attached to the bristles and I don't believe it causes much more damage than my beloved, expensive seamless wide-tooth comb does. All detangling, washing, moving, and just existing wears hair out over time... it's a matter of your own good judgment on what's too much.

Arashi
July 19th, 2012, 08:57 PM
I believe what happens is that the hairs get snagged between the little area where the balls are attached to the plastic bristles. When I used to use the ball-tipped brushes, I also recall that the little balls on the end would fall off and those bristles would then be very sharp.

As for me, I use a wide-tooth wooden comb as it detangles my hair better, spreads oils through better, feels nicer in my hand, glides much more smoothly, and doesn't create static.

DarkSky
July 19th, 2012, 09:01 PM
I have to admit that my favourite brush (next to the tangle teezer) has balls on the end. It's this one from Sally's... http://www.sallybeauty.com/paddle-brush/HOOPLA01,default,pd.html. I call it my "magic clump maker". I use it to help distribute the my leave in conditioner and mousse through my already slippery and detangled hair before air drying. I have had no ill effects from it and I've been using it for years. I wouldnt use this brush to detangle though since the balls can get stuck.

lmfbs
July 19th, 2012, 09:03 PM
I usually use a comb too - I finger detangle then comb, but lately have been craving some scalp stimulation from a brush. Today I got a bodyshop brush with straight bristles, just so I can let my scalp get some stimulation. I can massage and scritch all I want but it's just not the same!

torrilin
July 20th, 2012, 06:26 AM
Yes, I hear they snag hair and rip it out, and cause breakage, but HOW? What is it about the balls that rips out your hair?.

Most ball tipped brushes I've seen have ball tips that are of a different material from the brush. Over time, the two materials will gradually deform and separate, so you get cracks and wrinkles at the edge of the ball. Those cracks and wrinkles will catch hair and cause damage. Eventually, the two materials separate enough that just running the brush through your hair is enough to dislodge the ball.

Next problem, most ball tipped brushes are injection molded from plastic. This means there are thin ridges at the mold edge. Just like on a plastic comb, those ridges can be sharp enough to cut or shred your hair, causing damage. Depending on where the mold edges are, there could be none of these near your hair, or lots.

Another common sort of ball tipped brush has bristles that are wedged into place, either on a flexible pad, or a small bristle anchors a larger one on a hard plastic surface. Hair can get caught between a bristle and the flexible pad, and hair can get caught between the small bristle and the larger one.

All of these issues are fairly small. If you tend to handle your hair gently, it's not going to make a huge day in and day out difference. My hair is really sensitive to mechanical damage, and I'm a finey so breakage is easy. Even so, a ball tipped brush does not cause enough damage that it can give me a ridiculously short false terminal of BSL or higher. It probably wouldn't interfere a lot with hitting hip even. But past that, I could see it causing trouble.

This does not mean all brushes are evil. It means if you're going for very long lengths, you may find that a typical plastic brush is not a good tool. But very long here is past waist, and probably past tailbone, not real world very long like BSL. If you poke around, you'll find that Denman brushes, boar bristle brushes and some wooden bristle brushes can all provide a more hair friendly brush experience.

Ultimately, I've mostly given up brushing. I *like* brushing. But I hate split ends more. And even a boar bristle brush leaves me with more split ends than I want. But I'm really whiny about splits to the point where most hair stylists think I'm freaking excessively.

ariesfairies
July 20th, 2012, 07:14 AM
I just came back from a video where the person was stating how evil bristle brushes were for splitting ends and that we should only use ball-tipped ones to stop it! :doh:

I'm more to believe the troop at LHC than her, but I wish to see the effects full on. Ball-tips are supposed to be good in their own way though, that is, they don't scrape the scalp and moreso massage it ever so slightly not to stress the roots to dismantle too early.

Either way, I HAVE switched from a ball-tip to a semi-BBB (too poor for a real one atm =P) and I am using it because I like how it de-tangles and de-puffs curly hair. All these warnings about brushing at all will cause split ends etc is just too much to handle - especially with curly hair, if I have to brush it, I have to brush it with any brush I have available because unfortunately I'll end up with dreads if I don't :shrug:

You balance out your pros and cons with the brush. And if you end up even, you're experimenting or believing the popular LHC opinion I suppose.