Before going no-poo, I didn't have a clue about hairbrushes. I'd used the same style of nylon-bristle Denman hairbrush for years and it had been fine. It detangled well, and... well, isn't that all a hairbrush is for?
No, as it turns out.
The words 'Boar Bristle Brush' (BBB) seem to be synonymous with the no-poo method. But why? What's all the fuss about? And what about nylon bristles, wooden bristles, and mixed medium brushes?
Well, after a lot of research, I found what works for me, and that's what I'm going to share with you.
So. The thing about going no-poo, no matter which method you choose, is that it eventually regulates our scalp's sebum production. Once we ditch the shampoo, proper brushing will first help us through the initial transition period, and then help to maintain clean hair between washes, as well as condition our hair naturally, once transition is over.
The best brush for this, I've found, is a boar bristle brush. As the name suggests, the bristles are made from boar hair, a hair that is very similar in substance and structure to our own hair, but coarser. Because of this, BBBs will pick up the sebum from our scalp and move it down the hair shaft, conditioning each hair from root to tip.
Brushing is essential for no-pooers, because without it, it would be very difficult to move the sebum from the scalp down through the hair, and that equates to a greasy, clumpy, icky mess at the roots. Not pretty. Plus it can really mess with your resolve to keep going!
Now, you'll probably know that there are a couple of types of BBBs - pure boar bristle, and a boar and nylon mix. What's the difference, and which should you use?
Some people advocate pure boar bristle, and maintain that nylon bristles aren't good for the hair. But Mason Pearson, the company that makes the 'Rolls Royce' of hairbrushes and who many maintain are the authority on them, make a pure nylon hairbrush for those with very thick hair, suggesting that a quality nylon hairbrush is just fine.
Still, my preference is the boar bristle brush, because it distributes those natural oils. I actually have both types, but up until very recently, I only owned the pure boar bristle brush. It is a Denman D82L, for anyone who's interested, and is an excellent substitute for the more expensive Mason Pearson. The bristles are closely packed, and there are lots of them. I have thick hair, and when I brush it with the pure BBB, I find that it doesn't get all the way through to my scalp without applying not a little pressure. Instead, I have to spend a lot of time brushing the underside of my hair, and then the top layer after that.
I think the pure BBB is great for those with thin to medium hair, or those who don't mind taking a lot of time to brush and distribute those oils. But another option for those with thick hair is the nylon and boar bristle mix.
The nylon bristles stand proud of the shorter boar bristles, and help to penetrate through thick hair, to the scalp. Both sets of bristles work together to pick up the hair, and the boar bristles still coat each hair with natural sebum. Of course, as there are fewer boar bristles, it will take a longer period of time to move the oils down. Also, some find the nylon bristles to be a little scratchy on the scalp. So with these pros and cons, the type of brush you use really is down to your own preference.
All boar bristle brushes can cause static in the hair. I don't really have a problem with this, but it's very easy to tackle this issue; just scrunch your hair lightly after brushing, or pat it lightly to get rid of the static.
Another thing about BBBs is that they are not used to detangle the hair. In fact, if you use a BBB on knotty, tangled hair, chances are that it it will actually cause damage, breaking any dry or brittle hair. Rather, hair needs to be detangled first.
To detangle hair, I use one of two things: a wide-toothed comb, or a wooden bristle paddle brush.
I was using a wide-toothed plastic comb for the first few weeks and it worked absolutely fine. It need to be wide-toothed to minimise damage. I bunched my hair together and started at the tips, slowly working up to the roots until all tangles were gone. But I wasn't really that keen on using plastic in my hair, and I'd heard that wooden bristles also help distribute oil down the hair shaft. So I bought a wooden paddle brush, and now use that prior to working on it with my BBB.
In addition to conditioning the hair, boar bristle brushes give the scalp a lovely massage in the process. When you can feel your scalp tingling, it means that there is increased blood flow to the hair follicles, which can stimulate hair growth.
So for me, brushing with a BBB is win-win all round; I love them, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them!
How about you? What kind of brush do you find works best for you?
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