By: Carmella Burdette
There is an abundance of brushes in the hair industry. If you’ve ever wondered why, I’m
here to answer your questions. My name is Carmella and I am a stylist at Elements of Style in
Eldersburg, Maryland; and I am here to pass my knowledge on to you. Now let’s get into it!
First thing I want to talk about is damage from brushing your hair. Have you ever noticed, when brushing, the amount of stress it creates on your hair while trying to untangle those pesky knots? One way to avoid that unnecessary strain on your hair, is by using a WET brush. A wet brush provides flexible bristles and a bendy design that is tough enough to get through unwanted knots, but gentle enough to avoid further damage to the hair strands.
Another way you can avoid breakage from brushing is by only using a wide tooth comb or the new technology of a WET brush on wet hair. It is also extremely encouraged to use a detangler. Redken’s One United or Pureology’s Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray are two amazing options that you can find right in our salon. When you start the detangling process, it is best to start from the bottom couple inches of your hair and work your way up to the highest point of your head. This ensures the tangles are coming out of the hair rather than being pushed to the bottom and creating split ends with the fight to release the knots.
If you choose to use a plastic bristled brush, only use it on DRY hair. These bristles are very hard and can get stuck in the tangles and again, create tension on the hair and breakage. You could also detangle your hair prior to shampooing, so you have a knot-free canvas to work on while shampooing and in the end have less knotting.
At this point you’re basically going to be a professional at detangling and preventing breakage by hair brushing. So, let’s move into styling brushes!
I’m sure everyone has heard of a round brush especially paired with a blow dryer. But what type of round brush is perfect for you? A natural bristled brush is perfect for curly hair. Lots of texture, frizz, seems unmanageable. It created a nice smooth finish without any of the hard bristles tugging your hair. Natural bristle brushes also help to create shine in the hair and give it an overall naturally beautiful look.
Oval-shaped brushes are a little less talked about. They are perfect for that individual that wants to see some extra volume. They are shaped perfectly to lift the root just a little bit higher than a regular round brush, and they have the extra curvature to really dive and push that hair to the heavens.
Large round brushes are perfect for people with a high density of hair, or longer length. It has the ability to hold more hair and smooth it out without having to take tiny sections and hours of time. Smaller round brushes are perfect for shorter hair. They can grab the entire length of the hair and lift it up or smooth it back in any fashion that you desire.
Vented brushes are another great way to save time while blow dry styling your hair. The can hold a lot more hair and smooth out the frizz and texture to give you a straight and smooth style with your blow dryer.
The last brush I’m going to talk about is our beloved square styling brushes. If you have stopped into Elements of Style you are probably familiar with this specific brush that is widely used by most of our stylist. You can create just about any look with these styling brushes. The best part about these brushes is that they are made of negative minerals. Why is this important? Well, water in wet hair is positive, so when you take the blow dryer the negative and positive it pulls the moisture out of the hair rather than burning it out of the hair as it would when using a regular round brush and blow dryer. This increases shine and prevents and decreases damage. The squared edges on them are give you enough tension to create a perfected smooth, sleek look. A round brush on a round surface (the head) makes it very difficulty to grasp the hair, but the square brush on a round surface allows more tension and more hair to be held by the brush. Although square, the brushes have enough curvature to give you the option to curl the brush around your damp hair and dry it while continuously turning the brush for those beautiful Victoria’s Secret curls. The possibilities are endless.
Hopefully this article has helped give you a better understanding of the different types of brushes and what they are used for, and you can carry on this knowledge to give yourself that beautiful salon hair right in the comfort of your home!
Check out all of the amazing products and brushes mentioned above on our website or right here in the salon!
An Elements of Style Blog 