Have you considered using a boar bristle brush for natural hair? It might sound pretty rebellious because it breaks some of the cardinal rules of natural hair.
It’s confusing to think about adopting a brush into your regimen, especially when you’ve heard mixed messages about brushing. Remember the age-old adage of brushing your hair 100 strokes a day? Is there any truth to it or is it a complete myth?
In this article, you’ll find out all about boar bristle brushes so you can decide whether to include them in your routine. Keep reading if you want to know whether boar brushes are good or bad for natural hair.
Best Boar Bristle Brushes
What is a Boar Bristle Brush?
This unique brush is made of porous bristles, sheared from the bellies of boars. Women have been using them since the 1800s to promote hair growth and increase shine.
How do you know which boar brushes are the best? Check the color of the bristles. The ends of boar bristles are blond, and they’re attached to a natural wooden base.
You’ll find that the amount of softness and density vary for each brush, and the lengths of the actual bristles change too.
Boar bristles are porous and natural, and ideal for brushing human hair. Sometimes the boar brush bristles are mixed with nylon, but this cheaper plastic material can cause static and breakage. The best brushes are 100% pure boar bristle.
Why Use a Boar Bristle Brush?
Brushing with a boar bristle brush is one of the best things you can do if you want longer, shinier hair. Doing at least 50 strokes each night will help to stimulate the scalp and increase blood flow. It will also coat your strands with your own natural oils.
However, the boar bristle brush is not to be used for detangling and styling. You should always detangle your hair with a wide-tooth comb or your fingers before beginning, and never use it on wet hair.
Instead, use the boar bristle brush strictly for stimulating growth, distributing oils, closing the cuticles, and cleansing the hair.
You may want to use different brushes during your brushing session. You could opt to begin with a hard boar bristle brush, and end with a soft brush, but it’s good to experiment which softness works best in your hair.
You’ll probably want a brush with long bristles, as it will be easier to get the brush through your kinks and curls.
You’ll see recommendations for which boar bristle brush to use for your natural hair below.
Boar Bristle Brush Benefits
Brushing your natural hair with a boar bristle brush has several benefits. Here’s a list of the most helpful:
- Promotes Hair Growth. Brushing helps to exfoliate the scalp and unclog the hair follicles, resulting in increased hair growth.
- Makes Hair Shinier. Regular brushing will help to close the cuticles and lay them down. The hair will feel smoother and look shinier.
- Cleanses Hair and Scalp. Brushing allows you to draw dirt, lint, and other debris away from the scalp and out of the hair. You’ll experience improved scalp health, and conditions like itchy scalp could even retreat entirely.
- Less Breakage. If you’re curly, your natural sebum probably has trouble traveling the full length of the strand. Brushing helps to move and distribute the natural oils on to the hair instead of storing them on the scalp.
How to Comb Black Hair Without Breaking it
If you’re wondering how to detangle your hair without breaking it, it’s essential to start with the tips and work your way upward to the root.
You should also gently detangle with your fingers first so you can feel for potential problems. Unravel knots with your fingers, and then move to a wide-toothed comb if you’d like.
If you come across an impossible tangle, try applying a quarter size of conditioner onto the knot, and then untangling it. If the knot still doesn’t budge, snip it with a pair of sharp hair shears.
Should I comb my hair back or forward? If you want volume, you can try bending at the waist and comb your hair forward.
However, combing methods are not to be confused with brushing techniques. Combing is for detangling and styling. Brushing is for stimulating the scalp, distributing oils, cleansing the hair of debris, and closing the cuticle for shinier hair.
Always detangle your curls with a comb before you brush. Detangling with a brush will cause breakage, and you’ll sabotage your efforts to have long hair.
Also note that you should detangle with a comb on wet hair, but only brush on dry hair.
How to Use a Boar Bristle Brush
First, you’ll want to break in your new brush by using it on your scalp only. That way, you can coat the brush with your natural oils before moving on to your more fragile hair.
You’ll find the most oil at the nape of the neck, and it is good to begin your nightly brushing routine there. There are tons of sebaceous glands at the neck, all containing a good amount of natural sebum to distribute to the ends.
You can also use a leave-in conditioner or penetrative oil on the brush bristles for increased hair health and manageability.
Follow these steps:
- Part your hair into two sections for better control and organization.
- Bend over at the waist with unlocked knees and brush your hair from the nape and down the length of your hair, toward the floor.
If you try to force the hair in one direction all at once, you may end up with several knots. Be careful when switching directions and facing the floor. Avoid tangles as you turn upside down by guiding the hair to change directions in a controlled manner, little by little.
Brushing with your head toward the floor will help to increase blood circulation and send nutrients to the scalp. This stimulation of the scalp will promote blood flow and hair growth.
- Run your hand over your hair after each stroke to prevent static from building.
- Continue brushing. If you encounter tangles, do not try to brush them out, or it could end in breakage. Instead, use your fingers to detangle gently, and then continue brushing.
When you finish brushing the back of your head, you can either keep brushing forward, or you can stand up and brush the remainder of your hair backward.
Wondering how to clean a boar bristle brush? Cleaning the brush is vital to the health of your hair. If you don’t clean it regularly, you’ll be redistributing the same debris that you’d removed from the hair.
Use shampoo and warm water to clean the bristles of the brush about once per week. You can use a toothpick or a toothbrush if the lint and residue are hard to get out. Avoid getting the wooden base wet, or you might warp or harm the wood.
Curious where to buy boar hairbrushes? Online at Amazon is always a good deal, and you’ll be able to see a full selection and look at honest reviews.
My favorite is this
which is made from a special wild boar from the mountains of Tibet. The handle is hand-crafted in Germany.Brush for at least 50 strokes per day, and you’ll likely see much improvement with shine, elasticity, and strength. You may even find that the brush helps to elongate and smoothen your curls as it works to condense the cuticles.
Your scalp health will improve, and you’ll love your more polished look.
Now, it’s your turn to discuss. Have you tried the boar bristle brush for natural hair, and if so, did it work for you?
Hey Curl Friend, I’m Patrina Haupt the creator and author of Natural Hair Queen. I hope you find my healthy hair care tips helpful in your hair journey. Healthy hair care practices are definitely, what helped me to achieve waist length hair.
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