Will a £395 hairbrush made from boar bristles transform your hair? (2025) (original) (raw)

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STROKES OF GENIUS UNDER A TENNER HAIRBRUSH CLEANING 101

Like cleaning your teeth or washing your pits, brushing your hair is a beauty basic. It’s so pedestrian that often we do it on autopilot. And yet brushing your hair well can pay dividends. Think stronger, shinier hair. It seems our grandmothers, who advocated 100 strokes a day, were on to something, and I for one am reaping the benefits of rediscovering my hairbrush.

Sisley’s Hair Rituel brand director Florence Maraval is passionate about brushing, saying it ‘stimulates the scalp and boosts micro-circulation, allowing the hair to get all the nutrients needed for strong growth’. It also, she says, ‘eliminates impurities, thus allowing hair to capture and reflect the light’. (By impurities she means dirt, excess product and, in my case, crumbs of Weetabix.) Lastly, she adds, ‘brushing spreads sebum to the lengths of your hair: for better protected, less dry, glossier hair’.

While ‘spreading sebum’ might sound gross, transferring oils from the scalp to the rest of your hair to soften and condition makes total sense. Why pay for serums when we produce this natural glosser?

Helping us to enjoy the rewards of brushing is a slew of new and revived status brushes, so called because of their eye-watering cost. Brands are selling them as investment purchases, and they are indeed beautifully designed, with ergonomic handles and, in many cases, boar bristles. Maraval says these bristles are superior because ‘the composition is similar to that of our own hair: keratin. This respects the quality of the hair, providing gentle detangling and immediate shine.’ She is quick to point out the boar bristles are collected in a humane manner and are cruelty free.

My favourite brushes (see below) include Sisley’s The Brush, which uses boar hair, as does influencer favourite La Bonne Brush and ultra-luxe Altesse. For most of us the original premium brush brand is, of course, Mason Pearson, and online reviews abound with customers raving about the longevity of the brushes. ‘I bought one 40 years ago and it’s still used,’ says one woman: ‘It’s had two new sets of bristles.’ The repair services commonly offered by these brands mean the brushes are sustainable and, if you keep them a lifetime, cost-effective.

Other brands I rate? YS Park – every hairdresser I know uses its brushes – and Manta, a gentle detangler that, for me, is up there with the OG wet brush Tangle Teezer. Despite being rejected by Dragon’s Den judges, it has just been sold to Bic for £165 million. Proof, if you needed it, that brushes are back.

Mason Pearson extra boar-bristle brush, £198.30, masonpearson.com

British-made, the design of this small brush has barely changed since the 1920s and can be repaired at reasonable cost at the brand’s factory.

YS Park G-Series brush, £59.94, chrisandsons.co.uk

This pro favourite brand is made with high-quality boar bristles.

Altesse Prestige hairbrush, £395, altesse-studio.com

Using first-cut boar bristles, this 100 per cent handmade brush has its own box and can be mongrammed, as well as repaired free for life.

Sisley The Brush, £90, sisley-paris.com

A jet-set favourite thanks to its defrizzing and shine-boosting qualities.

Manta Original, £30, mantahair.com

This is my all-time favourite detangling brush. Ultra gentle, it glides through wet or dry hair.

La Bonne Brosse No1 The Universal hairbrush, £138, labonnebrosse.co.uk

Calling its products a ‘timeless luxury accessory’, this French-made brush comes in an array of bright colours.

STROKES OF GENIUS

After researching different brushing techniques, Sisley’s laboratories have found that it is possible to prevent hair loss and breakage by first brushing from the ends of strands, then working up the lengths towards the scalp.

UNDER A TENNER

Kent paddle brush, £9, boots.com

Not keen on shelling out hundreds of quid for a brush? Try this small beechwood number by British heritage brand Kent. Ideal for short and shoulder-length hair, its non-scratch nylon prongs stimulate the scalp while its boar bristles cause minimal stress to strands. It also fits neatly into your handbag.

HAIRBRUSH CLEANING 101

Anabel Kingsley, brand president of Philip Kingsley, reveals how to keep your brush in tiptop condition:

• Remove hair from brush using fingers or a comb.
• Mix shampoo with warm water in the sink and submerge your brush, leaving it to soak for ten minutes (unless it is wooden, in which case a quick dip will do).
• Using an old toothbrush, scrub between the prongs.
• Rinse well, shake out excess water and leave to dry for 24 hours.
• Repeat cleaning routine every two to four weeks.

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Author: Rubie Ullrich

Last Updated: 2025-02-12T23:55:07+07:00

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