Okay, I finally bought myself a much needed BBB from Ulta for 10 bucks..

I was worried about it earlier that it might hurt on the scalp!

I came home and tried it.
The brush didn't even touch my scalp...but now that its not touching..I am worried again..

I normally used a $2 comb from a local grocery store..and when I combed through, it would touch my scalp and that felt very relaxing. I am under the impression that when you comb, the comb touching your scalp kind of provides a massage and in turn stimulates your follicles and results in better hair growth.

I even tried bending on the side and combing my hair, but I can barely feel the brush on the other side :!:

It kind of feels like an incomplete hair-comb.. :(

Did any of you experience that? or do I need to get another brush :?:

:ponder:
Pria

that's my experience with BBB too. Either my hair is too thick or my preference for brushing is different. I like to have a brush go all the way through to my scalp and down the length. Otherwise, I feel like I'm getting the surface and leaving the tangles underneath.

It might be the brand you bought. Some say the more expenive brushes work better, but I'm not about to spend $75 and up on a brush I've never seen and felt.

I have 2 BBB brushes, both from Sally's for under $10. One has longer, stiffer bristles than the other and reaches to my scalp. The other has shorter, softer bristles, and doesn't.

it's not so much the price, but the bristle quality, length and stiffness. When you buy another brush make sure the bristles are more stiff and longer.

Yes... stiffer, longer bristles... maybe even a boar-nylon combination would be better for you.

There are also the Denman nylon brushes, depending upon your reason for using it.

BBB are really good at distributing oils (natural or otherwise) down your length. The Denman nylon brushes are great for generally "fine-combing" your hair. I have a D3. Sally's usually carries those at a good price.

Woo hoo! I"m getting dizzy... :shocked: Candy-Striped Denmans!!!
http://www.denman-us.com/Denmanbrush/Candy.htm

I prefer seamless combs for everyday use. :)

Pria,

BBB's are not meant for massaging the scalp in general. They would not penetrate any type of hair to reach the scalp. They are mainly used for distributing the oils from roots to tip, finishing off the brushing, giving hair a shiny look etc. If you are looking for scalp massage then Denman is really good. Many here use them and have given wonderful reports!

Okay, I finally bought myself a much needed BBB from Ulta for 10 bucks..
[...]
I came home and tried it.
The brush didn't even touch my scalp...but now that its not touching..I am worried again..

I normally used a $2 comb from a local grocery store..and when I combed through, it would touch my scalp and that felt very relaxing. I am under the impression that when you comb, the comb touching your scalp kind of provides a massage and in turn stimulates your follicles and results in better hair growth.

Yup, yup, yup. That was my experience with BBB, too. I decided I don't have any use for them, because distributing oils down my length usually makes my hair look like a grease helmet up around my scalp. And I find it jarring not to have my scalp touched at all, too.

My solution? I put my BBB back in the closet and only use my combs. Well, and my denman brush. I :love: it! If I use it with a firm hand, I can get a serious scratchin' for my itchy scalp. If i use it lightly, it feels pretty much like a multi-row comb going through my hair.

Cheers,
Jonobie

Depending on your hair texture, you may or may not want the boar bristles to penetrate your scalp.

If your hair is fine, fragile, or damaged at all, you do want a soft boar bristle brush. Other boar bristles with stiff, firm bristles will penetrate to the scalp but might prove too rough for your hair if it is fine, fragile or damaged. However, if your hair is in pretty good condition, normal textured or thick textured, you could use a stiff boar bristle brush or a boar, nylon mix brush.


Like Sandhya said, the boar bristles are mainly to distribute oil from root to tips. If your hair can take a firmer bristle brush, the boar/nylon mixtures or a stiff bristled boar brush feel great on the scalp and can stimulate the hair follicles for growth. These also distribute oil really well.

If you find that stiff boar bristles and boar/nylon mixtures are too rough on the actual hair and cause splits and breakage, you have another option. You can massage your scalp and comb to stimulate the scalp and hair follicles. Then take your soft bristles boar brush and gently brush one to five strokes from root to tip to spread natural oils. I usually do this because stiff boar bristles and boar/nylon mixs are too rough on my hair. However, I can use the Mason Pearson Popular boar/nylon mixture too. It is gentler than most mixed bristle brushes and really penetrates the scalp like a massage.

It is important to get a quality boar bristle brush. You don't always have to spend a lot of money. Denman and Spornette make reasonably priced ones that are good. For soft bristle brushes, Phillips makes some great ones that truly are gentle and well-made and retail at Sally's for around $9.

Yet, I have found that for stiff boar bristles or nylon/boar mixtures, you may have to spend more to get quality. I have found that most cheaper boar/nylon mixs are rough. The expensive Mason Pearson Popular is a lot gentler than most boar/nylon mixtures. I recommend all Mason Pearson brushes. They truly feel great on the scalp. The Mason Pearson Sensitive pure boar bristle is a great soft bristle brush that still penetrates the scalp slightly. The Mason Pearson pure boar bristle has great scalp penetration but is still relatively gentle.

Kent also makes great brushes but they are all very stiff. I found them too stiff for overall brushing. They would be better for scalp only brushing. I even have an expensive handmade Kent brush. It is a beautiful work of art but I can only use it for scalp brushing. The bristles are so stiff that no matter how gentle I am, it catches on my hair and breaks it.

I hope that this helps.

Here is my rantings about hair brushing from a previous with some great suggestions:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/viewtopic.php?p=22095&highlight=#22095

Since that time I got a Kent ST12 pur BBB, which Cinnamon Hair mentions and that brush is beautiful on my hair but does not penetrate to my scalp and it is not meant to. So I guess to do both scalp and length, I would either need two brushes or the ideal mixed brush that would do both or give up trying to brush my hair.

So obviously I opted for the last options and decided to "put a lid on" my desire to brush my hair. :)

Don't forget Fuller brushes - highest quality, American made. I love my soft BBB from them. I have fine hair and wouldn't trust a brush all the way to the scalp. It's great for oil dist. and smoothing hair for do's. And I do get some scalp penetration. Usually around $30, also on ebay for less. Love Fuller!

Another brush recommendation:
I love my JP (http://www.jean-pierre-creations.com/) Prestige BBB - very stiff bristles that almost feel like nylon and penetrate my hair all the way to the scalp. I do have thin hair though, thouse with thicker hair might like a nylon/BB mix better, to massage and distribute oils at the same time.

hmmm..okay...
well I have pretty much..meduim and oily hair. I don't think I should be very much worried about spreading oil through the length of my hair. I bought the brush, because many here said that those cheap combs damage the hair...so I wanted something to replace those...
So I guess Deman's is the way to go..
also another question..I noticed some of you mentioned "Sally's".
Is that online or a shop I can walk into?


Thanks a lot for all your comments... :love:
Pria.

Ooooh Sally's.. THE place for hair.. :D
It's an actual place you can walk into! The full name is
Sallys Beauty Supply

I think they have a website too. I have one 5 minutes from me. I love their store. I have to stay out of their tho, or I would be more broke then I already am from just wanting everything in there!!! :D

well I have pretty much..meduim and oily hair. I don't think I should be very much worried about spreading oil through the length of my hair.

pria, BBB is mostly used to spread the sebum to the end of hair.

here you go. http://www.sallybeauty.com use the store locator to find the nearest one to you. i found mine last month :D

Pria,

I think the trick is to get a good STIFF bbb. I have a Mason Pearson that is good and stiff, but also a much cheaper one I got at Sally Beauty Supply. It's the Spornette #65. It costs about $7 I think. It came in an open bin, so I just felt the bristles on each one, and bought the stiffest one I could find.

I have a Denman D3 (or maybe it's 3D) that I like. It detangles and massages well, but the Spornette will detangle and brush the full length also, and with a small amount of pressure, will easily reach and massage the scalp as well. My hair is very fine and mostly straight, and it does well with any of the three I mentioned, the MP, the Spornette, or the Denman.

Good luck to you. I hope you find a brush (or two or three) that you really like.

Deborah

Okay there are many near my house..thanks a lot smiles for the link..
:)

Man I am totally enjoying my time, since I have joined this group..

I went to ULTA for the first time day before yesterday..to get a nice brush..
and the moment I walked in..I probably had a an expression that a 5 yr old has when he sees Mickey at disney..... :shock:
I was like "Wow!! I am in Heaven!"

The only place I shopped for my cosmetics was a local grocery store or samsclub...so it was a pleasant suprise..

but I must say ULTA was very expensive as compared to both the other places.. :no
I compared a few things, I knew about...
for eg, fructis garnier shampoo,
walmart - $2.78 something.
local grocery store - $3.68 something
ULTA - $4.50 something..

and that Infusium leave-in
grocery store (small bottle) - $6.78 something
SAMSCLUB (real big bottle, probably 3 times the quantity - $6.78 something..

Yep SAMSCLUB is that cheap..

Thanks again everyone for sharing your experiences and wonderful suggestions..

aahh well I must now add Sally's to my list..
Sally's here I come...

:P
Pria

Ooh, you'll have a blast! Now WHAT is Ulta?????

The brush didn't even touch my scalp...

Ooohhh!!! Pria!!! I just glanced at your hair pictures...

Your hair is gorgeous!!! :shock:

No wonder your BBB won't go through it... :D

I think you might really like the Madora wide-toothed comb. I don't see that brushing is necessary, unless you just want to.

Okay, I finally returned that BBB to ULTA and visited Sally's.

Must say, it was not the prettiest place but has a wide variety of hair stuff you could ever think of. When I went to the hair brush aisle..I was confused :?

There were more than 30 different kinds of brushes to choose from!!
Well thanks to all your suggestions and tips, I bought myself a Denman brush. It was on sale too.. ;)

Its huge (they didn't have a small one!). but I like the feel of it..
I am definitely gonna keep it. :P

But now I am faced with another question

When do ppl use a comb and when a brush. What are the two used for :?:

Thanks a lot,
Pria.

and on wet hair. I personally like a wooden comb since it helps to distribut oils as well, but some ppl find it too stiff.

The BBB is more for oil distribution and to give the hair gloss. I use mine nightly and it keeps my hair very moisturized, but I know this does not work for everyone.

Have fun experimenting.

One thing I noticed hasn't been mentioned - natural blonde (light) boar bristles are very soft, and won't penetrate any hair but a baby's. Naturally dark brown boar bristles are stiffer, and my dark BBB penetrates to my scalp. I have no idea what brand it is, I got it a long time ago and it doesn't say - but it was inexpensive, has a natural polished wooden handle (wooden is best for low static), and has dark bristles which are about 1.5 or 2 inches long.

[...] has a natural polished wooden handle (wooden is best for low static) [...]

I'm wondering if anyone here actually confirmed that. I've read it over and over again, but now that I actually have a huge problem with static (experimenting with different routines that are not perfect yet) I found my rubber cushioned BBB to cause much less static than my BB on wood brush.

I'm wondering if anyone here actually confirmed that. I've read it over and over again, but now that I actually have a huge problem with static (experimenting with different routines that are not perfect yet) I found my rubber cushioned BBB to cause much less static than my BB on wood brush.

Well, I know for certain that brushes with plastic handles are terrible for conducting static. I'm not certain about the static-producing properties of plain wood vs. rubber - I'd be interested in hearing people's experiences with this....

April

with a wooden base/handle. I rarely get static unless I don't use my other hand to follow behind the brush. According to GM this reduces static.

HTH!