I currently have a cheapo nylon bristle plastic brush, I would
like something a bit less harsh. I have very thick
wavy hair. Would a boar bristle brush work for me,
or one of the combination boar+nylon? I want
something that will give me a good scalp brushing
but not as hard on the scalp as the nylon I have now.
I have a bit of a sensitive scalp.

I also have a brush made of small wooden pegs that is good
for the scalp but doesn't smooth and style my hair
well. I can't deal with plastic brushes that have "balls"
on the ends; those catch and pull out my hair.

Any rec's are welcome! Thanks in advance. :)

I have very thick
wavy hair... can't deal with plastic brushes that have "balls"
on the ends

I know zippo about thick wavy hair... but my guess would be that a BBB might not penetrate your hair unless the bristles are long and rather stiff.

A nylon/boar combo brush might be a good choice or one of the nylon Denmans D3 that don't have the balls on the ends. A BBB might not penetrate your hair unless the bristles are long and rather stiff.

http://www.ballbeauty.com/mphowto.htm

http://www.ballbeauty.com/dentrad.htm

I agree with rosepetal. Since i have 2b hair too, I use a boar bristle nylon combo as a plain boar bristle brush did not even touch my scalp.

Maybe try looking around www.jean-pierre-creations.com they even have a brush "finder" where you answer some questions and it picks the best brush for you. Even if you don't go with one of theirs, you'll have a better idea of what you need. (BTW, I have 2 of their brushes and they're great!)

Have you tried Denman brushes? They're nylon brushes that are *totally* smooth and don't have those little balls at the end. And they're great for scalp stimulation. Some people, though, find them too scratchy. I'm one of the ones that adores mine -- if I want light scalp stimulation, I brush lightly, and if I want a good scratchin', I can be more heavy handed.

They look like this:

http://www.aurel.com/Denmanbrush.jpg
(Image from http://www.aurel.com/allbrushes.html.)

You can find the D3's at most Sally's, or go to http://www.ballbeauty.com/denman.htm for -- they've got decent prices.

Cheers,
Jonobie

Maybe try looking around www.jean-pierre-creations.com they even have a brush "finder" where you answer some questions and it picks the best brush for you...

Thanks for the link Valerie, I was wondering where I had seen that Brush Wizard (http://www.jean-pierre-creations.com/bwizard2/brushwizard.asp?wizardid=251687800) quiz before! :P

I'm a 1c, and I'd have to say that while bbb's may be more gentle on my hair... they don't feel like they're getting through. So, I try to brush my hair as much as possible with my bbb, and then do a swish through with the regular nylon brush that DOES get through.

Thanks for all the advice and pointers! I will certainly
check them all out when I get home.