Hair Brushes...Selecting The Right One

The brush, when used properly, keeps hair untangled and more manageable. It is used for styling the hair and making it look healthy and beautiful. Hair brushes also promote hair growth and create strong, luscious locks. They also help evenly distribute the hairs natural oils, which are rich with proteins and nutrients.

There are a number of brushes on today's beauty market, each designed with a specific purpose in mind. All too often, women buy hairbrushes just because and put little thought into the type they purchase. Keep in mind there are all kinds of styles and you need the one that is best for your hair. Just because a brush is your favorite color or you saw one at your friends house doesn't mean its the brush for you! Buying the perfect hairbrush means creating perfect hair.

Here's a no-nonsense guide to the top three hair brushes on the market:

The round hair brush. This gives the hair curl, flair, layer, bounce and volume. If you have long, layered hair, you will benefit best from a round brush. There are two types of round brushes one with thick bristles and one with bristles that are less dense and spread over a metallic surface. The metal brush is much easier to use and styles hair more effectively. There is only thing to remember when you shop for a round brush the smaller the circumference of the hairbrush, the tighter the curl will be. The larger round brush creates excellent oomph and volume at the root of the hair and is best for long hair. Dolls with shorter hair should use a smaller round brush. Depending on the look you're going after, you may want to use two different sized round hairbrushes when you style your hair.

The paddle hair brush. This is excellent for straightening medium to long hair. A paddle, unlike a round brush, does not circulate air. It creates a flat surface so it can smooth as it strengthens and lengthens the hair. This is great for women who want that fabulous hippie-straight hair look made famous in the 1960s. The paddle hairbrush comes in several sizes, each designed for a specific length of hair. For example, women with shorter hair should use the smallest brush. With long hair, round hair brushes are often used in conjunction with the paddle brush to give curl to the ends.

The Vented hair brush. This has spaces in the center of the brush to create a sort of vent between the hair and the blow dryer. This is the most basic and simplest of brushes. When hot, vented air passes through the brush and hair, it dries the hair faster and makes it easier to blow-dry. These brushes also detangle the hair and boosts overall volume.

When it comes to buying a hair brush, women in ancient Greece or Rome weren't so lucky, ladies! The worlds earliest brushes were constructed of natural materials like shells, bones, coarse animal hair, porcupine quills, wood, bronze and copper. Yikes! Women are not the only ones who appreciate the value of a good brush, of course. Many of the worlds most dashing men use brushes to style their hair today. Even the Vikings, a bunch of the roughest, toughest men who ever lived, cared for their hair by using combs and brushes they made hundreds of years ago!  See our full selection of Professional Hair Brushes.