Brushes, Combs, and Styling Implements Notes

Brushes, Combs, and Styling Implements

Brushes

  • Great tools and products make it easier to achieve your style vision, helping you succeed as a hairdresser.
  • Choosing the right tool and product for the job starts with understanding the role of different styling implements and materials.
  • Assembling a brush arsenal for your needs can be daunting due to the many choices for each type.

Bent Brush

  • Speeds up drying time due to the vented brush head.
  • Creates more natural styles because they do not force the hair into any specific shape.
  • Good for pre-drying to dry the roots.

Edging Brush

  • Small brush with nylon bristles or boar hairs.
  • Used to smooth edges and create baby hairs after applying edge control.

Wet and Dry Brush

  • Has a pneumatic or air-cushioned pad.
  • Designed to form to the shape of the head while brushing to help with detangling.
  • Relieves pressure on the hair, preventing too much tension.

Styling Brush

  • Classic styling brush with a half-rounded head.
  • Has a bevel when viewed from the side.
  • Features a rubber pad for cushioning grip.
  • Typically has nine rows of rounded tip nylon pins.
  • Heat resistant and antistatic.
  • Ideal for styling precision haircuts and providing control.
  • Good for creating bevels for bobs and cleaning up graduated haircuts due to the tension it provides.

Paddle Brush

  • Has a large flat base with a pneumatic cushion pad.
  • Well-suited for mid-length or long hair.
  • Features ball-tipped nylon bristles staggered in pattern to enhance grip and prevent snagging.
  • The go-to brush for smooth flat blowouts.
  • Can be used on all wave patterns to smooth highly textured hair's cuticle layer.

Oval Grooming Brush

  • Generally oval with a mix of boar bristles and nylon pins.
  • Boar bristles help distribute the scalp's oils and groom the cuticle.
  • Nylon pins help the bristles gently penetrate the hair.
  • Particularly suited for fine to medium textured hair.
  • Achieves smooth flat styles with highly textured hair.

Round Brush

  • Comes in a variety of diameters.
  • Choose the diameter based on the desired finished curl result, and the length and texture of the client's hair.
  • Small round brush can curl the hair.
  • Large round brush generally smooths, adds volume, and bevels the hair ends.
  • The cylindrical base can be wood, metal, or ceramics.
  • Bristles can be nylon, boar, or a combination of both.
  • Ceramic brushes heat up while blow-drying to help smooth the cuticle.

Detangling Brush

  • Helps reduce pressure on the hair and scalp, minimizing damage and split ends.
  • Good for men's cuts with short hair.

Teasing Brush

  • Slender nylon and natural bristle brushes.
  • Has a tail for sectioning and a narrow row of bristles, pins, or both.
  • Designed for back brushing hair.
  • Tips and sides are ideal for smoothing the hair's surface into a finished style.

Brush Condition

  • Frequently checking your brush's condition is essential to your styling quality and hair health.
  • If brushes feel rough, snag the hair, or no longer grip the hair as they once did, replace them.
  • Damaged bristles can cause split ends.
  • Look for:
    • Missing one or more rounded balls on the tips.
    • Melted or missing nylon bristles.
    • Cracked rubber pads.
    • Hair snagging at the base or tip of the round brush.
    • If two to three rounded balls are missing, discard the brush.

Combs and Picks

  • Distribute and lift the hair.
  • Come in a variety of sizes and shapes to help adapt to any styling option.
  • Poorly made combs can snag and break the hair and scratch the scalp.
  • Purchase only professional combs that are static-free and heat-resistant with a seamless polished finish.
  • Heat-resistant combs are used to protect the client's scalp when curling by placing them behind the curling iron.

Cutting Combs

  • Also known as all-purpose combs.
  • Finely comb each cutting section and styles hair.
  • One end has close-set teeth, and one end has wider spaced teeth for versatility and styling control.
  • Ideal for finger waving, detangling, parting, and sectioning wet hair.

Feather Comb

  • Tools used in finishing a style and produce different looks.
  • Available in different lengths, sizes, materials, and teeth variations.
  • Those with shorter teeth and teeth spaced farther apart will remove less curl than longer tooth feathered combs.
  • Classifications include rake comb, claw comb, and long tail feathered comb.

Pick

  • Used to lift and fluff curly or coily hair.

Wide Tooth Comb

  • The preferred choice for thicker or curly hair or even wet hair.
  • Used to detangle large sections of hair.

Rat Tail Comb (Tail Comb)

  • Precisely parts and sections the hair and serves as a styling tool.
  • The comb's tail can offer protection for the client during thermal styling by placing it close to the client's scalp to serve as a barrier between the scalp and the heat source.
  • Tail combs are usually available with a steel tail, which can be used during highlighting color services. (Note: the book advises against using metal during highlighting services due to the risk of scratching the scalp.)

Teasing Combs

  • Come in various designs.
  • Generally have a tail to cleanly part the hair.
  • Alternating short and long teeth design can create a cushion at the base of the hair and provide lift.
  • Good for back brushing and getting a good cushion for styling.

Clips and Clamps

  • Used to secure the hair to the head while styling or cutting.

Clips for Short to Medium Length Hair

  • (Example shown on the left in the video)

Duckbill Clips

  • For longer hair.

Crocodile Clips

  • Have a hinge that conforms to the round of the head, providing a better hold.