Hairbrush Classifications
Hairbrushes have different classifications. Hairbrushes also have special purposes and features, making certain ones better for creating specific hairstyles. Knowing your hair type is beneficial in choosing a hairbrush. Depending on your hair type, the effects of brushing will be different. For example, curly hair, when brushed, will typically expand while straight hair will look smoother. A boar bristle hairbrush will excel at personal hygiene and adding shine, while a paddle brush will be the best choice for taming frizzy hair conditions and brushing through a lot of hair fast. Hairbrushes can be classified by the following characteristics, shape, bristle density, bristle firmness and purpose. Continue reading to find out more about hairbrushes.
| Hairbrush Classification | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Description |
| Round | Bristles on all sides are characterized by a perfectly round brush head. Manufactured in various diameters. The go-to-brush for professional stylists |
| Oval Flat |
Bristles on one side characterized by an oval brush head and bristles mounted in a rubber cushion for flexibility. Used for general brushing and light styling. Manufactured in various oval sizes for adults and children |
| Oval Round |
Bristles on all sides of the brush head. Used for styling. Manufactured in various oval sizes |
| Oval Military | Brush is an oval shape brush head with no handle. Fits into the palm of your hand and used primarily when traveling due to it's compact size |
| Paddle | Bristles on one side with a large flat paddle-shaped head. Generally used for brushing lots of hair or taming frizzy hair conditions |
| Rectangle | Bristles on one side and brush head shaped in a flat rectangle. Generally special purpose for aiding in drying hair with nylon tipped bristles |
| Thin Rectangle | Bristles on one side with a very thin flat brush head consisting of 2 to 6 rows of bristles. Generally special purpose for teasing |
| Bristle Density | Description |
| Dense | Very densely packed bristles. Generally, most boar brushes have densely packed bristles |
| Medium | Bristles not as dense and not really wide-spaced. Fits in between dense and wide-spaced bristles. Generally, combination brush with nylon and boar bristles used to add shine and detangle at the same time |
| Wide | Wide-spaced bristles. Generally, wooden brushes or shampoo brushes |
| Bristle Firmness | Description |
| Soft | Soft bristles easily bendable for sensitive scalps. Second cut boar bristles |
| Medium | General purpose bristles in between soft and firm bristles |
| Firm | Bristles that are firm and less forgiving. Made of thicker, harder nylon, wood or first cut boar bristles |
| Purpose | Description |
| General brushing | Generally, has an oval brush head shape and used for adding shine and cleaning hair |
| Styling, curls and waves | Special purpose brush for adding curls and waves. The most common is the round or oval round-shaped brush head |
| Teasing | Special purpose brush for adding lots of volume. Generally, a thin rectangle shape with 2 rows of densely packed bristles |
| Detangling | Special purpose brush for detangling hair and removing knots. Generally brushes with either very flexible bristles or wide, less densely packed bristles. |
| Shampoo and Massage | Special purpose brush for aiding in distributing shampoo or giving a massage. Generally, small brushes fitting in the palm and has wide-spaced bristles made of a soft silicone |
Choose The Right Hairbrush
By knowing more about your hair you will be able to choose the right hairbrush for your hair type. In order to classify hair curl patterns, there are different systems. Knowing the hair type of an individual is a perfect starting place to learn how to take care of one’s hair. Also, many people may not know one can have more than one hair type. You are not limited to having just one hair type. It is common and very natural to have more than one type, such as possessing a combination of both curly types (Walker System) 3a and 3b.
| Hair Types According to the Andre Walker System | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hair Classifications | Thickness | Description |
| Type 1 Straight 1a | Fine/Thin | Soft hair that is thin, shiny, oily, not great at holding curls, difficult to damage |
| Type 1 Straight 1b | Medium | Has volume and body |
| Type 1 Straight 1c | Coarse | Very straight, coarse and difficult to curl |
| Type 2 Wavy 2a | Fine/Thin | Identified by an S pattern, easily straightened or cured, receptive to many hairstyles |
| Type 2 Wavy 2b | Medium | Tends to be frizzy and some resistant to styling |
| Type 2 Wavy 2c | Coarse | Coarse, frizzy or really frizzy with thicker waves and resistant to styling |
| Type 3 Curly 3a | Loose | Identified by an S pattern with a combination of thickness, volume and or frizzness |
| Type 3 Curly 3b | Tight | Identified by an S pattern with curls from spirals to corkscrew shapes |
| Type 4 Kinky 4a | Soft | Very wiry and fragile with tight coils and can have a distinctive curly pattern |
| Type 4 Kinky 4b | Wiry | Same as Type 4a Kinky but less defined pattern, more like a Z pattern with sharp angles |
When referring to hair as being ‘fine’, ‘medium’, or ‘coarse’, the meaning is that each hair is fine, medium, or coarse. Hair texture is determined by its circumference and the condition of the cuticle. Did you know fine hair has a small circumference and a closed cuticle, and coarse hair has a larger circumference with the cuticle being more open?
According to the Biophysics of Human Hair: Structural, Nanomechanical, and Nanotribological, "Human hair is a nanocomposite biological fiber. Maintaining the health, feel, shine, color, softness, and overall aesthetics of the hair is highly desired. Hair care products such as shampoos and conditioners, along with damaging processes such as chemical dyeing and permanent wave treatments, affect the maintenance and grooming process and are important to study because they alter many hair properties."
Hair having a more open cuticle will lead to the hair being more porous. It’s important to have some knowledge about hair texture due to it’s a determining factor in what looks you can achieve. For example, if you have hair that is naturally coarse or appears to be coarse because the cuticle is open and damaged, you cannot successfully achieve a sleek hairstyle.
| FIA Hair Classification | |
|---|---|
| Hair Classifications | Curl Pattern |
| Straight 1a | Straight |
| Straight 1b | Straight with a slight body wave adding volume |
| Straight 1c | Straight with body wave and 1 to 2 S waves at nape or temple |
| Wavy 2a | Loose with stretched S wave |
| Wavy 2b | Shorter S waves resembling braided damp hair |
| Wavy 2c | Distinct S wave and some spiral curling |
| Curly 3a | Big loose spiral curls |
| Curly 3b | Ringlets |
| Curly 3c | Tight corkscrews |
| Very Curly 4a | Tightly coiled S curls |
| Very Curly 4b | Z patterned, tightly coiled, sharply angled |
| Very Curly 4c | Majority of Z patterned tightly kinked and less definition |
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