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The 5 Best Brushes For Thinning Hair, According To Experts
Whether you want volume or to detangle, these picks do the job while being ultra gentle on you hair and scalp.
When you're experiencing hair loss, something as simple as watching your everyday hairbrush accumulate strands can be a major source of stress. Using the right hair tools — which are often made with natural materials — can help curb shedding and give you more peace of mind. Bustle reached out to Nubia Rëzo, founder of Rëzo Salon in New York City, to learn what to look for when choosing the best brushes for thinning hair. Rëzo says, “For thinning hair, it is advised to use only gentle brushes. A soft bristle brush is convenient enough to detangle, but gentle enough to where it will not rip your hair out.”
What Kind Of Brush Should I Use For Thinning Hair?
For thinning hair that is fine to medium in texture, natural boar bristles are often recommended because they are among the softest bristle options available. “[Boar bristles] run through the hair without yanking the hair from the root,” hair restoration specialist Abe Ayesh tells Bustle. Ayesh, who is the CEO of Eternal Hair & Esthetics, adds: “Boar bristle brushes will also help spread the natural oils of the hair while activating the scalp and increasing circulation to the hair follicle to stimulate hair growth.”
With that said, boar bristles may prove too flexible to effectively detangle texturized and natural hair types. A brush designed with a blend of nylon and boar bristles can be gentle enough for thinning hair while offering the detangling help you need.
How Do You Brush Thinning Hair?
Even if you own the best brush for thinning hair, Ayesh cautions against overbrushing your hair, as that can cause more breakage and hair loss. “Be gentle, never tug at your hair, and it helps to condition and use a detangling spray to help loosen tangled strands and avoid damaging hair further,” says Ayesh.
And remember: wet hair requires an even gentler hand. “It’s important to avoid brushing your hair when it’s wet because that is the state when it's most susceptible to further breakage,” Ayesh advises. If you must detangle your hair while it’s wet, only use a brush that is recommended for wet hair. For your convenience, there’s one of Amazon’s best-selling wet brushes below.
Dealing with thinning hair can be a source of anxiety, but the right brush can help. Know that all of the brushes on this list are specially designed to support thinning hair, so you can feel better about your hair care routine.
Shop The Best Brushes For Thinning Hair
In a hurry? Here are the top picks for gentle brushes.
- An Affordable Brush Made Of 100% Soft Boar Bristles: BLACK EGG Boar Bristle Hair Brush
- A Boar Bristle Hair Brush With A Long Pedigree: Mason Pearson Sensitive Boar Bristle Hairbrush
- A Mixed-Bristle Brush That’s Great For Detangling: Spornette Classic German Porcupine Brush
- A Vented Round Brush With Hybrid Boar Bristles: FIXBODY Boar Bristle Round Hairbrush
- This Best-Selling Brush Designed For Wet Hair: Wet Brush Original Detangler
- Also Nice — A Detangling Spray With Biotin: Marc Anthony Grow Long Leave-In Conditioner & Detangling Spray
1. An Affordable Brush Made Of 100% Soft Boar Bristles
Boasting more than 10,000 Amazon ratings, this popular brush is made of 100% boar bristles that won’t tug at hair or cause damage. The natural bristles naturally massage the scalp to distribute sebum for a healthy, shiny head of hair. It’s made with a durable wood handle and it comes with a convenient wooden hair comb and three hair ties — all for less than $15.
One reviewer wrote: “I have thin, fine, damaged hair that is thinning due to some medications I take. [...] Every morning and evening I brush with the boar hair brush, about 30 strokes, and the change in my hair is INCREDIBLE! It is at least twice as thick (no more ears showing through), I have very few split ends left, it's shiny and healthier than it's EVER been.”
2. A Boar Bristle Hair Brush With A Long Pedigree
- Also available on Macy’s, $225
Mason Pearson is an iconic British family company celebrated for 130 years for its quality brushes. If you’re ready to take the plunge and invest in a boar bristle brush that can last a lifetime, this is the pick for you. This brush is specifically designed for those with sensitive scalps and is constructed with 100% natural fine boar bristles that are ideal for those with thinning or fine hair. Its contoured cushion pad is made by hand to ensure bristles more effectively massage your scalp and distribute natural oils through your strands. It detangles hair very gently and features a plant-based plastic handle.
One reviewer wrote: “Very gentle on the scalp. Feels really good using it. I have thin hair and this brush does not hurt my scalp. It came with a cleaning brush which I like.”
3. A Mixed-Bristle Brush That’s Great For Detangling
- Also available on Sears, $37
This mixed-bristle brush combines the power of German boar bristles and nylon to distribute oil from your scalp to your hair and offer detangling and gentle care for all hair types, including coarse and texturized hair. The term “porcupine” refers to the unique way these bristles are clustered together to help keep stray hairs smooth. It has a lightweight wooden handle, a relatively affordable price tag, and more than 1,200 reviews.
One reviewer wrote: “My hair is thinning quite a bit so I wanted a gentler brush than what I had been using. These came up in a search for brushes to use on thinning hair. It seems like a very high quality brush as well. Nice to look at and hold in my hand.”
4. A Vented Round Brush With Hybrid Boar Bristles
If you have thinning hair, this round brush can help deliver the gentlest of blowouts for added volume. It uses a combination of boar bristles and nylon to help detangle as well as increase shine and smoothness. The natural bristles distribute sebum from the scalp to help smoothen hair and keep flyaways at bay, and it has a rubber handle that is comfortable to hold. The lightweight barrel of the brush is well-ventilated to prevent heat damage and features a high heat-resistant ceramic coating that is anti-static. It comes in three different sizes (2.5 inches, 3 inches, and 3.3 inches, which is shown here) and has garnered over 5,500 reviews.
One reviewer wrote: “I wouldn't think a brush would be necessary to write a review about but this one is amazing. My thin hair tends to frizz when blow dry and I always use a round brush. This one has really cool bristles and actually made my hair smooth. I still used a flat iron to get it smooth everywhere but I didn't need to as much with this brush. Great price too!”
5. This Best-Selling Brush Designed For Wet Hair
- Also available on Wet Brush, $9
If brushing wet hair is a must for you, then turn to this incredibly popular wet brush with over 55,000 reviews and a high 4.8-star rating. It’s designed to masterfully detangle fragile, wet hair with “IntelliFlex” bristles, which are made of soft and flexible nylon. This brush is able to painlessly untangle the most intense of knots without causing breakage or split ends, and the ball-tipped bristles work to massage the scalp and increase circulation. The brush’s handle is made of plastic and comes in all sorts of fun colors such as aqua (pictured above), purple, and even a Hello Kitty pattern.
One reviewer wrote: “I have an autoimmune disorder that thins my hair and I was constantly getting knots in it. Anytime i would try to brush out the knots, clumps of hair would come out. [...] Holy moly, it glides through my hair like a dream and I was able to detangle a huge knot that I had. It only took a few brushes and it was gone. Definitely a believer in this brush and will be recommending to everyone, regardless of hair type.”
Also Nice: A Detangling Spray With Biotin
- Also available on Walmart, $8
As Ayesh recommends, a quality detangling spray can both protect hair and make brushing a breeze. This pick is formulated with biotin, a vitamin that may help with hair loss, as well as caffeine, ginseng, and vitamin E for extra nourishment. Spray it onto damp hair from the roots to the ends, then comb through and style your hair as you usually would. The popular spray has earned over 40,000 reviews.
One reviewer wrote: “I love this because it actually does improve the appearance and overall health of my bleached hair. It gives a much softer appearance yet your hair will still curl well and will hold that curl all day without weighing your hair down or giving it a gummy, grimy, or oily feel! There is no smell/fragrance to this product so that’s a plus. It does NOT weigh your hair down which is important to me because I have thin fine hair.”
Experts:
Nubia Rëzo, founder of Rëzo Salon
Abe Ayesh, CEO of Eternal Hair & Esthetics
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