A hairbrush is a handle brush with rigid or soft spokes used in hair care for smoothing, styling, and detangling human hair, or for grooming an animal's fur. It can also be used for styling in combination with a

curling iron A hair iron or hair tong is a tool used to change the arrangement of the hair using heat. There are three general kinds: ''curling irons'', used to make the hair curly, ''straightening irons'', commonly called ''straighteners'' or ''flat irons'', ...

hair dryer A hair dryer, hairdryer or blow dryer is an electromechanical device that blows ambient or hot air over damp hair to speed the evaporation of water to dry the hair. Blow dryers enable better control over the shape and style of hair, by accelerat ...

Julienne Mathieu having her hair brushed

A flat brush is normally used for detangling hair, for example after sleep or showering. A round brush can be used for styling and curling hair, especially by a professional stylist, often with a

. A paddle brush is used to straighten hair and tame fly-aways. For babies with fine, soft hair, many bristle materials are not suitable due to the hardness; some synthetic materials and

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

hair bristles are used instead.

Animal use

Special brushes are made for cats, dogs and horses. Two different brushes can be made specifically for either short haired pets, or long haired pets. For an

equine Equinae is a subfamily of the family Equidae, which have lived worldwide (except Indonesia and Australia) from the Hemingfordian stage of the Early Miocene (16 million years ago) onwards. They are thought to be a monophyletic grouping.B. J. Ma ...

's tougher hair, a

curry-comb Horse grooming is hygienic care given to a horse, or a process by which the horse's physical appearance is enhanced for horse shows or other types of competition. Reasons for grooming Grooming is an important part of horse care. Grooming a horse ...

is used.

Types

Various types of brushes are used for different purposes, or have special features that are beneficial to certain hair types. For example: * Round brush: Usually used with a blow dryer to add fullness and movement to the hair. Some have a metal or ceramic base which is designed to heat up during blow drying. * Vent brush: Vents allow more air flow between the bristles but does not affect the drying time. * Cushion brush: Bristles are mounted on a rubber cushion or mat for added flexibility, to minimize hair breakage during detangling. * Paddle brush: A wide base allows more exposure while blow drying; flexible teeth are designed to minimize breakage, though some believe it does not work. * Detangler brush: Features such as widely spaced, flexible, nylon teeth are designed to be gentle on tangled or knotted hair. * Boar bristle brush: Tightly spaced boar-hair bristles are designed to increase tension while brushing, to smooth the hair. The effects of brushing will be different depending texture and whether the hair is wet or dry. Straight hair typically looks smoother when brushed. Curly hair tends to expand when brushed while dry.

Materials

Common materials used for the handle are

ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated ...

, New Guinea rosewood, beech, ABS plastic and

polyacetal Polyoxymethylene (POM), also known as acetal, polyacetal, and polyformaldehyde, is an engineering thermoplastic used in precision parts requiring high stiffness, low friction, and excellent dimensional stability. As with many other synthetic ...

. Common materials used for bristles include boar bristle,

horsehair Horsehair is the long hair growing on the manes and tails of horses. It is used for various purposes, including upholstery, brushes, the bows of musical instruments, a hard-wearing fabric called haircloth, and for horsehair plaster, a wallc ...

nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...

, stainless steel and

hair.

United States history

The earliest U.S. patent for a modern hairbrush was by Hugh Rock in 1854. A brush with elastic wire teeth along with natural bristles, was patented by Samuel Firey in 1870 as . In 1898,

Lyda D. Newman Lyda D. Newman ( – ?) was a hairdresser and inventor who was also an activist for women's suffrage. She held a patent for a novel durable hairbrush with synthetic bristles. Early life Newman was born approximately in 1889 in Ohio,

References

External links

{{Authority control Hairdressing Toiletry Domestic implements