Do you know about the many special advantages of a boar bristle brush? Do you already know how and when you should use it? In my opinion, the boar bristle brush is the best care product for your hair and scalp. I’ll show you how to get healthy and shiny hair by the simple, gentle and natural care with these great brushes.
I came to this topic because I could see how more (useless) products are accumulating on the shelves of drugstores and supermarkets. Here I was able to see how the corporations and their sophisticated marketing strategies try to get people’s hard earned money. Isn’t it possible to have a healthy scalp of hair without all this nonsense? How did people in ancient times take care of their bodies and hair?
My boar bristle brushes recommendations for you
A key to natural hair care are boar bristle brushes: they have been one of my absolute favorites for a long time. That’s why I show you my recommendations and my best tips about natural hairbrushes. Also take a look at the comments of others below. Over time, some valuable information has accumulated there.
Are you looking for a suitable boar bristle brush model for you? – Look at my recommendations and comparisons. There you will surely find a suitable boar bristle brush for you.
In this article you can find out more about boar bristle brushes, other alternative natural brushes and Nopoo (washing hair with water only). Scroll down and really get to know everything you need to know about natural brushes.
In the following tables I show you the best boar bristle hairbrushes that I know. For almost every brush I have written a small review, so you can get more information. In fact, even with hairbrushes, there are significant differences in handling, quality of workmanship, manufacturing method and, of course, price. It is best to inform yourself before buying so you won’t end up with a brush that is mediocre at best.
Boar bristles hairbrushes for up to 50 USD
The reviewed brushes cost around 50 USD or less. In this price range you can find many high-quality brushes, which I particularly liked. Especially the DESERT BREEZE brushes have a very good quality at a reasonable price. Depending on your needs, however, another brush can fulfill your requirements as well. Just click through the various offers. There is certainly something suitable for you.
[amazon bestseller=”boar bristle brush” filterby=”price” filter=”20,50″ filter_compare=”range” “items=”3”]
Boar bristle hairbrushes for up to 20 USD
For the smaller budget, I recommend the following brushes. These brushes are not that impressive because of their quality of workmanship, but they are well-suited as a brush for your handbag or for travelling purposes.
[amazon bestseller=”boar bristle brush” filterby=”price” filter=”20″ filter_compare=”less” “items=”3”]
What is a boar bristle brush?
I’m sure you’ve already read or heard about the boar bristle brush. Behind this somewhat bulky term hides a brush whose individual bristles come from real boars. Mostly it is used as a hair and beard brush. The brush is also known under other terms: e.g. wild boar brush, hog brush, hog bristle brush or boar bristle hairbrush.
The brush handle is usually made of wood (eg pear wood, olive wood, beech wood, rosewood). The natural ingredients make the boar bristle brush an ecological and natural product of the highest quality. High-quality components and good workmanship come at a price, making the natural brushes more expensive than cheap brushes from the drugstore. Is it worth paying a bit more for this brush? Read on to find out more about these great brushes!
Why should you use a boar bristle brush?
Maybe you are wondering, what are the benefits of wild boar bristle brushes? What are the differences to conventional brushes and combs with plastic or wooden tines? I’ll show you the great features of the boar bristle hairbrushes that you should use to get the most out of your hair. You will see that the investment will pay off by having a healthy scalp and hair.
Distribute hair sebum with the boar bristle brush
Boar bristles resemble the structure of our human hair. For this reason, the bristles succeed perfectly to absorb and distribute the human hair fat (lat. Sebum). The body’s own sebum is the best possible care for your hair. Like a protective mantle, the sebum envelops every single hair follicle to prevent split ends, fractures and injuries. Especially our urge to take a shower every day and to wash our hair (with an aggressive shampoo) makes the hair more porous, because the hair is washed away every time. With the wild boar bristle hair brush, the sebum can be brushed from the hairline or from the scalp to the hair tips to perfectly care for the hair. You will be rewarded with voluminous and shiny hair!
For a clean scalp
Dirt particles, hair dandruff and deposits in the hair (eg of hair spray, gel, etc.) are removed by the boar bristle brush optimally and reliably. A scalp free of debris allows your scalp to breathe.
Especially at night, the human body excretes enormous amounts of fat, dead skin cells and minerals. These accumulate on the scalp and can clog the skin pores together with the sebum. As a result, the natural ph value on the scalp may change. The then too-dry scalp often reacts with increased sebum production to restore balance.
You help your body with cleaning by brushing instead of washing. This will make the scalp produce less sebum in the long run. The free scalp can now absorb the oxygen and excrete metabolites easier. In the long term, you will save on shampoo as you will need to wash your hair less. It is best to check the article about washing your hair without shampoo, if you want to improve your washing rhythm sustainably.
Healthy, regrowing hair
The natural bristles and the right brush shape massage your scalp gently and without hurting it. The stimulated increased blood circulation of the scalp has a significant positive effect on the health of your scalp. The better the care of the hair roots is guaranteed, the better your hair can benefit. If you want to grow beautiful, long and healthy shiny hair, natural brushes create the optimal conditions for this.
For more sustainability
You help that less plastic is needed. Plastics do not rot and massively pollute the oceans. By buying a sustainable boar bristle brush, you make a small contribution to environmental protection.
All advantages of boar bristle brushes at a glance
- Hair becomes smoother and shinier
- fine hair gets more volume
- regular use of boar bristle brush regulates sebum production of the scalp
- less hair washes needed (No poo)
- Scalp free of dandruff and deposits
- a well-made boar bristle brush lasts for many years
- natural ingredients
For which hair type is a boar bristle brush suitable?
Often I am asked if a boar bristle brush really makes sense with this or that hair type. “Hair types” are only superficially definable. Scalp and hair are individually different for each individual. Therefore, it is not so easy to predict whether a wild boar bristle brush is actually the ideal brush, since other influencing factors (scalp health, intolerances, etc.) play an important role too.
With a natural brush or wild boar bristle brush you care for your hair, ie it is more than a brush to untangle or style your hair! In my opinion, natural brushes are in many ways clearly superior to conventional plastic or metal brushes.
The nourishing effect can only be developed by the brush reaching the scalp. With fine hair this is possible with softer bristles than with thick hair.
[amazon box=”B073TRB546″ rating=”4.5″]
Therefore, the following recommendations apply to short, medium and long hair:
Very fine to fine hair
Brushes made exclusively of wild boar bristles are great for fine and thinning hair. In my opinion, the [amazon link=”B07L7QRT3Q” title=”boar bristle brush by VESS” /] for around $ 20 is the best choice for this type of hair if you are on a tight budget.
For very fine hair, brushes with low degrees of hardness, ie brushes with softer bristles, can also be used. The [amazon link=”B01GIUOUOM” title=”boar bristle brush PW1 by Desert Breeze Distributing” /] with soft boar bristles is an example of this. The range of high-quality brushes from Mason Pearson has its own sensitive version for every size. An overview of these best quality brushes can be found here.
Normal hair
“Normal hair” is neither uniquely fine, nor very thick or strong. If your hair tends to have a finer structure, I recommend a brush with pure boar bristles in this case as well.
For slightly thicker hair you might want to consider boar bristle brushes with additional special pins (mostly nylon pins), if the pure boar bristles are too weak. The [amazon link=”B07VGXWFWP” title=”Rock & Ruddle” /] boar bristle brush with nylon pins (manufactured in UK) might be a good option for you. It also comes in a variety of designs which is really unique. From Desert Breeze Distributing there is also a variant with extra hard bristles called [amazon link=”B07J21L6H6″ title=”Calcutta Max” /], which may be sufficient.
To see which brush consists of pure wild boar bristles or whether it has additional nylon pins, take a look at the comparison tables (line “bristle material”).
Thick and strong hair
Even thick and strong hair can be cared for with a boar bristle brush. The [amazon link=”B07J21L6H6″ title=”Calcutta Max” /] would be a good option here. Here, the same recommendations apply as for normal hair, although possibly the brushing is a little more difficult. For this purpose, the hair should first be unraveled with a coarse wooden comb and then brush the hair layer by layer with the boar bristle brush.
For really thick or curly hair I recommend either the [amazon link=”B07VGXWFWP” title=”Rock & Ruddle” /] boar bristle brush with nylon pins or a [amazon link=”B07B8SPMQN” title=”wooden brush made of bamboo” /].
How to find a good boar bristle brush?
Which points should you pay attention to when buying a boar bristle brush? Since the price of this is naturally higher than with simple brushes, it makes sense to inform oneself in advance. Here are 6 tips and hints you should consider before buying a boar bristle brush:
- How is the brush shaped or how are the bristles anchored? An optimal brush made of wild boar bristles adapts to the contour of the scalp, ie it is rounded negatively to the shape of the head. This ensures that the pressure is evenly distributed on the scalp. This is important in brushes where the bristles are anchored directly to the (wood) handle. In contrast, Mason Pearson’s brushes, for example, have a special pneumatic cushion that can also be optimally adapted to the contour of the head when pressure is applied.
- The natural brush should be handy, so it should have a good grip. Admittedly, that can be difficult to check when buying on the Internet. Check our recommendations and the associated online reviews.
- The individual bristles should be of different lengths. The principle behind it: the slightly longer bristles massage the scalp for better blood circulation. The shorter bristles remove any hair deposits that are produced, especially at night, or artificially applied by gel, hair spray or other hair products.
- The bristles must be hard, ie not too soft. The scalp should be massaged properly, instead of just stroking the hair softly. For example, Desert Breeze offers different degrees of hardness. Depending on how sensitive your scalp is, you should use the right model. Furthermore, in a good boar bristle brush, the distances of the bristle tufts are sufficiently large.
- The bristles are taken from the neck area of the boar, as these are the strongest naturally occurring bristles that can be used for a brush. The neck area is shaved several times. The so-called first cut delivers the highest quality bristles.
The first cut – an important quality feature
The best and highest quality wild boar bristle brushes consist of bristles, which come from the first cut (also: first shave). These bristles can be identified by the brown-white hair roots (mostly white dots). It is the first third, so the strongest part of the boar bristle. The softer, remaining part of the bristle is used for cheaper hairbrushes and also for clothes brushes.
How do you recognize real boar bristles?
Luckily, there are several indications that your wild boar bristle brush is made from real boar bristles. As most people are not experts when it comes to boar bristles they might be unsure whether the product they intend to buy is really made from real boar bristle. Especially at low prices one should be skeptical. The “boar bristle brush” is not a protected term, this means not every brush that carries the term is made of 100 percent pure boar bristles. Mixtures of bristles of other animals or plastic can be find pretty often especially in the lower price ranges.
Things you should check for before buying:
What does the product description state?
If the seller states “100% pure boar bristles”, you can be quite sure that this is a genuine product as law forbids to make false claims.
If the seller uses some other term, like “natural hairbrush with wild boar bristles”, other components of natural bristles may be added (eg, goat hair, horsehair, etc.).
Who is the manufacturer of the brush?
With brushes from well-known manufacturers, you can be sure that they use real boar bristles. Renowned and well-known manufacturers include:
- SHASH – Boar bristle brushes made in Germany
- [amazon link=”B001N444HM” title=”Mason Pearson” /] – High Quality boar bristle brushes made in England
- Redecker – Another great boar bristle manufacturer from Germany
- [amazon link=”B07VGXWFWP” title=”Rock & Ruddle” /] – Boar bristle brushes with nylon pins made in England
- [amazon link=”B01GIUOUOM” title=”Desert Breeze Distributing” /] – Boar bristle brushes for all types of hair made in Germany
- and of course many more!
What do the bristles look like?
First cut bristles are a quality feature and prove the authenticity. Are the bristles of different lengths? The different length of the individual bristles are an indication of authenticity.
What else you should look out for when buying
- If you moisten the bristles as a test, is a “natural” scent predominating or does it not smell at all? Artificial bristles will not smell at all or just “artificial”. With natural boar bristles you can recognize the characteristic smell.
- Carefully pull out a bristle and light it. Does it smell like burnt hair or plastic? The smell of plastic is clearly noticeable.
High quality hairbrushes by Mason Pearson
By far the best quality workmanship is offered by the brushes from Mason Pearson. With high probabilities, these great hairbrushes last a lifetime. The bristles only fall out when the rubber pad becomes too fragile to hold them – and that takes a while, if you handle it carefully. You will not find a better and more durable brush. However, due to the upper price range not many people can or want to afford such a brush. Below you can find the most popular Mason Pearson brushes.
What are the disadvantages of boar bristle brushes? Are there alternatives?
Not everyone can handle natural brushes right away. It may be that your scalp first has to get used to the unusually hard bristles. Mostly, the scalp reacts at the beginning with increased sebum, because it is stimulated by the many massages. I felt the same way at the beginning. Therefore, I washed 3 years ago during the time of my 2 week vacation my hair not as much as usual and at the same time maintained it with the boar bristle brush. Granted, my hair looked unusually greasy at the time, but I bravely held out and made the transition. In the end, it paid off because my scalp got used to it over time. Just achieving this goal gave me a really good feeling for self-determination over my body.
In short: With the boar bristle brush, you care for your hair by stimulating blood circulation and spreading the sebum. As a rule, the scalp reacts with exaggerated sebum production. Be sure to complete this phase to benefit from the treatment over the long term. Worth it!
You may find the prices for natural brushes too high. You should remember that these are products with high quality natural components. The brushes in the price range of 30 to 50 USD are partly hand-made. With such a brush, you can be sure that the bristles won’t fall out quickly. You will have fun with high quality boar bristle brushes for a long time!
Finally, you need some discipline and patience until you notice all the benefits of brushing. It’s worth it to persevere and invest in the brushing for 5 minutes daily. The results will be consistently positive in the long term. Maybe more positive than you can imagine. I can promise you that.
Maybe it’s annoying that a brush with boar bristles is not a vegan product. If you want similar benefits to a boar bristle brush, there are fortunately alternatives, such as vegan natural hairbrushes. However, you will not reach the same result with the alternative hairbrushes. These boar bristles are just too special and can therefore only be partially replaced. You can read more about the origin and production of boar bristles in the following part of the article.
[amazon box=”B073TRB546″ rating=”4.5″]
Where do the boar bristles come from?
For hairbrushes made of natural bristles (pig or boar bristles), the long and strong bristles of the animal’s back are used in the first place . How strong and long the bristles grow depends on the attitude and age of the animals. With the European domestic pig only the winter hair dress can be used, if the bristles have reached a minimum length. Global rising meat consumption eventually led to the animals being bred to produce more meat faster. In the past, pigs were only ready for slaughter after a few years. Meanwhile, this happens already after four months. At that age the bristles are not pronounced enough or they are not there yet. That is why the bristle production in Europe has decreased. Classic slaughterhouses separate unusable and unusable material.
The strongest: boar bristles
Boar bristles are the longest, strongest and therefore best bristles found in nature. In the boar, in contrast to the domestic pig, the bristles are strong enough to handle them even in summer, as they live in the wild and grow older. The extraction of the bristles is identical for domestic pig and boar. High-quality, rare occurrence and strong bristle structure cause high demand and thus a higher price for these coveted boar bristles. Therefore, they are almost exclusively processed into hair and clothing brushes. For the best hairbrushes, the first cut is used.
How are natural bristles made?
As a raw material, the bristles are felted so that they loosen up (“wolfen”), washed and possibly bleached. Only here are the usable bristles sorted out. In the next step you tie the crooked bristles on spindles straight. By cooking them, they keep their straight shape, are cleaned and disinfected. Nowadays, all processing steps are done by machine. These include straightening, rubbing, combing and burping the bristles. The bristles are then boiled again and dried. In the plucking step, arrange the bristles according to their length. This is followed by reboiling, subsequent drying and binding of the bristles in paper cuffs. In it, they are combed out and plucked to equal lengths. “Sieving” removes the wrong bristles.
That’s why natural bristles are mostly imported goods
Two reasons therefore speak in favor of importing the coveted bristles: the short life span of the pigs living here and the high technical production costs. Importland is mainly China , where pigs are still predominantly kept outdoors. Advantage of the pig bristles are clearly their cooking strength and their fat absorption and fat delivery ability.
How I brush my hair
Basically, you need to know that you are primarily caring for your hair and scalp with a boar bristle brush. Although styling and combing are equally possible, a wild boar bristle brush unfolds its full power in the care.
Depending on which hair type you are, it may be necessary to unravel your hair before brushing. If you have very thick hair, you may need a wooden comb, because the tight boar bristles can not loosen knots. If that does not work, you can put away the upper part of the hair, and then brush your hair layer by layer.
Once your hair is untangled and free from knots, you can start with your brush program. To do this you can first brush in all directions, criss-cross (upside down, to the side, back to front), over your scalp. With this method the hair roots and the scalp are stimulated evenly.
It is important that you brush from the base into the tips to distribute the sebum optimally.
Things to consider when brushing your hair
For the best results, you can treat your hair 1 to 2 times a day, for example with 100 brush strokes each. The actual number of brush strokes is not carved in stone. The number 100 is just a guideline that comes across a bit old-fashioned. It is important that brushing is done at all and in sufficient numbers. Brushing is obviously suited for the morning after getting up, as people regenerate, especially at night, giving off more dandruff and sebum.
Another good time is in the evening. Please make sure to always brush your hair when dry and not when it is wet (eg immediately after washing). As you already know, it does not make any sense to care for your hair if you brush it with a wild boar bristle brush when wet, because there is no sebum to disperse. In addition, wet hair and wet scalp are very sensitive. There is a risk that you accidentally hurt yourself.
Especially when used in conjunction with less hair washing, brushing is one of the best hair care treatments available. You should keep in mind how many times you have already washed your hair tips (the oldest part of your hair). Over time, the hair inevitably gets rougher and finally breaks off. Imagine an expensive sweater that you put into the washing machine every day. After a while it does not look as nice as when you bought it.
My daily brush program
Time required: 10 minutes.
I’ll explain how I brush my hair daily. With this method, I have the best experience and can therefore only recommend it. I devote myself daily about 10 minutes to this program with which I brush my hair in detail.
- Start with the brushing from the neck. You bend your head forward and then brush your hair from back to front. By bending the blood flows well into the scalp. Brushing further enhances this effect. In the neck are the strongest hair and lymph nodes. The knots can now also open and contribute to the detoxification of the scalp. This is especially important in terms of hair loss.
- Do not forget the sides. Also brush your hair along the sides from back to front.
- Finally, the top layer of hair. Then raise your head again and brush vigorously from front to back. The top layer of your hair now gets the desired shine. The blood can drain again.
If you decide to go for a natural hairbrush, I wish you a lot of fun and success with it! What experiences have you had with boar bristle brushes? Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions for improvement? Then just leave a comment below! I look forward to your ideas and your experiences with these great brushes.
[amazon box=”B073TRB546″ rating=”4.5″]
Hello dear Susan,
many thanks for your article ♡
I have been dissatisfied with my hair for some time. I always used to have smooth shiny, very fine but very dense hair. Through years of dying my hair, since I am already gray, and wrong shampoo and plastic brushes, my hair structure is quite damaged. So they are now very dry, brittle and stand out even though I have a relatively fresh cut and no split ends. Furthermore, I have noticed for some time that I have severe hair loss too.
I am very sad that my hair is so broken, I am using now a mild shampoo without silicones or other additional substances. This makes my hair even more unruly and it knots very easily. I have tried a cure with olive oil and let it work for an hour, then I washed the hair with the mild shampoo, and then distributed coconut oil into my hair and slept the night with it. After rinsing my hair looked a little better, but it’s still very dry.
Since I’m really dissatisfied and I love to do my hair, I really want to do everything to make it the way it used to be.
Unfortunately, I am a beginner when it comes to boar bristle brushes and I have no idea which brush is optimal for my hair. Unfortunately, I can not afford a brush for 50 or more dollars. I would still spend so much money on a good brush if it lasts long and helps my hair. Would you recommend to buy on Amazon or better directly in a local store?
I apologize in advance for my flood of questions and my English (its not my mother tongue) and hope you can help me.
Greetings Gerda
Hello Gerda,
as you have described, you strained your hair for many years. But the good news is that it is totally possible to make your hair shiny and healthy again. I think it’s good that you have decided to take this step!
You wrote, your hair is very dry and brittle. This means that it thirsts for more moisture or sebum. Coconut oil packs are definitely a good idea; you should keep doing that.
You do not have to spend 50 dollars or more for a brush. In your case I recommend you the PW1 brush from Desert Breeze. It’s very suitable for fine hair, is a good all-rounder and is still in your budget with about 35 dollars. Amazon is very customer-oriented, ie the exchange or the cancellation of the order are very uncomplicated. Also, finding boar bristle brushes in department stores can be tricky and then selection might be not that great. Those are the reasons why I recommend purchasing them either directly from the manufacturers website or – if that is not possible – on a 3rd party website like Amazon.
I wish you and your hair a quick recovery 🙂
Hi, I have a question about the extraction of wild boar bristles. The text says that the first cut delivers the best quality wild boar bristles. Do I understand correctly that the animals are only shaved and not slaughtered?
I thought the bristles are a by-product of the slaughter of the wild boar.
I would be glad to hear from you. Greetings from Spain!
Hello Maria
thanks for asking. Right, the bristles are a by-product. The bristles of wild boars can be very long, so they can be shorn several times. The first cut, i.e. the uppermost, first third of the bristles are the most valuable with the best quality. The animals are not shaved just for their bristles. This would put unnecessary stress on the animal. As soon as the pig is old enough and hopefully has had a good life until then, it is slaughtered and the bristles are shaved in several cuts as described, of which the first cut is optimal for wild boar bristles.
Hello,
is the brush also suitable for very curly, dry hair? Since I always look like a lion when I brush my hair in dry condition, I have gone over to brushing wet and kneading in between. Nevertheless, it bothers me that my hair is so dry and I would like to improve that (without silicone).
Hi Naomi
Thank you for your comment and sorry for the late reply.
For very curly hair I would not recommend a pure wild boar bristle brush. To achieve a caring effect, you have to spread the hair follicles from the roots to the tips. Since you can’t get through your hair with the brush, this doesn’t make much sense. In addition, the brush is not suitable for brushing wet hair, as this can damage the structure.
A brush with both nylon and wild boar bristles could be an advantage for you. Because the hard nylon pins untangle your hair and the wild boar bristles still absorb and distribute the hair sebum. Just have a look at the Mason Pearson Brush section to see the different models.
Brushes with wooden knobs are also good for your hair structure. They have an antistatic effect and massage your scalp pleasantly. To counteract dryness, you can easily create silicone-free hair treatments with just a few ingredients. For this you can use products such as olive oil, avocado, coconut oil, egg yolk or argan or jojoba oil. You should also try to wash your hair as little as possible and not strain it unnecessarily by blow-drying or straightening it.
I hope I could help you!
Hello,
I have a question, can it be that combing with boar bristles breaks thin, fine hair? If so, what am I doing wrong?
Hi Jen, in which “condition” (wet, dry, freshly washed or not washed for a long time) do you brush your hair? If your hair is still wet, you should not use a boar bristle brush. Hair breakage can have many causes: Do you blow dry your hair with a too hot setting? I have never heard of wild boar bristle brushes associated with broken hair. I guess the hair breakage is caused by something else.
Hi, I have a question about extracting the boar bristles. The text says the first cut provides the best quality of boar bristles. Do I understand correctly that the animals are only shorn or shaved and not slaughtered? I thought the bristles were a by-product of slaughtering the wild boar. I would appreciate a reply.
hi Mona, thank you for your question. Right, the bristles are a by-product. Wild boar bristles can be very long, so you can shave several times. The first cut, ie the top, first third of the bristles are the most valuable with the best quality. The animals are not specially shaved. That would unnecessarily burden the animal. As soon as the pig is old enough and hopefully by then has had a good life, it is slaughtered and the bristles are shaved in several cuts as described, the first cut being optimal for wild boar bristle brushes.
Does a boar bristle brush also work for afro hair?
Hi Sizani. Thanks for your comment! Good question! It depends on the length of the hair. Afro hair is very thick and curly. With short hair I can imagine that a boar bristle brush works well. For long hair, I think you should rather use a wooden comb.
hi, how often would you say we should wash our hair? Also, my hair gets very oily just 2 days after I wash. Will that improve with time if I start using the boar bristle brush as you instructed?
Thanks!