There are many articles on this website and the wider web that give you advice and tips on how to No Poo, and tips to make your life easier. However, whilst all suggest that drying your hair with a cotton cloth is the best method, there was not much information on which the best brush for No Poo is, and how to choose between them.
A hairbrush is a useful tool for keeping our hair tangle-free. When going No Poo a boar bristle brush is often recommended to keep your hair shiny and healthy. The bristles are natural and work with your hair more effectively to remove tangles and pull sebum oils down your hair strands, than nylon or man-made bristles.
With so many different hair brushes available, it can be difficult to choose which will be best for your hair.
I decided to take a closer look at what makes a good hairbrush for No Poo, and whether the most expensive brushes were always the best option. Read on to find out what I discovered.
Best Hair Brush For No Poo
The No Poo method has been around for a long while now and is becoming increasingly popular across the world. Natural products are used to clean your hair, rather than relying on traditional shampoos which contain a large numbers of chemicals.
If you want to reduce your use of chemicals and improve the health of your hair, then following the No Poo method may be the way forward for you.
When you have washed your hair with whichever No Poo wash works for your hair, then removing the tangles once your hair has dried is a must. Using the most effective and gentlest hairbrush for this task will help to reduce hair breakage whilst also helping to distribute the oils more effectively through your hair.
There is no such thing as the ‘best’ hairbrush since it is all dependent upon your hair type and what you want the brush to achieve. Different bristle types and materials are just as important as the shape and design of the brush.
So what makes a good No Poo hairbrush?
Natural
Going No Poo means rejecting chemicals and using natural products. Choosing a natural bristled brush fits with this philosophy.
Boar bristle brushes are regularly said to be the best brushes for those going No Poo.
Bamboo hairbrushes are becoming increasingly popular and provide their own advantages.
Gentle
A gentle brush with bristles that doesn’t pull and damage hair is a must, especially for those with delicate and thin hair.
Ergonomic
No matter how lovely and effective the bristles, if the brush is uncomfortable to hold, or difficult to angle towards your scalp, it will be ineffectual and uncomfortable to use.
Price
You need to be comfortable with the price you pay for a hairbrush.
If you pay too little you’ll be wondering if you should have paid more. Alternatively, if the brush is too expensive you’ll enjoy using it less and always worry about looking after it!
A more expensive brush might make your hair look even better than normal though, so the price is more important to consider than you might have initially thought.
Scalp Stimulation
The best brushes not only remove the tangles gently from your hair, but also stimulate your scalp to gain healthier and stronger hair.
Shape
Brush shape is important depending upon what you’re trying to achieve.
For de-tangling, the paddle brush is normally the best.
Bristles
Hard bristles can damage hair.
Make sure you use soft or extra soft bristles as these are best for hair brushes.
Avoid Nylon
Just as there are good brushes, there are also brushes that just do not come up to scratch.
Nylon brushes are not a good choice for those with fine or damaged hair as the nylon bristles are very likely to pull and break your hair.
If your hair is very thick or coarse however, a brush with a few nylon bristles may help you.
So Which Brush Should You Buy?
A hairbrush is a personal choice, and very much depends upon your hairs texture, and thickness.
Before you choose a brush, write down the most important properties that you are looking for and this will help narrow down your search from the tens of thousands of brushes on the market currently.
If you have fine and delicate hair that is prone to tangling and static then there are two brushes that should work well for you:
1. Bamboo Brush
Bamboo hairbrushes are inexpensive, and should really feature in your hair care must-have list.
They are great for No Poo hair due to the following reasons:
- Non-Static: If you suffer from fly-away, or static hair, then bamboo is a great choice. The bamboo bristles cannot conduct electricity, so there is no chance of static build up.
- Stimulating: The bristles act as a scalp massager, increasing the blood flow to your scalp. Not only does this feel great, but long-term it leads to stronger and healthier hair and scalp.
- De-Tangling: Bamboo, especially when used on wet hair can mean less breakage than when using other types of brush
This is my favorite bamboo brush, sold on Amazon.
2. Boar Bristle Brush
If distributing oils through your hair (particularly important if you are following the water-only or sebum-only No Poo method), and shine is what you are looking for in your perfect hairbrush then a boar bristle brush is the go-to hairbrush for you.
The boar bristle brush is great for No Poo’ers, for the following reasons:
- 100% Boar Bristles: No nylon or plastic, 100% natural.
- Soft Bristles: Best for thin hair, or hair that is prone to breakage.
- Oil Distribution: As the bristles are closely set, they work wonderfully at bringing the oils from the scalp all the way down the hair shaft.
- Shine: A boar bristle brush will help to flatten the hair follicles which inturn leads to enhanced shine.
This is my all-time favorite boar bristle brush, which I use every day.
What Is The Healthiest Brush For Your Hair?
Your hairbrush will only be healthy for your hair if you look after it correctly, keeping it free from the dirt and debris that your hair collects every day.
Nylon hairbrushes will not aid bacteria growth but are also not an ideal choice for your No Poo hair.
Boar bristle brushes and bamboo brushes should be cleaned after each use so that you don’t inadvertently put back today all the debris and dirt that you removed yesterday!
Bamboo brushes can be used in the shower as they are great for detangling hair, and the sebum and dirt removed can be washed free from the brush whilst you shower. Boar bristle brushes work best on dry hair, so should be washed separately after each use.
Best Boar Bristle Brush
A boar bristle brush is exactly that, a hairbrush that is made from boar bristles.
Boar bristles are brilliant for achieving shiny, healthy, and well-nourished hair.
It is generally accepted that a boar bristle brush is the best brush for No Poo. This is because the bristles are particularly suited to bringing down the oils from the scalp to the ends of the hair.
The pros of a boar bristle brush are as follows:
- Brings Down Oils: The bristles, as they are so like human hair, pull down the scalp oils to the ends of the hair.
- Nourishes Hair: Pulling down the oils across all hair strands, and the entire hair length, is effective at nourishing each individual hair strand.
- Shine: The BBB leaves hair shiny and healthy-looking.
- No Poo Sticky Hair: Especially during the transition phase it has been said that using a BBB is effective against sticky and waxy hair.
They are of course downsides to using a boar bristle brush (BBB). These include:
- Wet Hair: A boar bristle brush is not good when used on wet hair.
- De-Tangling: Whilst good in other ways, de-tangling is not the forte of a boar bristle brush.
- Scalp Stimulation: Unless combined with other bristle types, a boar bristle brush is not as effective as others at stimulating the scalp. Some users complain that their boar bristle brush does not touch their scalp at all. Moving from a soft bristle to a firmer bristle may help users with this.
- Not Vegan: Whilst the bristles are natural, they cannot be considered Vegan as an animal product is used. There are alternatives to the BBB for vegans though, try searching ‘vegan boar bristle brush’ on the internet. Please note however, that the vegan brush alternative may not be so effective.
- Smelly Brush: To avoid a boar hair brush smell it is good advice to wash your brush frequently, preferably after each use. Do not get your brush too wet though as the bristles will give off an odor whilst wet.
How To Remove Hair From Boar Bristle Brush
Removing hair from a boar bristle brush is very much like removing hair from any other hairbrush.
Use a comb, and remove the hair by dragging the comb through the brush from the outside of the brush to the inside.
Best Way To Clean Bristle Brush
If you were wondering how to clean a boar bristle brush successfully, you need to use a cleansing agent, such as the shampoo alternative that you use to wash your hair with.
Remove any hair from the brush and swirl the brush in the cleaning solution, then rinse the brush thoroughly with clean water. Wipe with a towel and leave bristle side down to air dry.
Do Boar Bristle Brushes Make Hair Grow Faster?
Whilst a boar bristle brush will not in itself make your hair grow faster, the right hardness of bristles and frequency of brushing may stimulate the scalp to encourage growth.
Using a soft-bristled brush may also reduce hair loss.
What To Do If You Don’t Have A Hair Brush?
If you do not have a hairbrush then using your fingers to tease out knots is an alternative.
Air drying and smoothing down oil with your fingers will work, but will not be as effective as using a boar bristle brush (BBB).
Conclusion
The best hair brush for No Poo is the hairbrush that works best for your hair.
A boar bristle brush will add shine and nourish the hair, but may not work as well as a combined brush for those with thick or curly hair.
Depending upon what you wish to achieve with your hair, the size and shape of the BBB will alter, as will whether you use a BBB at all.
Related Questions
Does No Poo Make Your Hair Curly?
Going No Poo will not alter your hair type. However, if your hair has been weighed down from product previously, you may start to see waves or even curls appearing when you transition to No Poo.
No Shampoo Water Only
This is one of the hardest No Poo methods to succeed with. Hair is kept healthy and nourished with the use of water on its own. Scritching, preening, and Brushing are important parts of this method.