Pretty Simple :: Brush Breakdown

I was in hairbrush denial for a long time — I thought that my one flat brush was fit to fill all my hair needs, yet when my hair would fall flat and volume-less, I was clueless as to why. Well, I’ve come a long way since those days. There’s no doubt that to achieve truly stellar locks, having the right equipment on hand is vital. It took me quite a bit of trial-and-error to discover which brushes were best for me (I still have not nailed down that round brush flick-of-the-wrist), but a little bit of guidance from Martha Lynn sure did help! Click through for her expert classification of different hair brushes and what they’re great for.

*image from eHow

This big guy is perfect for brushing out tangles and covering lots of ground. I use a paddle brush to blow out my own hair in a jiffy when there isn’t time to spend round-brushing! You can also smooth your bangs or short hair with a paddle brush by using your head as a large roller and blow drying your hair in a wrapping motion.

Get two sizes — a large for smoothing and a medium one for volume. Some rules of thumb when it comes to round brushes:

Most people are using a round brush that’s too big, and it only flattens the hair out. A smaller brush creates more bend and volume.
If you have short hair you likely need one medium round brush, and one small one.
I like these because they are affordable, have a rubber handle, come in every size, create the perfect amount of tension and heat up to act as a curler replacement!

Mason Pearson‘s are the ultimate in luxury haircare, and are created to exfoliate the scalp and stimulate circulation. I also love them for creating the smoothest updos and for finishing out the perfect tease!

This is like a comb+brush combo, and is great for creating tons of volume and teasing. I keep this brush in my purse for a quick fix that doesn’t take up tons of space.

Sometimes you need a small, fine tool for detailing. This will do the trick whether you need to smooth out an imperfection or to create a perfectly clean part.