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Facts About Boar Bristle Brushes
by Alan Sporn, head of Spornette International
Smoothers. Dealing with a halo of frizz? No prob! Once the source of many beauty breakdowns, a choc-a-block of newer smoothing options allow you to exceed even the silkiest expectations of your swirly-haired clients.

Boar bristles are harvested from domesticated pigs with the large bulk of these swine hairs coming from China where every bit of the pig is used except the oink. You’ll notice that I said, “domesticated.” Wild boars are not commercially slaughtered for their bristles.

During your great-grandmother’s, or even your great-great-great-grandmother’s day, the path to beautiful hair was “100 strokes a day,” which meant running a boar bristle brush from root to end to close the cuticle, distribute natural oils and remove loose hair and debris. Boar bristles do this because they act very much like a “sticker” that picks up anything in their path, while also physically closing the cuticle layer. With a closed cuticle, natural oil coating and less debris, hair becomes shinier, smoother and fresher smelling.

In terms of today’s styling needs, boar bristles have the ability to grip the hair, making them a desirable component in styling brushes. Because boar bristles are very soft and flexible, nylon pins are usually inserted into the bristle tufts to give them the stiffness needed to properly style hair.