Hairbrush

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A hairbrush is a brush with rigid (hard or inflexible) or light and 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 or hair dryer.

Contents

Julienne Mathieu's hair being brushed, then combed and styled in the 1908 French film Hotel electrique. Julienne Mathieu having her hair brushed.gif
Julienne Mathieu's hair being brushed, then combed and styled in the 1908 French film Hôtel électrique.

A 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 hair dryer. 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/goat 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 hairy pets, or long haired pets. For an equine's tougher hair, a curry-comb is used.[ citation needed ]

Types

Hairbrush flat.JPG
A cushion boar-bristle hairbrush is used to detangle hair.
Roundhairbrush.JPG
A round hairbrush is sometimes used to style medium length hair with a blowdryer.

Various types of brushes are used for different purposes, or have special features that are beneficial to certain hair types. For example:

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.[ citation needed ]

Materials

Common materials used for the handle are ebony, rosewood, New Guinea rosewood, beech, ABS plastic and polyacetal. Common materials used for bristles include boar bristle, horsehair, nylon, stainless steel and goat hair.[ citation needed ]

United States history

The earliest U.S. patent for a modern hairbrush was by Hugh Rock in 1854. [2] A brush with elastic wire teeth along with natural bristles, was patented by Samuel Firey in 1870 as U.S. patent 106,680 . In 1898, Lyda D. Newman invented an "Improved Hairbrush", which allowed for easy cleaning and had bristles separated wide enough to allow for easily combing. She was awarded U.S. patent 614,335 . [3] [4] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hairstyle</span> Style of hair, usually on the human scalp

A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head but sometimes on the face or body. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although practical, cultural, and popular considerations also influence some hairstyles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toothbrush</span> Oral hygiene tool

A toothbrush is an oral hygiene tool used to clean the teeth, gums, and tongue. It consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles, atop of which toothpaste can be applied, mounted on a handle which facilitates the cleaning of hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. They should be used in conjunction with something to clean between the teeth where the bristles of the toothbrush cannot reach - for example floss, tape or interdental brushes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comb</span> Toothed device used for styling, cleaning and managing hair and scalp

A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating back to 5,000 years ago in Persia.

A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped during use. The material of both the block and bristles or filaments is chosen to withstand hazards of its intended use, such as corrosive chemicals, heat or abrasion. It is used for cleaning, grooming hair, make up, painting, surface finishing and for many other purposes. It is one of the most basic and versatile tools in use today, and the average household may contain several dozen varieties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percussion mallet</span> Object used to strike or beat a percussion instrument

A percussion mallet or beater is an object used to strike or beat a percussion instrument to produce its sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristle</span>

A bristle is a stiff hair or feather, either on an animal, such as a pig, a plant, or on a tool such as a brush or broom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hair conditioner</span> Hair care product

Hair conditioner is a hair care cosmetic product used to improve the feel, texture, appearance and manageability of hair. Its main purpose is to reduce friction between strands of hair to allow smoother brushing or combing, which might otherwise cause damage to the scalp. Various other benefits are often advertised, such as hair repair, strengthening, or a reduction in split ends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hair iron</span> Hair styling tool with heating element

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, used to straighten the hair, and crimping irons, used to create crimps of the desired size in the hair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hair dryer</span> Type of home appliance used to dry hair

A hair dryer, hairdryer, hairdrier 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 accelerating and controlling the formation of temporary hydrogen bonds within each strand. These bonds are powerful but are temporary and extremely vulnerable to humidity. They disappear with a single washing of the hair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot comb</span> Hair straightening tool

A hot comb is a metal comb that is used to straighten moderate or coarse hair and create a smoother hair texture. A hot comb is heated and used to straighten the hair from the roots. It can be placed directly on the source of heat or it may be electrically heated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaving brush</span> Tool to make and apply shaving soap or cream

A shaving brush or shave brush is a small brush with a handle parallel to the bristles used to make lather from shaving soap or shaving cream and apply it to the face when shaving. Shave brushes are often decorative; antique handles are often made from materials such as ivory or even gold, though the bristle load may be composed of any number of natural or synthetic materials. The shave brush is used most often today by "wet shavers" in tandem with a single- or double-edged safety razor or a straight razor. However, this is not always the case, as shavers of all varieties may employ the tool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse grooming</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hair straightening</span> Hair styling technique

Hair straightening is a hair styling technique used since the 1890s involving the flattening and straightening of hair in order to give it a smooth, streamlined, and sleek appearance. It became very popular during the 1950s among black males and females of all races. It is accomplished using a hair iron or hot comb, chemical relaxers, Japanese hair straightening, Brazilian hair straightening, or roller set/blowdryer styling. In addition, some shampoos, conditioners, and hair gels can help to make hair temporarily straight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog grooming</span> Care and cleaning of a dog

Dog grooming refers to both the hygienic care and cleaning of a dog, as well as a process by which a dog's physical appearance is enhanced for showing or other types of competition. A dog groomer is a person who earns their living grooming dogs.

Hairstyle products are used to change the texture and/or shape of hair.

Hairstyling tools may include hair irons, hair dryers, hairbrushes, hair rollers, diffusers and various types of scissors.

Mason Pearson Brushes is a British company specialising in the manufacture of hairbrushes. In the mid 1860s a Yorkshireman called Mason Pearson came to work at the British Steam Brush Works, in the East End of London. In 1885 he invented the "pneumatic" rubber-cushion hairbrush which became the company's primary product and is still on sale, little changed from the original design. The "Junior" model, which has a mix of boar nylon bristles, has been called "the Ferrari of brushes."

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paintbrush</span> Brush for painting

A paintbrush is a brush used to apply paint or ink. A paintbrush is usually made by clamping bristles to a handle with a ferrule. They are available in various sizes, shapes, and materials. Thicker ones are used for filling in, and thinner ones are used for details. They may be subdivided into decorators' brushes used for painting and decorating and artists' brushes use for visual art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frizz</span> Hair that does not align with the surrounding hair

Frizz is hair that does not align with the surrounding hair, but stands up or curls independently, creating a fuzzy or irregular texture. The three main causes of frizz are genetics, hair damage, and humidity. Frizzy hair can be seen as a positive or a negative trait depending on the current fashion and one's personal preference. Many hair products, such as gels, pomades, and hair waxes, are designed to reduce frizz.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hair Brush 101 – What You Need to Know". Mandy McCullough. August 27, 2013.
  2. US Design Patent #D645
  3. David M. Foy (2 February 2012). Great Discoveries and Inventions by African-Americans: Fourth Edition. AuthorHouse. pp. 63–64. ISBN   978-1-4685-2435-2.
  4. Evia L. Davis (1999). African American Awareness for Young Children: A Curriculum. Good Year Books. p. 18. ISBN   978-0-673-58645-2.
  5. "Lyda Newman". Famous Women Inventors. Retrieved 20 March 2014.