The Importance of the Hairbrush

Through Time

The hairbrush is an essential grooming tool that everyone owns. We probably don’trealize how important it is to our daily lives or the history behind it that has made itso. This is a brief history of hairbrushes and how they are still relevant today:

Ancient Times

The hairbrush appears to have evolved from paint brushes made from animal quills

used up to 2.5 million years ago. Leaf.tv has found that ancient Egyptian tombs have

been found with combs, brushes, and mirrors, meaning the ancient Egyptians and

Romans used them to style their hair.

Viking men also used combs to care for their long hair. This is perhaps what set the

way for our current culture of taking good care of our hair and using products to style

it.

Spaweek says that many early brushes were made from animal hair and materials such

as bone or ivory. Even today, boar bristles are amongst the best brushes on the market

and remain popular.

To many at these times, brushes were still a luxury item

only possessed by the very rich. They would often be

given as wedding presents or gifts from a husband to a

wife. This may seem a little strange to us today when we

can buy a hairbrush from a local store, but even now

there are still those who appreciate luxury hair care

products as gifts.

Some of the first mass produced hairbrushes that are similar to the modern versions were

introduced in 1777 by William Kent. They were based upon the concept used since ancient times

and had bristles hand stitched onto the handle, which took as many as 12 people to complete

one brush.

Kent Brushes are still a popular name brand selling brushes today. Other brands such as Mason

Pearson also made developments throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and are also still

around today.

18th to 20th Century

While some of these early concepts still exist in our brushes today, modern

enhancements have shaped and improved them. Many contain nylon bristles,

for instance, a substance that wasn’t invented until 1935 and wasn’t sold until

1940 according to Mentalfloss.

In the 21st century, modern innovations such as ionic brushes have been

improving hair care further. These Hairbrushes are heated electronically to

make hair softer and prevent frizz, which has been a lifesaver for many people

who have difficulty managing their frizzy hair.

It is now also common for us to dry out hair with hair dryers, use unnatural

chemicals and products in our hair, and wash our hair more often. These do

work to some degree, but many argue that they actually damage our hair by

removing essential oils. This is why we have ionic brushes and similar

inventions to make our hair easier to manage and looking good.

Modern Day

Conclusion, Sort Of

There are some ancient customs that are still useful in hair care and some modern inventions that have solved ages old problems. They have all gone into keeping our hair healthy and looking good.

The End