One of the easiest things you can do to get healthier, less frizzy hair? Brush it regularly. But you have to do it the right way.
The benefits of hair brushing have been confirmed on various occasions by many hair experts over the years. And not just because brushing eliminates build-up and activates blood circulation of the scalp, but because “by brushing the cuticles in the same direction, downwards, the hair is more polished and with more shine,” Maria Baras of Madrid’s Salon Cheska explains.
As a beauty editor by profession and a hair geek by devotion, hair brushing is something that I have always kept in my beauty routine. But recently, a hairbrush by the legendary Mason Pearson fell into my hands, any my belief in hair-brushing turned into an obsession. Following the advice of experts, I started brushing two or three times a day, always in the morning and at night. I followed the recommended technique: start at the ends, work up to the middle, and finish at the roots.
The result of this gesture, practiced almost religiously, did not take long to arrive: suddenly my hair was shinier and frizz-free.
Brushing beauty
Now that you’ve read my manifesto on brushing, let’s get real about the benefits of the hair brush that everyone loves to discuss: the Mason Pearson. It’s celebrated but also pretty expensive: depending on the model, its price ranges from around $80 to $325. Still, people are obsessed.
The hype generated by Mason Pearson brushes has been fueled by various factors. There’s a long list of celebs who allegedly love Mason Pearson brushes: Kim Kardashian, Kate Moss, Kate Middleton and Jenna Ortega, just to name a few—and many of them claim a real emotional attachment to their brush. “I remember my grandmother every time I use this brush,” the actress Phoebe Dynevor said in her Vogue Beauty Secrets video.
Of course, stylists who have praised the benefits of brushes by Mason Pearson; Guido Palau and Jen Atkin have been using the brushes backstage and on-set for several years. And, who could forget the infamous scene in The Devil Wears Prada, when Anne Hathaway’s character gifts a Mason Pearson brush to her bestie?