Definitive : There’s No Need to Split Hairs When Choosing a Brush

In the years preceding the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette and her entourage of fashion followers whisked their hair up into grotesque styles featuring miniature tableau and landscapes--a feat accomplished with oodles of wire, crinoline, flour and pomade.

Give that stuff the big brush off.

A little gel, mousse or spritz, a blow-dryer and the ultimate styling weapon--a hairbrush--is the ‘90s way to do a ‘do.

Searching for the right brush can be daunting, especially when faced with a strand of choices:

Bristles? Natural, reinforced natural, nylon, metal plastic . . . Shapes? Round, square, rectangular, oval . . . Size? Minute, small, medium, large, mammoth . . . Optional features? Vent, anti-static, flat, slip-on pocket, collapsible . . .

Natural bristles are a good choice for regular brushing because they minimize static electricity and the pulling and stretching of hair. The “boar” bristle--ranging from 100% soft pure boar to a mixture of pure boar reinforced with nylon bristles--helps distribute natural oils, which promotes a healthy hair and scalp and leaves hair silky and shiny.

Prices range from $1.99 for synthetic bristles to $50 for natural bristles.

Round brushes, with either natural or synthetic bristles, create a wave or curl when the hair is wrapped around it and blow-dried. Round natural boar bristle brushes are especially good for fragile hair.

One of the most commonly used brushes for heat-styling is the synthetic vent brush, which allows air to flow through the brush to the hair to speed up drying time. Hair spray or Static Guard sprayed onto the brush helps control wandering hair or anti-static problems.

With metal-barreled brushes, the aluminum base absorbs and retains heat during the blow-drying process, adding volume and curl and speeding up the drying time.

Brush up on the news: Balls on end of bristles can prevent snarls, tangles and scraping of the scalp. Heat-resistant nylon bristles avoid distortion under intense blow-dryer heat. A rubber base or pad where the bristles attach to the handle gives flexibility and durability.

Brush aside: Get rid of the dirt that collects on brushes with warm soapy water or any of the germicides, disinfectants or hair remover products available at beauty supply stores.