What Does A Hair Straightening Brush Do?

The basic function of a hair straightening brush is to produce and distribute heat through the bristles. Your hair absorbs this heat. On the application of heat, the hydrogen bonds located in your tresses break down. When these hydrogen bonds break, your hair loses its ability to retain its natural form. In other words, you can straighten your hair by steadily brushing it. But remember that the hydrogen bonds are not permanently broken. They begin to reform when your hair comes in contact with moisture. This means your hair goes back to its original form when you wash it. Now, let’s talk about what hair straightening brushes are made of!

What Is A Hair Straightening Brush Made Of?

A typical straightening brush has a paddle with bristles and a handle. The bristles can be coated with different kinds of materials, such as metal, ceramic, or tourmaline.

Metal heats up quickly but distributes heat unevenly.

Ceramic provides an even distribution of heat.

Tourmaline conducts heat better than the other materials. It also takes less time to straighten your hair.

Generally, straightener brushes feature two types of bristles – ball-tipped and straight-tipped:

Bristles with ball tips are more suitable for curly or thick hair. They detangle your hair gently.

Bristles with straight tips tug on your hair less and are better suited for fine hair.

The handles of hair straightener brushes can also be of different types. They can be lightweight or soft and cushioned. Next, we will talk about the different shapes of straightener brushes.

Shapes Of Hair Straightener Brushes

Brushes for hair straightening are available in various shapes. They can come in a rectangular or oval shape with a flat head that enables the bristles to reach close to the scalp. A brush with a small paddle head is suitable for styling shorter hair. A large paddle brush is ideal for managing long hair. Rectangular straightener brushes are also available in a double-clamp style. A double-clamp brush means a double-sided brush where the bristles are arranged to resemble a flat-iron. Such a brush is used to style fine hair. Hair straightener brushes are available in three types. Find out more about them in the next section!

Types Of Hair Straightener Brushes

Hair brush straighteners are available in three main types:

Stationary Hair Straightener Brush: True to its name, this straightener brush has bristles attached to a stationary base. You need to move the brush manually while straightening your hair.

Rotating Hair Straightener Brush: The rotating straightener brush features a round barrel that spins when the brush is used. This carries a risk of your hair getting entangled in the bristles. Generally, such brushes can be used without switching on the rotation feature as well.

Dual-Rotating Hair Straightener Brush: The dual-rotating straightener brush comes with the ability to spin both ways, forward and backward. Due to this feature, the brush can be conveniently used by right-handed as well as left-handed people.

Now, let’s talk about the temperature settings of straightening brushes.

Temperature Settings Of Hair Straightening Brush

The type and quality of your hair determine the temperature at which you will need to use the straightener brush. Generally, straightener brushes offer a maximum temperature of 230°C. If you have curly and thick hair, you may need to set the temperature on maximum to straight it. When you have fine hair, you can use a much lower temperature to get effective results. Simply put, the thicker and curlier your hair is, the higher the temperature setting you will need to use. For damaged hair, a straightening brush with multiple temperature settings will be ideal. This will enable you to opt for lower temperatures and prevent heat damage to your hair. Now that you know all about hair straightener brushes, let’s find out how to use them to get sleek tresses!

How To Use A Straightening Brush In Three Easy Steps

An electrical straightener brush is a handy tool that you can use to achieve the desired straightening results. But, there are a few things that you need to follow so that your hair remains protected when you style it with heat. Here is how to use a hair straightening brush:

Step 1: Prepare And Protect Your Hair

It is good to avoid using your straightener brush on wet hair. If you plan to wash your tresses, you need to do it a few hours before you straighten them. This will enable your hair to remain straight for longer. Also, you need to provide protection and guard your hair against heat damage.

Wash and condition your hair as you normally do.

Apply a heat protectant to your hair. Depending on what suits your hair, you can opt for one in spray, oil, or serum form.

Blow-dry or air-dry your hair completely before you reach for your straightener brush.

Comb your hair with a regular hair brush or a wide-toothed comb to remove all tangles and knots from it.

Step 2: Straighten Your Hair

To straighten your hair uniformly, you need to split it into sections before using a straightener brush on it. If you have thick hair, you will need to divide it into more sections to ease the task of straightening.

Divide your hair into sections and pin it all up on top of your head with hair clips while leaving a small section free to work on.

Switch on your straightener brush and set it to the right temperature. It is a good idea to start at a low temperature and then increase it as needed.

Once the brush heats up, begin brushing the section of hair slowly and steadily.

Slide your brush from the roots to the tips of your hair in a single motion.

If you want to give your hair a bit of a voluminous look, brush it with the bristles facing outwards.

If you want to brush the same section of hair again, wait for about two to three seconds for your locks to cool down before brushing it again. This is to avoid damaging your hair.

Unpin the next section and follow the same process until all sections of your hair have been straightened.

 Step 3: Provide Finishing Touches

Once you have straightened your hair, it is time to apply finishing touches to it and set the look. But before you do that, remember to switch off your straightener brush.

To set your new straight hairstyle, you can use a suitable hairspray. Allow your hair to cool down a bit before you seal it using the hairspray.

If your heat protectant serves as a hairspray as well, you can use that too instead of opting for another product.

Touching Up Your Hair

Your newly straightened hair will go back to its normal texture after a couple of days. If you do not wash your hair every day, the straight look will hold a few days longer. But eventually, you will notice that the straight texture will begin to lose its form. At this point, you can touch up your hair with the straightener brush once more. You will not need to apply high temperatures when touching up your straight hair. Just set the brush to the lowest temperature. If you find that the result is unsatisfactory, you can then increase the temperature to the next level. It is important to clean your straightening brush to make it functions properly for a long time. Find out how to do this in the next section.

How To Clean A Straightening Brush?

You need to clean your straightener brush whenever you use it. Once you unplug the brush and it cools down, you can start cleaning it.

Start by removing any hair strand stuck in the brush.

Gently wipe the brush with a damp, clean, soft cloth to eliminate any residue.

Make sure that the brush is totally dry before putting it away.

Now, let’s answer a few common questions that people have about straightener brushes.

Does Electric Hair Brush Straightener Work For All Types Of Hair?

While there are several types of hair, all of them display common characteristics as far as molecular structure, morphology, and chemical makeup are concerned. This indicates that all types of hair exhibit a similar response when you apply heat through an electric hairbrush. Many manufacturers of electric hair brushes also claim that a straightener brush is effective on all hair types. An electrically powered straightener brush works well in most cases when it is used to straighten slightly wavy or curly hair. It is also suitable for taming unruly or frizzy hair. But, it may not be the best tool for straightening short hair. This is because you may not be able to hold the hair in a taut position while straightening it.

Hair Straightener Brush Vs. Flat Irons – Which One Should I Use?

Hair straightener brushes and flat irons are popular styling tools. Each of them has several beneficial features. Due to this, sometimes users are confused about which one will be ideal for straightening their hair. Here is a quick comparison between the two hair straightening tools:

Flat irons are suitable for very curly, thick, dense, and difficult-to-style hair. Straightener brushes are ideal for fine to average hair as well as damaged hair.

Flat irons are a better choice than straightener brushes if you want pin-straight hair or smooth hair ends.

Flat irons operate at high temperatures, which increases the risk of hair damage. Since straightener brushes function at lower temperatures, the risk of hair damage is also low.

You can use flat irons to just straighten your hair but not detangle them. Straightener brushes can detangle your hair while straightening your locks.

With flat irons, you cannot add volume to your hair. Straightener brushes can make your hair look a bit more voluminous.

Flat irons are not suitable for frequent styling purposes. Straightener brushes can be used more frequently than flat irons to style your hair.

But, the biggest question remains – what are the side effects of using a straightening brush? Find out below!

Side Effects Of Using A Hair Straightener Brush

While a hair straightener brush is a great tool for styling your hair, it can have some side effects.

If you use a hair brush straightener at a very high temperature, you run the risk of damaging your hair.

Regular use of a straightener brush means frequently exposing your hair to heat. This can damage your hair follicles and lead to hair loss.

When your hair follicles are damaged, it can negatively impact the natural oil production of your scalp. This can result in a flaky, dry scalp and itchiness.

The lack of natural oils in your scalp can rob your hair of its shine. In other words, you may be left with dull and lifeless hair.

Can I use a heated brush every day? Yes, the heated element does not touch your hair directly and operates at a lower temperature. This makes it ideal for daily use. Can you burn yourself with a straightening brush? No, straightening brushes contain cool tip bristles and operate at a lower temperature, making them highly unlikely to burn yourself.

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