You’ve probably wondered before about how the beard-care tools that you use every day are made.
Naturally, high-quality facial hair products mean high-quality beards, so it’s important to know just what’s going into the tools you use to keep your beard looking its best.
One standard in the beard industry is the boar bristle beard brush.
Nearly all high-quality beard brushes are made out of boar bristles, and it’s been that way for at least the past century and a half. In fact, for much of the 20th century, the boar bristle brush was a staple in men’s grooming across the United States and Europe.
If you’ve never heard of boar bristles, don’t worry—you’re not alone! An increase in cheap, mass produced products has made high-quality materials like boar bristles harder to come by.
But what are boar bristles? And why are boar bristles good for hair? Well, here are the basics…
What are boar bristles?
Boar bristles come from specific parts of the fur of a boar.
They’re particularly thick and tough compared to regular animal fur, but soft enough to be used as a firm but gentle brushing device.
After being woven into brush heads, they’re pared down to a standard length, and the wood handle is typically treated to ensure a strong, easy grip.
What makes bristles so special?
1. Condition your hair naturally
Boar bristles, because they’re made of natural animal hair, have an ability to absorb and redistribute your body’s natural sebaceous oils.
Left unchecked, these oils tend to sit on the skin under your beard, which can cause dandruff and skin discomfort, including itching.
Boar bristle brushes spread this oil along the length of each hair, naturally conditioning it, moisturizing it, and cleaning off debris.
With time, regular brushing with a boar bristle brush can reduce the need to condition your hair regularly since natural oils can often do the job for you.
2. Exfoliate without expensive products
Exfoliation is another great way to keep the skin under your beard healthy and dandruff-free.
While there are exfoliating washes out there, not all of them are affordable or useful for everyone’s skin/hair types. A boar bristle brush is a cheap and effective way to keep up on exfoliation without even paying attention to it.
The firm bristles help to clear away dead flakes of skin, which encourages healthy skin in a number of ways…
First, it can help prevent the buildup of extra oils, which can make your beard uncomfortable.
Second, it can help prevent clogged pores, which lead to acne and irritated skin.
Finally, it can help prevent dull, sagging skin by making it look fresher and younger.
3. Stimulate fuller, stronger beard hair follicles
There’s a good deal of evidence out there that the stimulation of skin and hair follicles can help draw extra blood to the capillaries near the surface.
Extra blood means extra nutrients and energy for hair follicles, which helps them grow thicker and stronger than they otherwise would.
Boar bristles, because they’re so stiff, are able to gently massage the skin and can potentially help you grow a fuller beard.
4. Keep your beard clean without too much washing
One of the best things about a beard brush is that it tends to reduce the need for constant washing.
We already discussed how bristles absorb and spread out natural oils, conditioning the hair…
But boar bristles also help to soften, volumize, and clean your beard, which means less time spent grooming it and more time showing it off while doing the things you love.
It also means less money spent on expensive products to keep your beard clean and soft.
5. Tame flyaways, frizz, and static electricity
While almost every brush out there is designed to help make your beard look neat, those made from synthetic compounds typically do a worse job of taming your beard when it starts to get long and wild.
Boar bristles not only clean and soften your beard, but also help it to hold its shape and calm down frizz and static electricity, which tend to build up without frequent brushing.
Ok, so where can I get one?
So we’ve answered the question: are boar bristle brushes good for your hair? The answer is a resounding yes!
But not all brushes are made the same…
And here at Wild Willies we emphasize quality over anything else.
Forget about flimsy brushes that fray or fall apart. Our beard brush’s natural boar bristles are made to be durable, effective, and work well with every type of facial hair.
If you’re ready to take control of your beard with ease, check out our store today! We have everything you need to grow your best beard yet, from brushes and shampoos to oils and balms.
