I’ve always liked my hair better when it’s a little messy. But after seeing a photo of myself from the back a few months ago, I realized that what I had thought was charmingly undone actually just looked unbrushed. So when, a little over a week later, the French brand La Bonne Brosse reached out to me offering a sample of one of its very cute boar-bristle brushes, I took it as a sign and said yes. I have tried dozens of different hair brushes, from cheap nylon-bristled detanglers to boar-, mixed-, and wooden-bristle brushes. But, regardless of design or price, they have all seemed more or less the same to me. So I wasn’t expecting a miracle from this brush either. That said, the La Bonne Brosse design — an undulating pastel-colored acetate handle with a gold cap — is so attractive that, as long as it did a decent job, I knew I was going to like it. I took the quiz on the brand’s website (I have very fine hair, but depending on your hair type, the brand recommends a different combination of bristles: all boar, all nylon, or a mix of the two) and ordered the recommended N.01 Shine and Care Hair Brush in a creamy white color.
My first impression as I opened the box was that the brush is exceedingly pretty, like real-life-princess pretty. The handle is twisted and has a nice balanced weight that makes it feel good in my hand and easy to use. I’ve been carrying it around with me in my bag since I got it, and every time a friend or a colleague sees it, I get a compliment. Brushing my hair in public used to feel embarrassing to me — now it feels glamorous. But the real surprise is that it instantly made my hair look and feel soft and healthier, and over time it has made my hair shinier, less prone to flyaways, and has allowed me to go longer between washes. The bristles are flexible but kind of sharp, and they vary in length, so when I use it I can feel them vigorously massaging my scalp. I notice that I am shedding less since using it. And the brush does a good job of capturing any loose hairs with each stroke, so I can be confident I won’t end up with them on my shoulders later in the day. Like flossing, it’s a tiny bit painful but satisfying and leaves me feeling refreshed and clean.
La Bonne Brosse brushes are most often compared to Mason Pearson. Both offer different bristle combinations and different sizes, but Mason Pearson’s website doesn’t offer a quiz to help you choose the best brush. Both are expensive, though the small La Bonne Brosse costs $35 less than the Mason Pearson equivalent and the large, starting at $158, is nearly half the price of Mason Pearson’s large all-boar bristle brush. Both brands use high-quality natural boar bristles, known for helping to distribute oils from your scalp throughout the rest of your hair. I’ve tried boar bristles before, but this is the brush that made me realize how perfect they are for my kind of hair: greasy at the roots and dry at the ends.
I do not own a Mason Pearson brush, so I asked my co-worker, Strategist writer Lauren Ro, if I could borrow hers to compare the two. I also asked her to try my brush to see if she had a preference. “The La Bonne Brosse is spikier, and that’s a good thing,” she told me, adding that the longer bristles do a better job of penetrating all the way to her scalp. What I noticed right away is that each little hole in the rubber face of the La Bonne Brosse is packed with more bristles and the bristles are varied in length. The difference in sensation is like the difference between a handshake and a long hug. Because the bristles on the La Bonne Brosse hold my hair more fully and for longer, it does a better job of smoothing my numerous postpartum flyaways and making my hair look shinier. Ro mentioned that she prefers the domed rubber head of the La Bonne Brosse over the Mason Pearson’s flatter head and I think this adds to the more thorough brushing experience.
I like that the brush is made in a thoughtful and sustainable manner. The handles of their brushes are made of biodegradable cellulose acetate rather than a plastic acetate from petrochemicals. I have only been using my brush for a few months but I can tell by the quality that it will last a long time and because it makes my hair less greasy and more evenly moisturized, I haven’t had to reach for dry shampoo or other styling products as often. At first, I waffled over whether to order the small size or the regular size, asking myself if the small would be enough or if I would always wonder what I was missing with the bigger one. But I’m glad I picked small because it’s so easy to pop into even my smallest bag. Portability means that I no longer worry about a windy day turning my just-styled hair stringy. Of course I have carried brushes with me in the past. But this one does more than deliver great results, it makes me excited to brush.
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