Brush and Dry!

I have been eying this brush in Walmart the past few months but I can't bring myself to buy it because I had a similar brush as a kid and the terry cloth bits got mildew. But I am so tempted because I hate having hair that takes 3-4 hours to dry.

I'm intrigued to know if this works! If I had longer hair at the moment I might buy it but there's not that much point with a pixie cut 🙁

@spooki they have this at Walmart? I want to pick one up! Thanks for sharing @Alexia! Seems like a great way to get the hair straighter than it normally is without using heat.

@spooki they have this at Walmart? I want to pick one up! Thanks for sharing @Alexia! Seems like a great way to get the hair straighter than it normally is without using heat.

Yup, it's like $8-9. This brush is huge in person and the reviews seem to bounce around from "great" to "doesn't improve dry time".

It may have to do with when it's used in the drying process, the hair texture/porosity.I'm interested in it more for making my hair straighter.  I'll probably use it when my hair is like, 75% dry. I've been just kinda pulling it straight with my hands when it's almost dry but it takes a while, this should help!

I wonder how you clean it. I imagine the little fluffy bits would end up with product build-up, and get a bit oily and greasy. You can't really throw it in the washing machine. Maybe you soak it in some water with laundry liquid.

Thats what I was thinking, maybe just handwash it with some antibacterial soap or something? Could probably set it in the window/sun to dry it faster too

Argh, never even thought about the mildew, @spooki!  Still want to try it, and now that I know they're selling it at Walmart (US), I will try to find it at a discount store here because Boots is asking like £12 for it, that's a lot.

I imagine if you use it before putting any product in the hair, it might stay cleaner.  You'd probably have to section thicker hair for it to work effectively too, I'd guess.  And cleaning it - yeah, I think I'd use the antibacterial washing liquid on a warm day and let it dry in the sun!

And even with a pixie, @marthakins, I'm sure it would be an effective, heat-free way of styling/straightening!

To me it seems unlikely to make much of a difference to drying time. There's a tiny amount of fabric there and it's not going to be able to absorb much water. At saturation point it's not really going to do much more!

I also wonder about static build up.

Seems a little on the gimmicky side to me. The kind of thing that seems like a brilliant idea, but in reality just isn't quite as brilliant as it seems.

I didn't think it was particularly good to brush wet hair so I avoid it, even with a tangle teezer these days

I'm with Janine on this one!  Looks like a gimmick to me!

yeah... i thought you weren't supposed to brush your hair while wet?  i don't even use a comb on mine until it's almost completely dry.

I think it's different with everyone, but with some hair it's better to comb through it while it's wet to detangle it first. Like if I were to let mine dry without detangling it it would be a mess and I'd end up probably breaking strands off, doing a lot more harm than just gently combing through it with a wide toothed comb while it's wet. Idk I think it would be a good way to help straighten the hair more if you use it when the hair is almost dry.

If you use it on very wet hair it's just going to absorb and 'fill up' right away, making it pointless really. But if you use it on hair that is already partially dry, how can it not make the hair dry faster than just air drying it the rest of the way? It's like 150-200 little mini sponges absorbing the remaining water from your hair. Plus you get the added tension to help pull it straighter, which if your hair isn't damaged or in poor shape/condition, some gentle tension isn't going to snap your hair off.

Yes hair is more fragile and can snap easier when it's wet, but if you use it gently and don't rake and yank it through your hair when the hair is already partially dry I don't see any harm in it at all.  Just like with combing wet hair, if you're hitting a ton of snarls and it's snapping you probably shouldn't be combing it while it's wet. But if you're able to comb through your wet hair easily there is no harm in it. It just depends on the condition of the hair and the hair type, and if you're able to comb through it without causing breakage.
One person may be able to comb through their wet hair just fine, but another may have a bunch of tangles and snarls that break/snap when trying to comb through it.

I bought the more rounded one of these on a whim the other day from boots. Kinda wish I'd saved my money.

I have long hair so I have to be careful when I brush it when it's wet as it gets quite tangled and I don't want to stretch it too much. This brush is really solid if you know what I mean - so it doesn't have the same give as my usual brush. The bristles are quite hard too so be careful not to bash your head with it!

It does dry your hair a bit quicker, but you have to have it dry enough to brush with a normal brush first anyway so it doesn't save a lot of time. Plus, once it has gathered some hair, the strands sort of hold down the cushiony bits so it needs to be properly clean to be any use. Same happens if you have oil or any treatments in your hair - it coats the cushions.

TBH I think it's a bit of a gimic. Good idea but not properly thought through. Some people might have had a better time of it than me though.

NB - I almost always brush my hair when wet - starting at the ends and doing it in sections. I'd look like a scarecrow elswise!