7 Best Boar Bristle Brushes for Impossibly Glossy Hair

Tester feedback: Shopping market editor Angela Trakoshis recently made the move to a much more humid state so, as she puts it, her frizz is out of control. “This brush lays all of the flyaways down and makes my hair feel so soft and silky. As mentioned, if I apply a product to my roots and brush it out, the bristles evenly distribute the formula all the way to my ends. I really have no complaints," she says.

Material: boar bristles, beechwood | Who it's for: all hair types, especially fine hair

Best for Frizz: Oribe Italian Resin Flat Brush

Why it's worth it: There's something about using a substantial, beautiful hair tool that makes you feel like a woman in Victorian England brushing her hair at her vanity. This Best of Beauty Award-winning brush from Oribe is a sensorial delight: It's heavy in your hands, comfortable to grip, and feels like a treat for the scalp. The boar bristles smooth all hair types for swept-up styles or slicked-back buns.

If you're looking to style a blowout, Los Angeles-based hairstylist Lisa Erin highly recommends Oribe's Medium Round Brush. "The build on this brush is phenomenal with the balance in weight between the handle and the bristles," she explains. "If you take care of it, it will take care of your hair." Creating a full, shiny, blown-out 'do has never been so easy.

Tester feedback: "If you have ultralong hair that's prone to frizz, this is your new secret weapon," says Allure social media director Kassidy Silva. "The Oribe Italian Resin Flat Brush is worth every cent of its $100 price tag, for your perfectly polished at-home styling needs."

Material: boar bristles, nylon pins | Who it's for: all hair types

Best for Thin Hair: Mason Pearson Pure Boar Bristle Hair Brush

Why it's worth it: Mason Pearson's Handy Boar Bristle Hair Brush is an iconic brush that's been a go-to for hairstylists for years. It's a steep investment, but it will last you for a long time if you take care of it (which is easy to do, considering the brush comes with a cleansing brush and an instructional booklet for cleaning). The rubber cushion pad offers some give for a comfortable and gentle brushing experience, particularly for those with thin hair or sensitive scalps, and the wood handle is comfortable to hold.

Tester feedback: "Look, the Mason Pearson brush is very expensive, I know. But there's a reason it's long been regarded as one of the best in the world, and that's evident by the way it can tame even my tangled-ass, damaged-ass hair into a smooth, shiny finish," says Allure senior news editor Nicola Dall'Asen. "Its soft but dense bristles draw hair in like a magnet to gently rake through knots while eliminating frizz-fueling static—a must for extremely fragile hair."

Material: boar bristles | Who it's for: all hair types, especially thin hair

Best for Thick Hair: La Bonne Brosse No. 2 The Essential Do-It-All Brush

Why it's worth it: With La Bonne Brosse's No. 2 The Essential Do-It-All Brush, you get the best of both worlds, as in, synthetic and naturally derived boar bristles. This combination of nylon and boar bristles glides through knots with ease, no matter how tightly wound or tangled your strands are. Its boar bristles evenly redistribute oil to minimize greasiness, boost shine, and gently massage your head. We're big fans, especially for those with thicker hair.

Tester feedback: "The most prized part of my hair routine! La Bonne Brosse uses natural boar bristles that are equal parts firm and soft to smooth strands, amp up shine, and add body to the hair. I love the flexible, elongated nylon bristles; they detangle your hair and give you a truly addicting scalp massage," says Allure commerce director Shanna Shipin. "It's the most versatile brush I own: You can use it for finishing and styling as well as everyday detangling and general care. After years of heat-styling, I’m quite 'hard-headed,' so if you have a more sensitive scalp or hair on the thin and brittle side, you'll want to opt for the brand's No. 03 Essential Soft Hair Brush, which has softer, ball-tipped nylon bristles."

Material: boar and nylon bristles, cellulose acetate | Who it's for: all hair types

Best Round Brush: Sisley-Paris Hair Rituel The Blow-Dry Brush No. 2

Why it's worth it: Boar bristles are typically found in paddle brushes, but Sisley-Paris Hair Rituel The Blow-Dry Brush No. 2 deploys them alongside nylon pins in this round brush. It's designed for blow-drying hair—but instead of giving you pin-straight strands, it lends hair a bouncy, wavy effect. In our testing, it delivered easy-to-control tension, and the wood barrel was a cinch to grip.

Tester feedback: “I don't normally blow-dry my hair, but when I do, I prefer it to have movement and bounce,” says contributing commerce editor Deanna Pai. “That's why I like this brush: It has a smoothing effect that takes care of any flyaways, but it doesn't make my hair flat and lifeless. In fact, I like that use it at the roots of my hair to give them a little lift at the crown.”

Material: boar and nylon bristles | Who it's for: all hair types

Best Mixed-Material: Prose Boar & Nylon Bristle Brush

Why it's worth it: The beauty of Prose's Boar Bristle Brush is that it's customizable—no wonder it won an Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2022. The pure Boar Bristle Brush is ideal for fine to medium hair, thanks to soft bristles that redistribute oil to minimize greasiness and boost shine. However, those blessed with medium-to-thick hair types should grab the Boar & Nylon Bristle version, which, as you can expect, features a mix of pure boar bristles and synthetic nylon pins for their detangling and scalp-massaging abilities.

Tester feedback: "Numerous hairstylists have told me I have thin hair…but a lot of it," Allure commerce editor Sarah Han shares. "Because of this, I've found pure boar bristles are too soft to sweep through my hair, so it only makes sense that Prose recommended this mixed-material brush. The ball-tipped bristles really get in there, especially when my damp hair (don't use this on wet hair!) is tangled, and the shorter boar bristles balance them out, adding softness and shine. Oh, and the monogram is a very cute touch."

Material: boar and nylon bristles, beechwood | Who it's for: medium to thick hair (or thin but dense hair)

Best Under $50: The Hair Edit Boar Bristle Bamboo Finishing Brush

Why it's worth it: Want smooth hair without shelling out the big bucks? Your best bet is The Hair Edit's Boar Bristle Finishing Brush, an under-$50 option that utilizes real boar bristles that bust through tangles just as effortlessly (and delicately!) as pricier options. It gets bonus points for its ability to act as a damage-minimizing wet brush, too.

Tester feedback: "For the lower price point, this is a great brush," says Allure content director Kara McGrath. "It smooths out my ponytails in one or two swipes, and the wooden handle is comfortable to hold."

Material: boar bristles, bamboo | Who it's for: all hair types

Frequently Asked Questions

We believe multiple brushes have a time and place in your hair-care routine, but the beauty of boar bristle brushes is that they're beneficial for fine strands, coarse hair, and just about everything in between. "Boar bristle brushes are great because their soft bristles glide through hair, leading to less hair breakage during styling," hairstylist Kim Kimble explains. "They are also great for massaging the scalp and promoting blood flow, which is important for healthy hair." Hello, relaxation.

Need even more convincing? Fort Lauderdale-based stylist Olivia Smalley says boar bristle brushes won't cause any annoying static, split ends, or frizz—and they can even exfoliate. "As the boar bristles come in contact with your hair, they are actually brushing out the dead cells from your scalp and getting rid of product buildup and dust," Smalley explains.

That said, those with curly hair merit their own brushes—Hamilton prefers nylon bristles in particular. In fact, “for thicker and textured hair types, my favorite is always boar mixed with some nylon for a shiny and bouncy blowout,” he says.

Cleaning your boar bristle brush is very similar to cleaning the rest of your hairbrushes. Not sure how to make your brushes squeaky clean in the first place? TL;DR:

• Only use soap and warm water on all bristles. Wooden paddles and handles can be wiped down with a bit of rubbing alcohol.
• If your brush is moderately gunky, try soaking it in hot water and disinfectant soap to loosen up and remove buildup.
• After washing, use a fine-tooth comb to pick out excess hair and buildup. "Take a comb in your dominant hand while holding your brush in the other," Tukia Allen, hairstylist and educator coach at Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Atlanta, previously told Allure. “Proceed to place the comb across the brush like the small letter "t" and stroke down the brush."

The only caveat we'd like to add is that since boar bristles are prone to fallout, they should be extra gentle when washing them.

• Temur Hamilton, hairstylist, colorist, and founder of TEMUR in New York City
• Lisa Erin, a hairstylist based in Los Angeles
• Kim Kimble, a hairstylist based in Los Angeles
• Olivia Smalley, a hairstylist based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Tukia Allen, a hairstylist and educator coach at Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Atlanta

We always enlist a range of testers for any review, but hair-care products and tools are another story. While some can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and concerns, many are created with specific consumers and their needs in mind. When reviewing tools, we also take into account testers’ experience levels. For instance, an innovative new blow-dryer may feature industry-leading technology, but if the only people who find it intuitive to use are professional hairstylists, we have to consider this when determining whether it is worthy of a recommendation.

For our review of the best boar bristle brushes, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and hairstylists with a wide range of hair types, concerns, and desired outcomes. Testers considered performance across three primary categories: efficacy, safety and ease of use, and value. For more on what's involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors, in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon, is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from are folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.

Your hair deserves the very best, and we're not talking just tools. More of our faves to shop:

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• These Creams Are the Way to Pillowy-Soft, Defined Curls

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