.:: CybeleSays ::.

A Denmen hair brush is considered by most the Louboutin of the hair brushes and yes it is almost as expensive as a pair! But I recently found a major competitor that will make your wallet quite happy. It’s from the new line BRUSHOPOLIS and is called the Margaux Classic Brush. It has boar’s bristles and nylong quill on a lightweight wood paddle. It feels so good on the scalp and the boars bristles helps distribute the hair’s natural oils down the hair strands. Brushing my hair with this brush feels as good as using a Qtip to clean my ears!

$25.20/Small, $28.35/Medium, $31.50/Large @ brushopolis.com and if as a special offer to readers, if you purchase the Margaux Small and any round brush, Brushopolis will send you a free Prepping Paddle which is this one here. Just enter the code Cybele at checkout.

If you are lucky enough to call yourselves one of those with thick hair, this collection of brushes called ThickFix from GOODY is for you. Some of them have nylon bristles and some boar and even some combine both. There are 5 different styles and the one I tried was the ThickFix Oval Cushion hair brush and this for sure gets a resoundingly positive, “ahhhhhh,” after I run it through my hair as it massages my scalp.

One a side note, I’ve tried having hair extensions but after about 5 days, I just can’t take it anymore and need to run a brush all the way through my hair and the above, “ahhhhh,” is just what I need.

So what have I done with my hair extension issues? Clip ins! Love to wear them and love it more when it’s time to take them out at the end of the night to get the “ahhhhh!”

Ranges $7.96 to $9.96 @ walmart.com.

Have you ever noticed your hair dressers arms? You have to admit, they get quite a workout wielding that hair dryer and brush around for hours every day. While I can’t speak on the dryer, I can give you an option for the styling brush. It’s SPORNETTE’s new Smooth Operator Collection and practically takes no muscle to style your hair with one of these and a blow dryer to get really smooth hair, and I mean smoooooooooooth hair. This one has Tourmaline Ionic bristles and a Ceramic Thermal barrel to help quickly distribute the heat and retain it as you pull it through.

And the brush handle is one piece, so you don’t have to worry about hairs getting caught in it. Annoying! Are you due for a new styling brush? $16.66/2”, $19.32/2.5”, $22/3”, $26.66/3.5” @ spornette.com.

It’s been quite a long time since I’ve come across a product deserving to be added to my Hall of Fame, which is my all time favorite products. But I found one!

The SPORNETTE Porcupine Hair Brush Boar and Nylon Bristle Rounder Wooden Handle 3” has been the answer to all my styling prayers. I’ve used this one on and off since I got it and I find myself going back to it when I want really straight shiny hair for the day/night. The wood handle is really solid and  helps me style with ease; not to mention the handle is one piece, so no worrying about a hair getting caught in part of the brush. Ouch!

See more about it here, which includes the awesomely affordable price.

And to celebrate the addition, Spornette has kindly given me 5 to give away to my readers, so enter below and good luck!

How much do we all love a twist on an existing product? Take GOODY’s QUIKSTYLE Paddle Brush for example. It looks like your average paddle brush but upon closer inspection, you see blue pieces alongside the bristles. These are pieces of microfiber interwoven in with the bristles that act like a towel to absorb water with every stroke, and claim to remove up to 30% of water from the hair. $11.99 to $12.99.

The other product they put out alongside this one is the QUIKSTYLE Water Wicking Detangling Comb. This one also wicks away excess water, up to 20% more, but it has two rows of teeth to really help detangle and well, wick! $5.29.

If I had to pick one of these, I’d probably pick the comb as to me, 30% of water removal is not that much but the detangling the brush did took less time and the teeth are nice and big so you won’t be tugging at tangles for too long, which is safer for the life of your strands.

Both available @ drugstores nationwide.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

I’m a little too fascinated by all things big hair these days; maybe it’s the watching of too much Jerseylicious, Jersey Shore and the Millionaire Matchmaker. Big hair, teased crown, I want it all and I’m living vicariously through these TV shows. In my own hands, I’ve got these two shown here that are helping me get the look but what I really need is, and I’ve stated this on twitter, Tracy DiMarco to come and do my hair.

CRICKET & CO. Amped UP Teasing Brush ($4.39 @ cricketco.com) – this one mixes up boars bristles and nylon and are multi-leveled - longer in the middle and shorter around the outside. Great for the novice like me. Availabel in Blue, Pink and Purple.

SPORNETTE Big Wonder Brush Boar and Tourmaline #131 ($7.50 spornette.com) – if you are a pro with the tease, this one is a good step up as it gives you more surface area.

The season once again is on deck to change! Will you be updating your hair styling products and tools? Here are a few to get you at least thinking about it.

NEXXUS Maxximum Super Hold Styling and Finishing Mist ($10.55/10oz @ nexxus.com) – transitioning from one season to another can wreak havoc on strands. They don’t know what to do! This one will keep strays and flyaways at bay.

REDKEN Guts 10 Volume Spray Foam ($6.99/2oz @ redken.com) – we have all seen that big hair is coming back in a big way. And where does big hair start? The roots of course! This foam will boost strands to get them standing at attention.

BUMBLE AND BUMBLE Mending Masque ($37/5oz @ bumbleandbumble.com) – let’s face it, if your hair is ratty and out of shape, nothing you try is going to help so make sure you get it back in line with a good hair mask like this one.

A change in the season means a change in my hair brush. After all, the materials that style and go though your hair have a life span as well. And they don’t have to look all boring and functional anymore. Take these two for example. This SPORNETTE Hypnotique #5902 Purple Paddle Brush ($26.95 @ spornette.com) combines nylon and 100% boars bristles and is a great staple everyday brush while SEPHORA’s Bamboo Boar Brush ($12 @ sephora.com) has a ceramic-coated barrel and, as the name states, all boar hair bristles. And the thinness of it makes it easy for wielding.

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

Like the brushes you use to apply your makeup, the brushes you use to style your hair are just as important as the products you put in it. This little red siren from SPORNETTE called the Ultra Lite Brush has become my go-to brush when it comes to styling with the blow dryer. It uses Porcupine Boar Bristles and a Ceramic Thermal Barrel to evenly distribute the heat from the dryer and Tourmaline to smooth the cuticle of the hairs down and add shine. I like that the bristles are spaced a little ways away from one another as this lets each strand swoop past the bristles so they can do their work. Not to mention it just makes it easier for even the novice to style the hair.

Comes in three different size barrels – $16.50/2 ¼”, $19.50/3” and $22.50/3 ½” @ spornette.com.

Sometimes a hair tool comes along that is so serious and so solid, I thank the beauty product Gods that I do what I do here on Cybelesays.com! This SPORNETTE (take a deep breathe for the name …) Porcupine Hair Brush Boar and Nylon Bristle Rounder Wooden Handle 3” is such a serious styler that I’ve only been using it for when I’m really going to put some time into styling my hair.

So with regard to the name, does it really have porcupine quills in it or is that just in the name? The description on their site doesn’t make mention of any real quills used, only boar and nylon bristles, so I’m guessing not. And because it has both styles of bristles, this is a good brush for styling damp hair or dry.

Out of all five styles, I find this 3” one the most useful – the handle is not too thin or too thick and hard to handle. $10.99 @ spornette.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

I have way too many brushes in my bathroom and am always looking for just the right one. And thankfully a lot of companies know this so they tweak different aspects of it hoping to boost sales. Take the SOLANO line for example. Their Plasmium Gel Grip Thermal Round Brush collection focuses on not only a great brush head but the handle is soooo comfortable to hold! Like the name says, it’s a gel grip to help relieve stress on the hands and wrists. I never thought of this aspect before! And of course the barrel has the traits you would find in a good brush – ceramic barrel, tourmaline to add shine, and color protective bristles that are gentle on color-treated hair. Hmmm, never heard of something like that but ok.  2 inches - $28, 1 ¾ inches - $26, 1 ½ inches - $25 @ solanopower.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.