Hello fellow beardos. As there always seems to be some need for advice in regards to combs and brushes and this is one of the very few areas in which I have some beard related experience, I thought I would do some reviewing of different brushes and combs, what the differences are and how one could use them for bearded maintenance.



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For a sense of scale, this is a snapshot of my humble collection.




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What it is: The Kent OS11 boar bristle brush

What it is for: Boar bristle brushes are for gently brushing your beard, giving it shape, distributing oil or product evenly through the whiskers. They are not for detangling the beard or combing through it. You can also use it to brush whisker in one direction, thus training them to lay flat.

How I use it: Once I have detangled my beard I use some beard oil and sometimes beard balm or wax, then I use the boar bristle brush to bring some shape to the beard.

Am I happy with it?: Yes, I think it looks amazing and does a great job in shaping the beard, I find it was equally good in training a shorter beard as it is now in shaping a longer beard.

Would I buy it again?: Absolutely, my favourite beard accessory

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What it is: The Kent KFM3 gel styler

What it is for: It is originally made for styling with a product like gel. What is of interest for us beardsmen is that the quills are non-metallic - and therefore non-static - which gives us no extra frizz when combing. Also, there are no points where the quills attach to a plastic cap or the cushion of the brush, all potential beard hair snaggers in regular brushes. They also have a bit of give, so they will not rip at your face.

How I use it: My standard brush for brushing though the beard and detangling it.

Am I happy with it?: Yes, a regular brush used to catch beard hairs and I used to rip a few of my face everytime I brushed, never happened with this brush.

Would I buy it again?: Yes, second only to the boar bristle brush.



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What it is: A boar bristle moustache brush

What it is for: Shaping a longer stache and evenly distributing moustache wax

How I use it: I don´t anymore, I tried it for brushing wax into my beard, but it clumped in the bristles and didn´t spread evenly

Am I happy with it?: No, looks nice but doesn´t do what it´s supposed to.

Would I buy it again?: No



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What it is: Decadence and redundancy - A hair brush cleaning brush

What it is for: Cleaning the boar bristle brush

How I use it: The brush is made from metal and you can lift the hair and built up oil from the bristles of your better brushes without having to soak them in soapy water, something you shouldn´t do to often with a boar bristle brush.

Am I happy with it?: Yes, does what it´s supposed to.

Would I buy it again?: Yes, now I just need to find a hair brush cleaning brush cleaning brush



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What it is: The Kent KFM4 travel brush

What it is for: Having something on you to brush through your beard while you are on the go.

How I use it: I always carry it with me, it often comes in handy after meals (especially bread ), can also be used to help shape a handlebar after a wax melting downpour.

Am I happy with it?: Yes, it´s really convenient and sturdy. The quills are the same as on the KFM3 (see above)

Would I buy it again?: Yes


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What it is: A wide toothed detangling comb

What it is for: detangling stubborn knots in your beard

How I use it: First few stroke before I use a regular brush, so I don´t catch any knotted beard hairs.

Am I happy with it?: Yes

Would I buy it again?: Maybe. I still use it, but I think the KFM3 would do the same job. I might need it again if I decide to grow longer.



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What it is: The Kent medium sized wide/fine toothed comb

What it is for: A great universal comb to have, the wide/fine toothed combo allows you to use it for shaping as well as detangling

How I use it: The wide toothed part to separate the moustache from the beard when I want to style a handlebar. Then I use the fine toothed part to give the handlebar some initial shape.

Am I happy with it?: Yes, also great for scalp hair.

Would I buy it again?: Yes



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What it is: The Kent A 81T moustache comb

What it is for: Combing your moustache in shape and evenly distributing wax through the moustache

How I use it: After I have given the moustache some initial shape with the bigger comb, I apply some wax and comb it through the moustache in a wide sweep towards the tips. If I want to style a handlebar I repeat the procedure with a stiffer wax

Am I happy with it?: Yes, I thought it was more a gimmick when I bought it (not that that would stop me), but it actually works a lot better than a bigger comb for moustache styling

Would I buy it again?: Yes



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What it is: The Big Red Beard No.5 Beards til Death wooden comb

What it is for: A small, portable beard comb

How I use it: I don´t really, I bought it because it has a hand crafted bearded skull on it.

Am I happy with it?: Absolutely, my Kent travel brush works better, but this has a bearded skull on it

Would I buy it again?: Did I mention it comes with a bearded skull on it?




FAQs:

It´s nice that you are stupid enough to spend that much money on combs and brushes, but I want only one brush, what should I get?

-The boar bristle brush if you already have a comb to comb through your beard or if you have a short beard, make sure you get one with the bristles not spaced too far apart. Second would be the gel styler or a similar brush for brushing through the beard.

Does it have to be a handmade comb?

-No, the handmade part isn´t important. A handmade comb won´t have any sharp ridges from the manufacturing process that will whittle away at your beard hairs. There are industrial made combs that are made from one solid block of plastic that are of the same quality, but they cost nearly as much as a handmade comb.

You are a bit of a Kent fanboy, aren´t you? Does it have to be that brand?

-Not at all, there are other great manufacturers. Kent is just one premium brand that I am very happy with, but my intention was more to review the different styles of brushes and combs with their pros cons and how you use them. Buying the exact same model I mentioned is not necessary.

I have another question, what should I do?

-This is more of a review thread, so if you have a question regarding one of the products, post it underneath. If you want to know something more general in regards to brushes and combs, send me a pm.




 

I have written a bit about different beard products here:
moustache cups and mugsbeard brushes and combs
beard literature | simple homemade beard oil

my beard journey | my bart * aber herzlich beard oil | Bartöl store (external link, not affiliated with or endorsed by beard board)
Last Edited By: dantes Apr 10 14 5:00 AM. Edited 4 times.