Babies and children: which brush should you go for?

The hairbrush is an essential hair styling accessory from birth onwards. Whether you have a baby or a child, find out which type of brush to use depending on their age.

The flat multi-purpose brush

To brush your newborn's tuft of hair or to detangle your child's locks (which are drier than yours and therefore get tangled more easily), a flat brush is ideal. It tidies their locks whilst detangling large sections. For hair longer than shoulder length, opt for an air cushion hairbrush from age 3 onwards. It allows you to stop brushing when there are knots and thus limits painful tugging on the hair.

The soft bristle hairbrush...

For newborns

Whether your baby has fine, fragile locks or just a little downy hair, you must use a brush to very gently remove cradle cap (clumps of sebum) from its scalp. Up until your child is one year old use one with real silk bristles, which are very soft, to gently lift the locks and smooth them down again without risk of scratching the skin.

At about 3 years of age

When your child's hair has grown thicker, swap their baby brush for a version more suited to your child's hair type:

If your child has fine hair, opt for a hog's hair brush which allows you to carefully brush your child's hair. It also suits curls, although a wide-toothed comb is the best option so as not to break your child's hairs.
If your child has dense, thick hair, opt instead for a blend of hog's hair and nylon bristles, which are slightly less soft, so as to better detangle more resilient locks.

...then there's the paddle brush.

Hog's hair brushes are still appropriate, but paddle brushes make detangling easier. Avoid those with plastic bristles which promote static electricity or those with metal bristles which are too damaging. Opt for those made from wood with beaded tips. Opt for harder bristles if your child has straight hair and soft bristles if they have curly locks. Do not forget to replace the brush if the beaded tips break, to avoid damaging your child's scalp.

Good to know. Go for a fun brush design with a whimsical shape and a small size, suited to your child's little hands. This is the best way to get your child to want to brush their hair every day.