The First Hair Style & Styling Tool

As long as humans have had hair they have needed some way to tame its tangles, remove pests and, most importantly, show off their personal style. Combs and brushes have been around for thousands of years, but they've changed dramatically from simple bone or shell picks to modern, ergonomic styling tools. Unlike animals man would not be content to let his mane grow wild and free for long. So he had to find some ways to tame it. First on the list of combing operations must have been the use of fingers. So in a way the “Five Finger Comb” is the oldest grooming tool dating back to the Stone Age. This was about the time of the first hair style a look we now call “Dreadlocks” a matted clump of hair and breading ground for lice. If necessity is the mother of invention then imagination is the father. Over time the comb took on the shape of the “hand and fingers” in its evolution and later with a handle and bristles and the hair brushes is born.

Some of the early combs were made from hard wood but the most popular were made of ivory and bones because they were pliable and could be easily molded into different shapes. In the late 19th century two brothers, Isaiah and John Hyatt tinkering around in their laboratory for some time discovered celluloid which would replace ivory and wood. By the 20th century a new material called plastic consisting of nitrocellulose and petroleum could be injected molded into any shape imaginable (flat, narrow, round, curved) and a revolution was kicked off in the world of combs and brushes.

A number of years ago while working in my studio and on motion picture sets I found the need for several types of styling tools and thought why not design one tool that could do all most everything. Drawing inspiration from the original “five fingered comb” (the hand and fingers), I set out to design a styling tool that combined a “comb and brush” and functioned like our hand and fingers. With technology being what it is today, I discovered a new heat resistant flexible “rubber-like” plastic material used in the aerospace industry that made the design and functions required possible. I christened it the Hair Flex Studio Styling Brush “the world’s most versatile hair brush”. And once again necessity was the mother of invention.

The Studio Styling Brush combines a “paddle brush, round brush and shaping brush” with a built in comb, and air flow vents to make blow-drying faster and a retainer clip to hold it in a closed position when not in use. Its unique adjustable design allows you to “lift hair for volume, pull to straighten, crimp and wave, turn hair under or up. scrunch and spike, defuse, detangle, tease, comb and create any number of styling effects with ease. Like the original “five finger comb” this "bad boy" is made for today’s easy wear haircut styles. To see how the Studio Styling Brush works take a peek here: http://www.hairflex.com/