In February this year, I visited an exhibition on Japanese traditional artisanal craftsmen held at a department store in Kyoto, where I bought this boxwood hairbrush.

I had been on the lookout for a brush like this, so you can imagine how happy I was to meet a craftsman making exactly that.

It feels so great whenever I use my boxwood brush!

Actually, when I was looking up boxwood combs on the internet, I came across this particular brush. I gave them a call and found out that they had set up a temporary shop in Kyoto. What a coincidence! I headed over straightaway.

The feel of boxwood brushes differs depending on the space between the teeth and the direction of the rows of teeth. By direction, we mean whether the teeth are placed vertically or splaying outwards. I chose the one with five rows of outwardly splayed teeth. It’s nice and compact, fitting easily into the palm of my hand and it glides flexibly yet firmly along my scalp.

I really enjoyed chatting with the people at the shop. They carved a cherry blossom motif and my name on my brush. As if I didn’t love my new brush enough already! Thank you very much!

As long as you use this brush alongside a few drops of camellia oil, you’ll never have to worry about static electricity or severed hairs, and smoothing out that bed head couldn’t be easier.

After gently massaging your scalp with the brush, untangle your hair with a wide-toothed comb. Next up you’ll need a styling comb, which I’ll show you in the next chapter.