Brush

Article 044.

It was like a match made in heaven. The first stroke was amazing. No strand was left behind and it glided through my hair like air. The boar bristle side of it is scarily making my hair straight. Not sure if that's a good thing (I would love to have some volume and not see my top noticeably flat). This brush, this tool, what a discovery. I didn't even know I was looking for a brush until I found it. All along it was just a CVS store away. There it hangs, Aisle 5 back-end, all by itself, fairly-priced yet forgotten in time. I was completely ignoring the WAV Enforcer Authentic Barber Series Brush 310, blissful of its existence. My attention was at the fancier, more colorful Wet brand brushes. I needed an exact replacement (don't judge). After all, the last one I had did the job exceptionally well, which really left a lasting impression on me. So you can imagine my dismay seeing my "detangler" break in two. I was teary-eyed witnessing that moment.

The first time I used my purchase I was asking myself, "Am I about to elevate my grooming experience with this double-sided brush?" I've never demanded versatility and precision in my styling routine but this seems like it is designed to meet my newly-discovered hair needs. It features one side with firm bristles for "detangling" and smoothing coarse hair, and another side with soft bristles for gentle styling and finishing touches. The ergonomic handle is crafted for comfort plus the mahogany brown color makes it really manly. I feel like I have so much control creating sharp lines and laying down waves or simply maintaining a neat appearance. Now tell me, did I just sound like an infomercial??

This level of vanity hasn't really hit me until I got into my mid 40s. Sure, I tried to dress in style (keyword: tried) for the longest time since I was in Grade School but wasn't very particular about grooming tools in general. I just go for the modest-priced brands. There was no elaborate process discovering the most suitable cotton buds for my ears, toothbrush for my chompers or mouthwash for my breath. None of those. You see when I was very young I had Type 1A hair which is super-straight and doesn't hold a curl. Using a comb doesn't really do much other than giving you a temporary wave before it flows back into its natural inverted bowl layout. As I hit puberty, it gradually started to curl. A combination of excessive sun exposure and lack of hair maintenance led to a drastic change in aesthetic as my hair became "coily". Of course I get my hair chopped but never had a specific cut I like nor tell the barber any particulars of how I wanna look. Just make it look clean is what I usually say. But even when my hair turned curly, I still never paid attention to the hair tool. I just grab what's available which is usually Mom's round or paddle brush. Never really liked Dad's fine tooth comb, it felt too retro. Mostly really I just run my hands into my hair and walah… already feels like I’m fresh out of a Great Clips salon!

A failed marriage and two kids later, the hairstyle is still blah! There's the occasional gel or clay phase I went through but over-all it's just one of those get-by-life-with-what-hairstyle-you-have kinda deal. And besides the Wet Brush I had prior to the WAV Enforcer, I have no recollection of the actual combs/brushes I’ve owned my entire life. Never really woke up one day and said, “Hmmm… what kinda hair brush should I buy today?” Never really had that in my grocery list, you know what I’m saying?? Plus, having a big forehead in tandem with the distraught hair made it really hard to put grooming efforts at the apex of my anatomy. Kinda resigned on that already and focused more on honing my other assets, you know, like my personality haha!

SuperBowl LIX just concluded and of course I groomed for the get-together at Reji's. Wore my KTH cap since my hair has been a tad long and flat, thanks (or no thanks) to my new gadget. Although it was such a lopsided match, I'm glad the Eagles won over the Chiefs. I think America had too much of Taylor Swift already (thus the boos when she was showed on the jumbotron). I wish I brought my brush with me as I wanted to use it on my friend Erwin's long dangling hair and see his reaction. But my attention was diverted to SuperBowl attendee Donald Trump and I was overly fixated on the idea of my brush running through his hair. Can the WAV Enforcer be as powerful as advertised or would it succumb to the Trumpster's audacious top? Inquiring minds wanna know. Man, if only Karoline Leavitt would accept questions like mine. I'd let her "WAV Enforce" my hair as much as she wants (wink)!

See what I mean??