I’m not ashamed to admit that styling my hair is my least favorite part of getting ready. While I could happily sit and do my makeup for hours, my hair is a different story. I don’t have a hairstylist bone in my body, and especially when it comes to updos, my unruly, frizz-prone strands have me waving a white flag of surrender.
But all of that changed when I started using the Emi Jay Mini Boar Bristle Brush. Is it dramatic to say that I’m a happier person having this boar-bristle hairbrush in my life? Yes. Is it true? Absolutely. I credit my super-smooth buns and ponytails to this brush—it’s become a can’t-live-without tool for me when the day calls for a slick-back look. And I’m hardly the only one who thinks it’s a game-changing product: the Emi Jay brush has garnered mass attention on TikTok, enjoys an impressive celebrity backing (Hailey Bieber, Tate McRae, and Emma Chamberlain have all been spotted using it), and was one of the most successful launches at Sephora, with a complete sell-out on the website.
What’s so noteworthy about this brush—and is its nearly $50 price tag warranted? For one, the brush is just plain nice to look at. It comes in four colorways and glides through the hair seamlessly without tugging or pulling, all while providing a sleek look. That’s all thanks to the fact that the brush is designed with natural boar bristles, which distributes the scalp’s natural oils to the rest of the hair evenly.
Using this brush is an easy, no-fuss experience that leaves me with a gorgeous (and dare I say, salon-worthy) end result. Because the bristles are so tightly packed, it effectively lays down my pesky flyaways for a completely smooth look. Most impressive of all, the brush makes it possible to have a super-sleek look without having to use any smoothing sticks or gels (though on special occasions, I’ll swipe on a little bit of the R+Co Dart Pomade Stick to lock in the style).
Unlike other boar bristle brushes I’ve tried, I don’t have to run over the same section of hair multiple times to smooth down hairs. When I use Emi Jay’s brush, one swipe allows me to achieve a slicked-back look in under two minutes, making it the perfect hair tool to use on rushed mornings (it’s become my favorite on Pilates mornings). The brush is also a decent size and covers a large section of hair, adding to the quick styling process. It’s safe to say this beauty tool has given me the confidence to create new hairstyles—for which I once thought I didn’t have the expertise.
