Laight & Mercer's Wet Brush

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Yes, flipping through a slideshow of Caroline de Maigret will have you throwing out all round brushes, avowing “Bedhead forever.” It's really the only style I can do—get in bed, get out of bed, check to see if hair is still attached to head, and done. I used to think it was a no-maintenance style; turns out, if you do it right, it’s low maintenance—a tiny quantum of attention is required if you’re going for something French and not say, Doc from Back To The Future. Now, I’m not talking about a full news-anchor blowout with a touch of salt spray afterward. Never. The only two things you need for great bedhead: a bed and the right brush.

The one essential rule here is no styling when dry, (save maybe a hairflip). But anything you do while wet is fair game. Just like how if you’re wearing concealer, powder, and mascara, it’s fair to say to you’re not wearing makeup. We all know there’s a little something there, but it’s not really visible in its final form. To me, dry hair is a final destination, but wet hair is the beginning of a journey— who knows where you’ll go this time? With the right brush, you’re going to Paris.

I was given the Laight & Mercer Brush For Wet Hair as a gift. Of course, the politics of giving (and receiving) grooming products can be a little, um, hairy (what? You think my hair s too frizzy?), but I soon got over any hesitance when I saw how magical this brush really is. The bristles are flexible and spaced wide enough apart that hair slips through with minimal resistance and pulling—whatever natural texture you’ve got going on flows right through, unfrizzed and shiny. Rake this through your hair when it's just out of the shower (and dabbed at a little with a towel), until you've got that helmet-y, Evangelista-style slick back. Then shake your hair out and let it all fall where it may. For best results, go directly to bed. When you get up, you'll still have texture, just minus that baby dreadlock that would otherwise gestate on the back of your head. And your hair will have shine, which is so hard to achieve when you commit to the Messy Look. This is the difference between ‘tousled’ and ‘tangled’. This is perfect bedhead.

—Trace Barnhill

Photographed by Tom Newton.