What is Nika Dressing Brush?

Nika Dressing Brush is the finishing brush of the NIKA station range: a dressing brush with mixed bristles, made for the work that comes after the blow-dry. It builds volume at the root, defines sections, smooths the surface of an updo and redefines the final shape without taking the style apart.

Who it is for

• Stylists building updos, chignons and gathered shapes, where the surface has to be settled once the hair is already pinned.
• Finishing work at the end of a blow-dry, when the shape is right but the surface still needs to be cleaned up.
• Root volume on hair that is already dry, without going back under the dryer.
• Clean parting lines during a styling service, on hair that has already been worked.

Key features

• Mixed bristles: control on the section combined with a soft pass on the surface, so the brush can be used on hair that is already finished.
• Root volume on dry hair: it lifts and holds the base without heat, which is how volume is added once the blow-dry is closed.
• Defines sections: keeps the parting lines clean while the shape is being built.
• Smooths updo surfaces: settles the outside of a chignon or a ponytail without pulling the pinned hair out of place.
• Finishing tool, not a drying tool: it works on dry hair, at the end of the service, where a round or a paddle brush would undo the shape.

Specifications

Results

A finished head instead of a dried one. The surface of an updo sits clean, the root keeps the lift the blow-dry gave it, and the parting lines stay visible where the shape needs them. Because the pass is soft, the style can be corrected at the end of the appointment without starting the blow-dry again.

How to use

1. Work on completely dry hair: this is a finishing brush, not a drying brush.
2. Let the blow-dry cool fully before touching it, so the shape is already set when the brush goes in.
3. For root volume, hold the section vertically under tension and pass the brush at the base with short strokes, working towards the root.
4. On an updo, brush the surface only, following the direction of the gathered hair, without digging into the pinned base.
5. To define a section, run the edge of the brush along the parting and keep the line clean before pinning.
6. Close with light passes on the outside, then set the shape with a finishing product if the service calls for it.

Tips and routine

It closes the sequence the other station brushes open: Nika Vent Brush takes the hair from wet to damp, the round brushes give the shape (Nika Round Brush 53mm, Nika Round Brush 45mm, Nika Round Brush 32mm, Nika Round Brush 25mm), Nika Paddle Brush detangles and smooths, and this one finishes the head once everything is dry. Hold the gathered sections with Nika Hair Pin Set and keep the parting lines with Nika Fine Toothed Comb. On the surface of an updo, a small amount of Shimmer Smoothing Serum before the last passes controls flyaways without weighing the shape down.

FAQ

What is a dressing brush for?

It is the brush used after the blow-dry, on dry hair: root volume, clean sections and the surface of updos. It does not replace a round brush, which builds the shape under the dryer, or a paddle brush, which detangles and smooths the lengths.

Can it be used with a dryer?

It is not made for that. Use a round brush or a vent brush while drying, and bring this one in when the hair is dry and the shape has cooled.

Will it flatten the style?

Not if it is used on the surface only. Brush along the direction of the finished shape with light passes, and keep the pressure off the pinned base.

Material and care

Clear the hair out of the bristles after every client, working from the base of the bristles outwards. Wash occasionally in lukewarm water with a little shampoo, rinse, and leave it to dry bristles down. Do not soak the handle, and do not leave the brush on a hot surface or clamped inside a styling iron. Replace it when bristles start to bend or break: a deformed bristle drags the section instead of guiding it. Total length, weight and material specifications are available on request from cliCHair.