Hair Brushes

When I was a child, my mom bought our hair brushes, dish washing brushes, and other cleaning brushes from the Fuller Brush Man. this person was a door-to door sales man. I think mom was such a reliable customer that he called ahead to make an appointment before stopping by as it seemed to me that she knew who was at the door before opening it.

Mom bought boar’s bristle hair brushes from the Fuller Brush Man. As soon as I was old enough to understand, it was impressed upon me that these were expensive and high-quality. I was taught how to keep mine clean, and to put it away in the same place each morning and evening. I am sure I lost mine at summer camp some year, because I no longer have it.

When cleaning out mom’s apartment, I found two of these hair brushes. Today I found a spot in the garden with advantageous breezes, and cleaned my parent’s grey hair out from the bristles. Our birds will find that hair and weave it into their nests. I then cleaned the brushes themselves by soaking them. Lots of dust and, probably, soot lifted from brushes. I don’t know that I’ll use them, but they are restored to their former selves, as I like to imagine my parents are.