Which is more painful the hardback of a hairbrush or the bristle side?
Was use of the bristle side down used very much?
It would be akin to chinese acupuncture or therapy.

As far as we know, punishment with a hairbrush, particularly using the bristle side, was rare in state schools in the UK, but did happen in some boarding schools.

There was a woman teacher at St. John's Primary School in East Dulwich who slapped pupils' legs in school, but smacked their bottoms with a hairbrush if they talked after "lights out" at a school camp in Seaford.

Quick bit of physics.

Bristles are usually in sets of at least 15-20 tufts.

So, there are that many areas to cushion the force of a blow. Plus, even the stiffest brush is still made of a flexible,pliant material, so again impact might be minimal.

The other side,if flat,is one surface. If made of wood, that is a hard surface,too, so may also bruise as well as sting.

No contest on this one,or are some of you knowing a bit more about this than you've let on so far?


Steve M

If I recall Hayley Mills got the hairbrush at boarding school, see SF&R
The hairbrush is a serious bit of kit, spanking wise. A few whacks with the flat side brings tears at any age, the bristle side makes hundreds of pin prick like marks that bleed so not for light hearted fun.

I wonder who they got and which part of the anatomy they tested this product on

Beware of using the bristle side of a hairbrush for spanking ...

... unless all of the bristles have been thoroughly disinfected, there is the very real risk of starting an infection if the skin is pierced.

Someone did it to me once and I had an unpleasant rash for several days.