Which hair brush is right for me

When you have thick hair, it sometimes feels like nothing can fully get through your mane and remove every tangle. This particular brush can help smooth and shape hair because of its curved shape and flexible base. For a salon-quality blowout, you need the correct brush. Leave it to Drybar to create the ultimate brush to help you achieve the perfect at-home blowout. The round shape makes it easier for you to get the sleek and smooth styling you want without any trouble.

The ceramic barrel, which is designed with vents so your hair dries quicker, heats up while drying to help lock in your style. The half-pint version is better for short to medium hair, so if you have longer hair, try out their Drybar Full Pint Round Brush. For tight coils and curls, detangling can become a serious chore, but this innovative brush offers a solution.

Designed with widely spaced flexible bristles, this brush glides easily through your hair without tugging or breaking delicate strands, removing any pesky knots along the way. In fact, users have reported significantly less shedding once they began using it. It also comes equipped with a wide handle, allowing for a comfortable and easy grip that makes detangling way less of a hassle, and it comes in a slew of fun, bright colors. For best results, we recommend using this brush on wet hair while conditioning.

Boar bristle brushes are great for those with delicate hair as well, but make sure you choose one with extra soft bristles, especially if your hair is thinning or fragile. This type of brush will stimulate the scalp, increasing circulation to the hair follicle, which is ideal for hair that needs a little TLC. Plus, it will help spread your hair's natural oils, helping to condition parched, brittle strands, naturally.

This gentle satinwood-base brush is designed specifically for fine and thinning hair, so you can trust its ultra soft boar bristles will get the job done without hurting delicate, damaged hair. If you have curly, coiled, or tightly textured hair, consider this brush your new shower BFF.

Designed for wet use, this brush from Pattern is heavyweight and durable, yet super gentle on hair. It's thoughtfully designed to gently detangle even the most knotty or unruly hair without tugging or pulling while helping curls clump and find each other for superb definition. The result? Super bouncy, knot-free curls. We also love that the rubber pad slides out, so you can deep clean your brush to get rid of old strands and build up—a major plus, especially for a wet brush.

What Our Editors Say. The well-made bristles allow the brush to gently and effectively work through even the toughest tangles in my hair. The brush also does an excellent job of clumping curls, which helps me achieve incredible definition. To smooth short hair and tame unruly bangs, choose a small round brush with boar bristles. Boar bristles are great for creating tension and catching every hair, making it a dream for styling short strands. Whether the end goal is smooth and sleek or a boost of volume, this little wonder will get you there.

Coming in at just 1. This sleek and small brush is designed specifically for slicking and smoothing out your edges. Equipped with a double-sided head, one end is designed to comb and brush while its extra-long precision tip end allows for expert precision when parting, swirling, and detailing. If your goal is sleek, straight, and smooth strands, look no further than this large paddle brush from Moroccanoil.

Equipped with ceramic and ionic properties, this high-quality yet surprisingly affordable brush is great for detangling, smoothing, and styling hair of all lengths while speeding up drying time, boosting shine, and encouraging even heat distribution. Also nice: It includes a concealed sectioning tip, which is stored inside the handle.

This one is best used as a blowout and finishing brush. For less than a latte, you can snag this long-lasting brush that works for all hair types. Its bristles are ball-tipped, allowing it to glide through your hair without tugging or causing breakage.

Its round shape makes it easy to create sleek, smooth styles, while the vented ceramic barrel helps to dry hair faster and lock in your style. Curly types should opt for the Pattern Shower Brush , which will detangle and define your waves, coils, or kinks with ease. When it comes to shopping for hair brushes, hairstylist and salon owner Anthony Nader recommends first making sure the brush shape will fit your specific hair needs. When it comes to bristle material, Nader is a big fan of bristles made of boars hair.

Blowouts can take some time, especially if your hair is on the thicker or more unruly side. With that in mind, shop for an ergonomically designed brush that fits comfortably in the hand and is easy to maneuver. This will make your blowout experience less of a hassle and help prevent sore wrists and hands post-blow dry. Stimulating these blood cells leads to a healthier scalp and strands, creating the right environment for optimal growth.

He explains that over-brushing causes the sebaceous glands in the scalp to work overtime, leading to oily roots and the need to wash hair more frequently. If you have to brush wet hair, opt for a wide-tooth comb, as these are much less damaging and will help gently detangle any knots.

Meet the Expert. On the other hand, the wrong hair brush can create frizz, knots, and even break your hair. This is especially true with fine hair, since brushing is a major cause of damage for those of us who struggle to add volume and lift to our locks.

Experts agree that brushing is the major cause of breakage for fine hair. If your hair is fine, you need to be extra careful about what kind of brush you use.

Remember that whenever you pull your brush through fine hair, the result is likely to be more damaging than it would be with other hair types. For fine hair, brushes designed to add volume and reduce frizz tend to be the most compatible. Available in vented, paddle, porcupine, and round models, they feature a variety of hair-enhancing properties, including ionic nylon, boar bristles, and ceramic technology.

Boar bristles distribute oils evenly to achieve a smooth, shiny blowout, especially if you have thick, coarse hair. They can also add volume to fine and normal hair types. Everyone is unique, however, and you may find that a synthetic bristle brush, or a combination of boar and nylon bristles, can glide through your strands more easily. After washing and thoroughly drying your hair, try using a light detangling spray before you begin brushing. A soft, flexible bristle hair brush that can be used whether hair is wet or dry gives you added versatility.

Whatever your hair type, gentler is better. Try brushing your hair from the ends upward to your scalp, working in small sections, moving up to the mid-shaft and finishing at the roots. If you have short to medium hair and your busy life keeps you short on time , you may want to consider a vented brush to help speed up drying. Nylon bristle brushes are made from a synthetic material that reduces static and effectively detangles thick hair.

Curved brushes are ergonomically designed to fit the shape of a human head. Most are made of lightweight plastic and contain vents, which make them a good choice for travel, the gym, or anytime you want to dry your hair quickly.

For vegans or anyone who wants the benefits of a boar bristle brush without using animal products, some brushes combine other natural fibers, like agave, with synthetics to achieve a bristle that looks and feels like boar bristle.

Mixed bristle brushes combine the shine-enhancing effects of boar bristles with the scalp stimulation and easy detangling of nylon or wire bristles. This combination can be most effective for those with long or thick hair. The wide base of paddle brushes enable them to cover a lot of ground quickly while smoothing hair.

A vented brush is the best choice for quickly blow drying soaking-wet hair. The vents allow hot air to flow through, reaching all layers of hair. Vented brushes can reduce static during blow drying because they allow heat to flow through the brush, helping to illuminate static and frizz.

Ionic brushes are said to reduce static and frizz by adding negative ions into hair, and metal combs may fight static. Round brushes are a good choice for blow drying hair and styling loose waves. Teasing brushes are small and designed to be used at the crown to add volume and texture to fine or limp hair, and it can create the illusion of fuller hair , which may be attractive to those experiencing hair loss.

Rat tail brushes and combs are teasing brushes with a long, thin stem that can be used for separating and lifting sections of hair to tease and create more volume. Wide-tooth combs have thick teeth with space between them. They can be used on thick or curly hair when wet. Straightening brushes are a mix between a hot iron straightener and a paddle brush. They heat up, can quickly straighten and smooth hair, and are less damaging than a traditional hot iron. Smoothing brushes are paddle brushes with soft boar or nylon bristles.

They can be used for creating sleek styles and eliminating bumps when pulling hair back into a ponytail or bun. They have stiff bristles that help to detangle without pulling out hair.

A paddle brush is best for thick hair. Paddle brushes can be good for long hair, because they allow you to brush through a large portion of hair at once, eliminating knots and redistributing oil.

Curly-haired people may prefer to use a sturdy, wide-toothed comb while in the shower. This can help prevent frizz and breakage that can come with combing dry curly hair.

Detangling brushes with stiff bristles also work well.