A hairbrush, what could be simpler, right? Wrong. Extremely wrong. Finding the best hairbrush that suits your specific hair type and texture among the sea of paddle and round brushes or skinny and wide-tooth combs can be a little bit like trying to find the yellow brick road.

Then, when it comes to styling, you may need a whole other set of hairbrushes, depending on how you’re looking to shape and style your strands. But whether you’re looking to detangle with ease or straighten and smooth your hair for a glossy blowout, there are a few key characteristics of a good hairbrush to keep in mind.

“You absolutely need a good hairbrush or comb!” stresses mega stylist, Sally Hershberger, the genius behind the famous shag cut. “If you don’t use a quality brush or comb, you can expect damage to your hair, like breakage or hair loss.”

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Instead, a great quality hairbrush or comb helps maintain your hair by “minimizing damage to the scalp and improving blood flow,” explains Hershberger, which produces healthier hair at the scalp. And if you suffer from seemingly endless scalp dryness and itchiness, it’s even more important to use the right tool to really make it a thing of the past, she says.

When it comes to looking for the right hair brush, comb or styling tool, it’s important to think about how you wear and style your hair daily before making any purchases. “When I’m looking for a hairbrush, I’m actually going to think of what I’m trying to do with it,” says Britney Williams, West Coast Manager of Education at Bumble and bumble, adding that the brush she uses to detangle her curly hair before hopping in the shower is different than the one she uses to blow out and straighten her waves.

“It depends on what you’re really looking for and what instance it is,” she says, “because normally, you’re going to have about two brushes: the brush you’re detangling with and your styling brush — whether that’s a flat or round brush.”

And while it can be tempting to skip through combing and brushing your hair thoroughly and gently in order to make it as presentable as possible as quickly as possible, your strands really do need that TLC to stay strong and healthy. (A hair dryer brush, however, is a good 2-in-1 way to speed things up).

“Start at the ends and gently work your way to the crown in sections,” advises Bryce Scarlett, a celebrity stylist at Moroccanoil. “There’s no magic trick; it’s just about patience and a gentle hand for less breakage and a smoother finish.”

We know this sounds like a lot to consider, but use this breakdown of the different types of hairbrushes to determine which ones you need in your life.

Paddle brush: “The wide base of a paddle brush covers a lot of ground quickly and is a great choice for people with long, straight hair,” explains Hershberger. A word of caution: Hair is most vulnerable when wet, so proper brushing technique — meaning sectioning and going bottom to top — is important. Don’t just yank or pull, or else you’re just asking for trouble.
Round brush: This is the brush you pull out when you get to the styling phase of your hair routine, after you’ve already detangled with a comb and brushed through with a paddle brush. That’s because round brushes aren’t designed to detangle or brush through; rather, their job is to help you master the bouncy blowout of your dreams by twirling strands around the bristles and gliding them downwards.
Wide-Toothed Comb: Hershberger says this is “a must-have” for tangle-prone hair (which really, is all of us) and best used when hair is wet. This comb is even more urgent for those with thick or curly hair, because a paddle brush will just rip and break strands.
Edge brush: This brush has a long, pointed handle with a cluster of bristles at the opposite end to smooth baby hairs along the hairline. Pair it with a pomade and the world of styling is your oyster.

To help you find the right hair-care tools to take you from pre-shower detangling to post-party damage control and everything in between, we’ve rounded up the best celebrity-stylist approved hair combs and brushes out there to ensure your hair is the least of your worries.

Drybar Super Lemon Drop Brush

Drybar’s Super Lemon Drop brush is the go-to for super stylist Andrew Fitzsimons, whom the Kardashian-Jenner sisters and Madonna keep on speed dial. “It has flexible bristles that can be used on wet or dry hair and even extensions,” he says. “It’s also suitable for all hair types.”

Drybar Super Lemon Drop

Drybar Super Lemon Drop $20 $16 Buy Now

Wet Brush Shower Detangler Brush

Best Hair Brush to Prevent Breakage

“A variety of brushes can help prevent breakage, but one of my favorites is the Shower Detangler from WetBrush, which is a terrific solution for all hair types — no matter the condition of your hair,” explains Hershberger. “The super soft bristles detangle easily while protecting against split ends and breakage.”

Wet Brush Shower Detangler

Wet Brush Shower Detangler $11 $7 Buy Now

Mason Pearson Popular Mixture Hair Brush

“Depending on your hair texture and density, you want to look at the bristle ratio, like how many bristles are actually on the base and what the mixture of the bristles are,” says Williams, a self-confessed Mason Pearson devotee. “I like the idea of boar bristles mixed with nylon in this Maison Pearson brush, because they help detangle and smooth. I stick with boar bristle brushes because I think that’s the healthiest for your hair. It’ll help de-frizz the hair as you’re blow drying, and it encourages shine.”

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Mason Pearson Popular Mixture Hair Brush $240 Buy Now

Christophe Robin Detangling Brush

Best Hair Brush for Fine Hair

Christophe Robin’s detangling brush is an excellent choice for those with thinner, finer hair, says Williams. “The reason why I like this one for finer hair is it’s boar bristle, but if you look at the actual brush, it doesn’t have individual boar bristles,” she explains. “They’re actually in clusters, which helps smooths the hair and bring the natural oils through the ends of the hair” — a godsend for thin textures with grease-prone scalps.

christophe robin, best hair brushes

Christophe Robin Detangling Brush $108 Buy Now

Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross Wide-Tooth Comb

Best for Thick or Curly Hair

“A wide-tooth comb, like this option from Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross, is a must-have for detangling wet, knotted hair and is best for thick or curly hair when wet,” says Hershberger. “I recommend combing a few inches off the bottom and slowly working your way up the strand in small sections with short strokes to remove tangles.” If your hair is of the stubborn variety, a few spritzes of Bumble and bumble’s Invisible Hairdresser’s Oil Primer should help your comb slide on through without resistance.

Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross Wide Tooth Comb

Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross Wide-Tooth Comb $15 Buy Now

Moroccanoil Ceramic Paddle Brush

Designed with ionic and ceramic properties to make your detangling and styling process effortless, this Moroccanoil brush features boar bristles with ions that repel water, forcing moisture to evaporate quickly. Meanwhile, the ceramic base holds heat evenly and longer than other materials to make the most out of drying time while amping up shine. “A high-quality brush helps you detangle gently without breaking the hair,” says Scarlett. “The higher quality tool you have, the better position you’re setting yourself in for success, and a boar bristle brush can help produce shine.”

Moroccanoil Ceramic Paddle Brush

Moroccanoil Ceramic Paddle Brush $28 Buy Now

Denman Original Styler Brush

You’ll know this Denman brush by its iconic white bristles, and it’s perfect to use pre- or immediately post-shower. “It’s kind of curved, a little bit more narrow,” says Williams of the brush’s flexibility. “The benefit is getting your scalp’s skin stimulated while also detangling hair with minimal breakage. It protects your hair, and it’s really going to help from roots to end to keep the integrity of your hair intact.”

Denman Original Styler

Denman Original Styler $19 Buy Now

Grace Eleyae Edge Brush Tamer

Don’t be fooled by the small amount of real estate on this Grace Eleyae edge brush — every feature has a function and purpose. The brush is made of tightly spaced, short 100% boar bristles on one side for maximum strength and a fine-tooth comb on the other, plus a rattail end to section or part your hair easily. Usually popular with hair types 3 and 4, the boar bristles make it a universal tool. “All hair types can benefit from a boar bristle brush,” says Hershberger. “But a 100% boar bristle brush with soft bristles is a good choice for people with fine, thinning or aging hair.”

Grace Eleyae Edge Brush Tamer

Grace Eleyae Edge Brush Tamer $9 Buy Now

Crown Affair The Comb No. 001

We have to comb our hair daily, so why not transform it into a luxurious, self-care moment? It’s possible with Crown Affair’s wide-tooth comb, which is hand-carved in Switzerland by artisans in all the right ways so your hand won’t cramp as you get to work on your tangles. The sturdy, curved tool has rounded tips to ensure that vulnerable hair, whether it’s wet, dry or chemically treated, retains its strength. It’s also fun to use just as a scalp massager.

Crown Affair The Comb No. 001

Crown Affair The Comb No. 001 $36 Buy Now

Conair Velvet Touch Hair Brush

Conair’s Velvet Touch brush is one of the best budget hair brushes you can buy. The cushioned base is ultra flexible, moving with your hair instead of against it to reduce the risk of damage, while the ball-tipped bristles cover large sections of hair to detangle safely. The only downside to these types of brushes with plastic bristles is that they need to be replaced regularly, says Williams. “If you’re just using it to detangle, I would say you could probably make it about a year,” she estimates. “But if you’re using it with a blow dryer, it will probably only last you more like six months.”

Conair Velvet Touch Hair Brush

Conair Velvet Touch Hair Brush $5 $3 Buy Now

The Yves Durif Brush

Another ultra-luxe option for when you hit a snag, this brush is essentially detangling magic. Yves Durif — the man, the myth, the legend — recommends using this brush in the shower after sudsing up to more evenly distribute shampoo from root to end for a more thorough cleanse. And the design is also glue-free, which means you can use it with any kind of heat tool and not worry about activating funky fumes.

The Yves Durif Brush

The Yves Durif Brush $76 Buy Now

YS Park G-Series Curl Shine Styler Round Brush

Best Round Hair Brush

Another favorite of Williams, this Japanese brand was developed by and for professional stylists — and lucky for us, is now available to the masses. Not only does YS Park’s Styler brush have 100% boar bristles that soften the hair’s cuticle, creating more shine and a sleeker look, but it also has an oval shape (versus the traditional round) to smooth ends more thoroughly. The handle is fashioned from natural Teak wood, making this brush an all-around home run that you’d be proud to place on your vanity.

YS Park G-Series Curl Shine Styler Round Brush

YS Park G-Series Curl Shine Styler Round Brush $83 Buy Now

Tangle Teezer Salon Elite Detangle Hair Brush

Tangle Teezer’s compact brush is an engineering feat, designed exclusively for compromised hair. This multi-tasking tool is impressively gentle, and unlike other brushes, it’s doesn’t have a handle — so you can immediately feel any tugs or snarls and pull back and course correct. With two-tiered soft-flex teeth — one longer set to detangle and shorter bristles to massage the cuticle — you can confidently brush your vulnerable hair without any additional stress.

Tangle Teezer Salon Elite Detangle Hair Brush

Tangle Teezer Fine & Fragile Detangling Hairbrush $11 Buy Now

Raincry Condition Large Pure Boar Bristle Brush

Raincry’s tool is not your average paddle brush, but just as its name suggests, it’s a hair brush that focuses exclusively on producing healthy, glossy hair (which in our humble opinion is a must for everyday grooming). Especially ideal for people with longer and color-treated hair, but also great for anyone who just wants shiny locks, this brush orients around the scalp and is crafted with small clusters of boar bristles that are uniformly spaced to stimulate the scalp. This in turn triggers the cuticle to close, thus creating a shiny look, while supporting color retention and preventing split ends.

Raincry Condition Large Pure Boar Bristle Brush

Raincry Condition Large Pure Boar Bristle Brush $120 Buy Now

Drybar Texas Tease Teasing Brush

Best Teasing Brush

What’s that adage — the higher the hair, the closer to God? If that’s the case, this brush will take you to church. For those looking to achieve that next-level bounce often nailed by Texans, this Drybar Teasing brush delivers. It’s made with a 50-50 blend of boar bristles and nylon, which Fitzsimons says is the type to nab, because it will “help bring the oil from the roots and scalp to the tip of your strands.” Whether you do the traditional tease, nouveau backcombing or hyper-targeted smoothing, you’ll be blessed with instant volume.

drybrush, best hair brushes

Drybar Texas Tease Teasing Brush $18 Buy Now

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