Best Brushes For Curly Hair [Review] in 2022

When it comes to brushing curly hair, we all have to be extra careful, we don’t want to cause frizz, breakage and we certainly don’t want to disrupt the natural curl pattern; we also shouldn’t brush our hair while dry. 

Another issue we curly girls come across is brushing our hair while wet; when our hair is wet, it is most fragile, weak, and most prone to damage. Tugging your knots out of wet hair actually does more damage than we realize. 

While having the correct hair brush is super important, the technique is key.

As a curly girl myself, I find that brushing my hair in the shower is key. I do the initial detangling before and after rinsing out my conditioner; I then section my hair, wet it down with a water spray, and apply my styling product section by section. This ensures that the product is going on sopping wet hair rather than damp hair. 

I will then grab my styling brush; I currently use a Denman Brush and twirl the brush as I run it down its section. This leaves my curls looking revived, refreshed, and defined. 

Having the right brush is a great first step, but now I’m here to show you the technique and everything you need to know about brushing curly hair briefly in this section. Be sure to check out my full guide here, though. 

Chosen the right brush for your curls? Great! Now we need to get the technique in the bag; this is the key to defined and luscious curls.  Just changing the way you brush your hair will make more of a difference than you may realize. 

Here’s how to brush curly hair without snagging or causing frizz: 

Step One: Add Moisture:

You should only brush curly hair while it is sopping wet, damp, or has a layer of slip between the strands and the bristles. Brushing curly hair while dry will be the only event in frizz or damage the curl’s shape. 

After washing your curly locks using either a no-poo cleansing conditioner or low-poo sulfate-free shampoo, your hair will need a little moisture. I like to detangle my curls while I have conditioner on the ends. 

Then, I will rinse the conditioner and apply my leave-in conditioner or moisturizing cream; it is crucial to keep curly hair hydrated when brushing. 

Step Two: Detangle: 

Next step is to detangle curls without disrupting the curl pattern. The best way to detangle your curls and help keep their shape is to section your curls and brush section by section; this helps give each curl or coil more definition. 

I would reccomend applying a good coating of curling cream or gel to each strand and ensuring each strand is still sopping wet by wetting down each section with a water spray before applying. 

This will help the brush glide through the hair much easier and will prevent any snagging. 

Step 3: Work from the bottom up: 

With each section, make sure you’re working from the bottom upwards; this will help reduce the amount of tugging and potential hair shedding. 

Be patient with your hair, don’t rush while brushing your hair; this will cause unnecessary breakage and disrupt your curl pattern. You also want to avoid brushing the same area too frequently as this will cause your curl to lose memory and be less defined.

Don’t forget the baby hairs, too; I would reccomend switching to a smaller hair brush to slick your edges and baby hair. 

How often should you brush curly hair?

A straight-haired girl will never know the struggle of brushing curly hair and preventing frizz. But how often should you brush curly hair? To prevent frizz, I would reccomend brushing your hair every time you wash and style it.

You should only brush your hair while wet, damp or if the hair brush has a little slick to it. Some curly girls dampen down their hair to brush it (when not washing it) to refresh curls.

How often you choose to brush your curls is completely up to you, but I would reccomend brushing while your hair is wet or stimulating the scalp before washing. Brushing your hair while dry can tug on curls and actually damage the natural curl shape.

Does brushing hair ruin curls?

Sometimes, but only if you’re using the wrong brush or the wrong technique. Since you have to brush your hair while wet with curly hair, this is when hair is at its weakest.

Tugging and pulling on strands to rip out knots can really damage the natural curl pattern, especially if you do this while your hair is wet, as your hair won’t bounce back like it would when it is dry.

Instead of ripping out your scalp to get rid of pesky knots, you should gently glide a wide-tooth comb or detangling brush from the bottom to the roots of your hair. I would also reccomend doing this while your hair is sopping wet with a leave-in conditioner.

This will help glide through knots and gently detangle rather than tugging on the natural curl and causing breakage.

What happens if you don’t brush curly hair?

It is ideal for you not to brush curly hair as this will maintain the integrity of your curl. Your curls will appear less frizzy and look more defined when you don’t brush your hair.

It is recommended that you keep brushing your hair to a minimum and instead detangle with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb and then scrunching, plopping, or diffusing your hair until dry.

So there you have it; while brushing curly hair is not easy, it is super important to use the right hair brush and the right technique. We want to keep frizz at bay without damaging our natural curl pattern. 

Each brush I have selected for you today I have tried, tested, and been recommended by thousands of curly girls all over the globe. Whether you have loose waves or the tightest coils, having the right brush will make a world of difference. 

Remember you should only brush your hair while wet, so implement it into your washing routine. I tend to brush my curls either while my conditioner is on the ends or once I’ve put on my leave-in conditioner, this helps to gently ease knots with minimal breakage. 

Let’s upgrade our curl game, ladies!