Best Detangling Brush For Curly Hair [Review] in 2022

When it comes to brushing our curls properly and detangling with minimal breakage, patience, the right products, and tools are key. You should always have a good trusty detangling brush and comb at the ready for when wash day looms.

Since blow-drying curly hair straight is rare, we mainly use our brushes to detangle and style our curls and then go in with the diffuser to gently dry curls without damaging the curl pattern. You’ll want a detangling brush with flexible bristles and one you can use on wet hair.

As a general rule of thumb, we curlies only really detangle our hair once or twice a week, on wash day. We cannot brush dry hair; you need to have wet hair or at least damp hair and use hair oil or detangling treatments to provide slip and ease knots.

Since curly hair is already the most fragile hair type and hair is even more fragile while wet, choosing to strengthen detangling treatments and using a shower brush detangler to ease through stubborn knots and tangles is key.

But don’t worry, I’m here to help. I understand the struggle of wash day as it is, the chore of detangling, washing, detangling again, and then styling your curls– it feels like it takes all day. Luckily I have broken down everything you need to know when using a detangling brush, along with some tips to make detangling your curls a breeze.

So let’s delve into the ultimate buying guide around the best detangling brushes for curly hair.

There are many different types of hair brushes on the market for all hair types, but what is a detangling brush, and why is it best for curly hair?

Detangling brushes are brilliant for all hair types but especially the thickest, curliest hair as they can be used on both wet and dry hair. It is specifically designed to ease tangles and knots within the hair without tugging, snagging, or pulling on the hair.

Curly hair is already fragile, and since curly-haired girls can only detangle their hair while sopping wet, it is important to use a detangling brush or detangling wide tooth comb to prevent breakage, frizz, and damage to the natural curl pattern.

They often have thin, flexible bristles, which make detangling easier as they part the tangles from side to side rather than snag and tug on them like most brushes. They are the best brushes for curly hair as they release even the toughest of tangles.

They prevent hair loss, breakage, frizz. Some detangling shower brushes even help evenly distribute treatments like conditioners, oils, detangling treatments, and more which helps to strengthen the hair within itself as it ensures that these treatments are penetrating all over.

While a detangling brush has flexible, fine bristles to help untangle knots, detangling wide tooth combs have widely spaced prongs that help to untangle big tangles, making it easier to use the detangling brush afterward.

So there are a few times that you will need to know how to detangle curly hair, before washing and after washing, on damp hair. For each, you will detangle slightly differently but here are some tips on the best ways to detangle curly hair without snagging or pulling curls.

Detangling Curls Before Shampooing:

The first tip is to only detangle wet or damp curls; never detangle dry curls! So despite it being recommended to detangle your curls before shampooing, your should dampen down the hair first. So wet down your curls until they are damp first.

This is because knots are even more stubborn when dry and do not have any slip, so either dampening down your hair or coating the ends with a leave-in detangler or oil will help provide the slip you need to detangle. You don’t need soaking wet hair.

You’ll then want to apply your leave-in detangler or detangling treatment to the ends of your curls and start detangling. Work in sections starting underneath; I like to section to 2-inch sections, apply some detangling treatment and then comb through.

Working in smaller sections makes detangling much easier without snagging or pulling on curls. Not only will it make your curls more manageable, but it will ensure that you are doing a thorough job of removing all stubborn knots; this also helps with curl definition.

Since you will be shampooing after, don’t be afraid to be generous with the detangling treatment as it will not leave a greasy residue. Take your time to detangle before washing, don’t tug or rip through curls impatiently, as this can cause damage to your hair and curls.

You can even apply a pre-treatment once detangled to leave on before washing; I personally love using Olaplex No.3 on curly hair as it is free of silicones and offers an intensive reparative treatment for your curls. It is even safe to use when doing the Curly Girl Method!

Detangling Curls After Shampooing, Before Styling:

The second time you will need to detangle curly hair is once you’ve shampooed, as after all the massaging, your curls will most likely be tangled again (but not as bad as before). Detangling in sections can also help with curl definition.

So once you’re out of the shower, then apply your leave-in conditioner and detangler to sopping wet curls. What I like to do is sit in front of the mirror and take my time; I spray each section down and apply my leave-in detangler, and comb through each section.

I then apply my curl defining cream, heat protectant, and styling gel on top and style. I detangle firstly with my detangling brush and then go in with my Denman styling brush to create tension and twist as I go down the curl; this helps with curl definition.

By working in small 2-3 inch sections, you can work to achieve more curl definition, and it makes detangling more manageable. You want to focus on moisture and strengthen ingredients for this step like Jamaican Black Castor Oil to restore moisture to the strands.

Moisture, patience, and slip are key to detangling your curls!

You can pair your detangling brush with either a store bought or DIY detangling spray to make the job easier and to provide a bit of slip when detangling. If you make it yourself you can alter the ingredients to suit you!

Ensuring that you clean any brush regularly is super important, especially if you use it to detangle with a detangler or conditioner, or oil. This can buildup on your brush may even leave a greasy residue on your hair.

I created a full guide on how to clean your hairbrushes like a pro for a deep clean, but you should clean your detangling and styling brushes at least once a week, especially if you have natural hair and use a lot of styling products.

But for now, here are some steps to cleaning your detangling brush on a weekly basis.

Step One: Remove The Hair:

The first thing you’ll want to do is remove all the hair from your detangling brush. Hopefully, this shouldn’t be too much, as the idea of detangling brushes is that it causes minimal breakage. The best way to do this is with a rat tail comb to easily remove hair from the base.

No need to ruin your nails over this; just grab this pin-tailed comb and run it through each line of bristles, and then gently ease the hair caught in the bottom; it reaches stubborn hair stuck at the bottom much easier than your hands can.

Any pointed object will do the trick if you don’t have a rat tail comb; even a pen, pencil, or scissors will help remove all of the hair building up on your brush; scissors can even help with tangled hair within the bristles.

Step Two: Soak The Brush In Warm Water:

Since we curly girls use a lot of styling products, leave-in detanglers, oils, and more, it will all buildup on the styling tools we use, especially detangling brushes and styling brushes, so you’ll want to soak them in diluted clarifying shampoo water to remove this buildup.

But why use a clarifying shampoo? Surely your normal one would be enough?

Yes and no, if you are strictly following the Curly Girl Method, then you shouldn’t have any buildup of silicones and waxes which require sulfates to remove, but who follows it to the fine print nowadays? There are some benefits of water-soluble silicones on curly hair!

Gently ease a small dab or clarifying shampoo into the bristles and rub it gently so it can soak through to the bottom and remove excess buildup. Then fill a bowl or sink with water and a few pumps of clarifying shampoo and mix it around.

Leave the brushes to soak in the water for 10-20 minutes. For plastic detanglers, you can submerge the entire brush in water, but for wooden brushes, only dip the bristles in the water and try to keep the base dry.

After the time is up, rinse the bristles under the tap to remove any bubbles, give it a shake multiple times and rinse again. This will help loosen oils, dead skin cells, and product buildup, especially if your brush is dirty.

Step Three: Rinse And Air Dry:

Once you’ve finished cleaning your hairbrush and successfully removed all the dirt from the bristles, then you should rinse the brush under cool water to remove any excess dirt.

Once you’re happy and certain your hairbrush is clean, you can leave it to air dry with the bristles facing down on a clean cloth or towel.

How does a detangling brush work?

Detangling brushes are designed to glide through your tangled strands and separate them without causing tension or stress on your tresses. They work to part your tangles rather than snag or pull; they’re suitable for textured or natural hair.

Most detangling brushes are easy to use; they tend to have an ergonomic handle that sits comfortably in your hand and glides along with your head with ease. There’s nothing worse than a cramped-up hand from trying to desperately detangle the rat’s nest of your curls.

Where should you buy detangling brush?

You can buy a detangling brush anywhere on the market nowadays; there are many renowned brands such as Tangle Teezer, Denman Brush, Wet Brush, and more suitable for curly hair. You can get many of these brands online or at your local store.

Online shops like Amazon, Ulta, Sephora, and more tend to have discounts, especially student discounts, so be sure to check it out.

What is the best detangling brush?

This depends on the thickness of your curls and your curl shape. If you have quite thick, coarse curls, then there is nothing better than the large wet detangler brush by Tangle Teezer. But for any thickness, the Denman Brush will always have a place in my heart for styling and detangling.

If you’re looking for something slightly more budget-friendly, then you might like the idea of Crave Naturals Detangling Brush; it sits comfortably in your hand and offers superior detangling– it is even recommended for kids. It’s that gentle!

Can you detangle curly hair with boar bristles?

Yes, absolutely, you can benefit from using a boar bristle brush if you suffer from breakage, hair loss, or if you have finer curls. It is not suitable for thicker hair but has some serious benefits for those with finer hair.

So if your hair is particularly damaged and you don’t want to use a detangler with synthetic bristles or nylon bristles, then you can detangle with boar bristles. It may not reach thicker curls as it may even cause more tangles, but for extremely damaged hair, it is an alternative.

So there you have it, the best detangling brushes for curly hair. Whether you are looking for an easier way to make wash day not feel so much like a chore or want to minimize breakage when combing through your curls, then a detangling brush will be your BFF!

Choose any of the detangling brushes and combs I have selected for you today, don’t worry. They are all gentle enough to use on curly hair without damaging your curl pattern. Just pair with your chosen detangler, and you’ll be good to go!

Our curls deserve it!