The 9 Best Brushes for Curly Hair of 2024, Tested & Reviewed

Best Overall

Curls Ultimate Detangler Brush

$17 at Amazon

Bristle Material: Nylon  | Colors: Black, Blue

If you have multiple curl patterns on your head (for example, looser curls in the front and tighter coils in the back), this is the brush for you. It has 18 rows of bristles, with nine thinner rows for finer hair and nine thick bristle rows for coarser hair—so you can easily customize how you brush based on your hair type. We love how lightweight it is (despite having a wide body and thick handle) and that the bristles are soft but firm, which prevents scalp discomfort while brushing. During testing, we were pleased to discover that this brush glides through the hair seamlessly and removes tangles without ripping or damaging curls and coils in any way. This brush even helped maintain and enhance the natural curl patterns of our hair, giving them some added volume, definition, and bounce.

Best Budget

tgin Define + Style Detangling Brush

$11 at Ulta View on Tginatural.com

Bristle Material: Nylon  | Colors: Black

Featuring wide, gentle bristles, this budget pick from tgin defines curls and loosens knots with ease. Because the bristles are decently spaced out, the brush doesn’t snag, pull, or tug at hair—even in the most tangle-prone of curls. And we didn’t notice much shedding during testing—any shedding was negligible; we only found one hair on the brush when cleaning it. The handle, despite being shiny plastic, has a nice grip and is light enough that it’s easy to hold for a long period of time. Keep in mind, however, that since the teeth are so widely spaced, this brush tends to separate curls (rather than style them). That said, this might be best for use in the shower for detangling and distributing conditioner.

Best Splurge

Mason Pearson Junior Bristle & Nylon Mixture Brush

$225 at Dermstore $104 at Walmart $225 at Nordstrom

Bristle Material: Premium boar, Nylon | Colors: Black and red

Developed (and patented) over 100 years ago, the Mason Pearson Hair Brush is as luxe as brushes get. It features some of the finest premium-grade boar bristles—which are gentle on the hair and scalp—plus hearty nylon tufts that detangle hair for a smooth, silky finish. With seven rings of precisely placed bristles, the brush is designed to maintain, enhance, and detangle curls with ease, while the boar bristles distribute the scalp’s natural oils and stimulate circulation in the hair follicles. We love that Mason Pearson hair brush is handmade in England and comes with a nylon cleaning tool to remove hair, dead skin, and product from the brush (aka keeping your brush in tip-top shape).

Best for Thick Hair

Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross Shower Brush

$17 at Amazon $17 at Sephora $17 at Ulta

Bristle Material: Nylon | Colors: Black

A great shower option, this brush from Tracee Ellis Ross’s Pattern Beauty detangles thick hair without causing breakage. During testing, we noticed the brush does an excellent job of distributing conditioner throughout wet hair, taking note of how effortlessly it glides through curls. It was also helpful when trying to style and define hair without creating frizz—something that’s easier said than done. The only thing we didn’t love was that, if it’s handled too aggressively, it can break.

Best for Tightly Coiled Hair

Felicia Leatherwood Detangler Brush

$28 at Amazon View on Brushwiththebest.com

Bristle Material: Nylon | Colors: Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Purple 

Known for being one of the best detangling brushes on the market, natural hair expert and celeb hairstylist Felicia Leatherwood’s Detangling Brush is a must-have for those with tightly curled or coily hair. It features widely spaced flexi-bristles that we found work as well on tight curls as they do to detangle knots and take down braids. Not only do we love it for tight curls and coils, but it’s also lightweight, easy to clean, and takes up minimal space—a huge win for low-maintenance folks. It felt so nice on the scalp and quickly eradicated tangles and tension.

Best for Loose Curls

Drybar Super Lemon Drop Detangling Brush

$20 at Amazon $20 at Sephora $20 at Ulta

Bristle Material: Nylon | Colors: Yellow

Whether your go-to hairstyle features soft, loose curls or you’re blessed with natural ones, this brush from Dybar is a good one. It features flexible bristles that easily untangle wet or dry hair without painful pulling or tugging. We also love its soft-touch handle that’s lightweight and slip-free. We loved to see the brush glide easily through hair, help form curls, and reduce frizz—a win, win, win. After testing for several weeks, however, we noticed that some of the plastic bristle tips fell off. While it isn’t the biggest deal, the uncapped bristles can be slightly uncomfortable on the scalp if you brush too hard. We wish the brand would rectify that issue for pain-free styling. 

Best for Shower

Ouidad Made for Curls Customizable Detangler

$20 at Amazon $10 at Ulta View on Ouidad.com

Bristle Material: Nylon | Colors: Pink

As the name suggests, Ouidad’s Made for Curls Detangler is designed specifically to remove tangles, knots, and tension in curly hair. Though we found the most success using this tool in the shower, you can use it on wet or dry hair. Either way, it’ll detangle curls with ease. We especially love that you can add or remove bristle rows to create the perfect tension for your unique curl pattern. The bristles are stiff and hard, unlike other brushes intended for curly hair, but we were pleasantly surprised to discover that they do a fantastic job of distributing product throughout the hair in the shower and eliminating pulling and breakage. 

Best Detangler

Grace Eleyae 8-Row Detangling Brush

View on Graceeleyae.com

Bristle Material: Nylon | Colors: Black

If you regularly struggle with tangles, check out this Hrace Eleyae Detangling Brush. It’s ergonomic, meaning it’s designed for comfort and efficiency. It won’t grab a hold of tangles and cause pain or excess hair breakage. Instead, it relies on flexible bristles that evenly distribute tension through your hair as you comb through it, reducing pulling (and, therefore, shedding). During testing, we noticed that combing this brush through our hair was significantly easier when hair was wet (rather than dry), and it tackled tangles quickly and painlessly. We would like to point out, however, that this brush might not work as well on someone with a tighter curl pattern or thicker strands of hair. 

Best for Blow Drying

Sisley Paris Hair Rituel The Blow-Dry No. 1 Brush for Thin Hair

View on Sisley-paris.com $100 at Bloomingdales $100 at Saks Fifth Avenue

Bristle Material: Nylon | Colors: Black and tan

Round brushes are really helpful when blow-drying and styling hair, and this model from Sisley Paris is no exception. Not only does this brush help form curls and cut out frizz, but the bristles also offer a nice massage on the scalp. The flexible yet sturdy bristles come in a mix of short and tightly packed and longer, free-standing ones, which work together to grab a hold of hair while styling. Even those of us who have super thick hair found that the brush was gentle, even when working it through knots and tangles. The bristles made their way through the hair with ease and never tugged on ends or caused breakage. The only con is that the bristles can become loose and fall out over time, but that’s not unheard of for brushes like these.