The Best Detangling Brush?

Most people will leave a review on certain brushes or tools, saying it worked for them/their hair. Some people swear it's the best brush ever, a 'holy grail', but others give it 3 stars and say it's not for them.

Do you ever stop to wonder why that is? Plus, in reviews, we can't see the person's hair texture or density, which affects their review.

Today, I'll not only be comparing brushes that worked on my hair, I'll explain the features to look out for so you can choose the best tools for you.

The Lineup

• Kazmaleje Paddle Comb

• Tangle Teezer - Thick & Curly

• Denman D38 Power Paddle

Key Features

• teeth spacing or density

• teeth strength - rigid or flexible

• teeth thickness

Let's Define the Features

• teeth density: how far apart the teeth are spaced

• teeth strength: teeth can be rigid and not budge, or they can be flexible and bend with your hair

• teeth thickness: the teeth can be wide or narrow

• Teeth density: My hair is very thick and it's (medium) dense, so it benefits from having teeth that are more spaced apart than squished together. If my hair was less dense or less thick (as in fine hair with low density), then I could use a brush with teeth close together, and be fine. Tightly packed teeth allow you to get a very thorough detangling, best for styles like cornrows which require fully detangled hair.

Benefits

• Teeth strength: I have a tender scalp, so using a brush with strong teeth just puts me in pain, to be honest. Teeth that are stiff don't allow for any give against the hair strands. You have to be careful when using them, so you don't cause extra breakage. You would have to remove the brush, and gently undo the knot or tangle with your fingers. Strong teeth wouldn't be gentle enough to remove the knot on their own.

• Teeth thickness: If the brush has thick or wide teeth, you can get through big sections easily. The brush will also move more smoothly through your hair, and you'll be able to detangle faster. Wide teeth are especially helpful for thick and/or dense hair, since wide teeth are more durable. On the other hand, thin teeth give a thorough detangling, since, depending on spacing, it's like having one teeth for each strand of hair.

Kazmaleje

I was so excited when I first found out about this brush. It has a seamless design, and is designed to mimic finger-detangling- which it does!

The teeth are widely spaced, rigid, and wide/very durable. They will never bend or move as you move the brush through your hair. They're wider at the bottom and slimmer at the top, with rounded edges to prevent snagging.

Pros: wide teeth -- safely remove shed hair, goes through hair more smoothly than brushes with tightly-packed bristles

Cons: heavy brush, rigid bristles -- pulled on my scalp

This brush has flexible, narrow bristles. They're packed tightly enough to get a thorough detangling, but they're also gentle enough that you can use the brush to ease the tangles to the ends and out your hair.

The bristles move about 45 degrees in all directions, meaning however you hold the brush, you'll get the same bristle flexibility. It's designed to move with the hair. Its teeth are flexible right down to the base, so it still has flexibility even when moving through the roots of your hair.

Denman D 38

Tangle Teezer (Thick&Curly)

There are many versions of this brush. Mine is the one with tightly packed teeth. I'd say the teeth are a bit flexible, more on the rigid side. The base of the teeth is rigid whereas the top can bend a bit. I liked this brush at first because it thoroughly detangled my hair. So once I got it through a section, I didn't have to comb it again. But I had to use it in super narrow sections since my hair is thick and dense.

I would consider it the brush equivalent of using a fine tooth comb on my hair. (It's not exactly the same, of course, that's just an illustration.) Because the teeth are close and more rigid, it's hard to get this through my hair. Plus, I don't need all the shed hair out, only most of it.

Conclusions

Based on those factors, the Denman D38 is my current favorite brush. (Remember, my hair is dense and thick.) The flexibility of the bristles accommodates dense hair. At the same time, the bristle spacing (close together) matches the thickness of my hair. And the bristles are flexible enough to move with my hair instead of pulling it.

I am not an expert on all the different types of hair. I'm only an expert on my hair, but ...

I'd recommend brushes with tightly-packed teeth (like Tangle Teezer) for fine hair or less dense hair. I feel that, with that kind of hair, brushes with wide teeth would barely detangle, as the hair would just go between the spaces.

For thick hair, I'd avoid brushes with tight spacing and look for medium-spaced teeth. If your brush teeth are too far apart, it might not detangle as thoroughly as you'd like. Or, I'd use a brush with wide spacing (like Kazmaleje) just for upkeep rather than a full detangle before, say, a long-term style.

Next time you're needing a new brush or detangling tool, keep these things in mind. This works for combs too!

I had also tried one of those wavy combs, from Amazon. I had used it to take down a long-term style. It was ok, for one flat twist section, but the rigidity of the teeth made it tough on my scalp.

Next time you're looking for new detangling tools, keep these in mind.

• Teeth thickness,

• spacing/density,

• and strength.

Hope this helped and thank you for reading!

Let me know your favorite tools!