The Best Brushes For Every Hair Type

When it comes to hair tools, few are as greatly undervalued as the humble brush. With differing bristles, shapes, and sizes, it's hard to know which brushes are used for what purpose - but all brushes are not created equal and the right brush can be a serious game changer for both the look and health of your hair.
Boar, metal, nylon, round, vented, or paddle…how do you choose? To make things easier, here is a breakdown of the exact types of brushes that work best for every hair type.
​Best Brushes for Fine Hair
Boar Bristle Brush: A brush made from pure boar bristles is gentle on fine strands and boosts shine. Boar bristles help to evenly distribute oils from the scalp, naturally conditioning hair and preventing tension or snagging while brushing. Jason J Dougherty of New York's Butterfly Studio tells Emily Rekstis, New York City-based beauty, wellness and lifestyle freelance writer and editor, how to make the most of your boar bristle brushes: they are usually stiff at first so he suggests submerging the bristles in hot water for 20 minutes. After, rake the brush downwards across a corner’s edge. “These get better with time and a good-quality brush will last you years.”
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For Blowing Out Fine Hair: Reach for a round brush with a wooden handle. This will give you the ability to create volume without generate the electricity that causes static.
For Detangling Fine Hair: Because fine hair is more prone to breakage, pick up a 100% natural green sandalwood comb for no snags, no static, less frizz, easy detangling, and breakage prevention. 
​Best Brushes for Medium Hair
Nylon Mixed With Boar Bristles: Brushes with mixed bristles are especially beneficial for average hair thickness because they provide a lot of tension which helps to create softness while distributing your natural oils for shine. 
​For Blowing Out Medium Hair: For slightly fuller hair, a rubber or wooden base will help to minimize static. The boar bristles provide enough tension to help smooth out your hair's cuticle while rounded pins on the nylon bristles help the brush to pass more easily through your hair, speeding up drying time and detangling.
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​Best Brushes for Thick Hair
Nylon Bristles: Nylon bristles are flexible which makes detangling super-easy. They also help to distribute product evenly which makes styling easier too. A paddle hairbrush with nylon bristles is ideal because the wide surface removes tangles from thick, dense strands without forcing you to spend too much time brushing; it can also be used on any length of hair.
For Blowing Out Thick Hair: Choose a round brush with a vented ceramic barrel for more consistent styling. An ion charged design will speed up drying time and a lightweight, ergonomic, hand friendly brush will also give your styling routine an instant boost.
​Best Brushes for Curly Hair
​Generally, naturally curly hair has thicker density but often, the individual strands can be fine and prone to  breakage. Denman brushes have a rubber base that helps provide enough tension to help smooth curly hair cuticles, while the rounded pins on the nylon bristles prevent breaking up the natural texture while passing through your hair. 
For Blowing Out Curly Hair: Devin Toth, a stylist at New York's Salon SCK, says using Denman brushes while blowing out textured hair will help create softness and shine.  He also recommends drying your hair immediately after the shower.
For Combing Curly Hair: A comb with wide-set teeth will get rid of tangles without snagging curls or causing frizz. 
​Specialty Brushes
For Straightening: Instead of brushing your hair and then running a flat iron over it, use this thermal straightening brush to smooth strands in a single sweep. Amika's straightening brush has ceramic bristles that heat and smooth your hair cuticle in record time, eliminating the damage that's often associated with most thermal brushes. 
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​For Controlling Dry Scalp: Beyond 100 Naturals makes a dry scalp brush with bamboo bristles so you can gently brush away dead skin cells on your scalp. 


​For Teasing: Spornette Little Wonder Boar & Tourmaline Nylon Bristle Teasing Brush is perfect for all hair lengths and types.
Now you know which brushes are used for what purpose. Too many women resign themselves to ‘just’ having dry, dull, or static prone hair – wait until you see what a difference the right brush can make!