What is the Best Detangling Brush for Natural Hair?

Wondering what is the best detangling brush for natural hair? If you’re struggling to detangle your natural hair, then you might be thinking about investing in a high-quality hair detangler brush for thick hair.

Detangling brushes are usually more expensive than the average wide-tooth comb, but they can speed up your detangling session and make your natural hair journey easier.

It’s good to research detangling brushes thoroughly before you make your purchase. In this post, you’ll get comprehensive info about detangling brushes so you can decide which one to buy for curly hair.

Which is Better? Finger Detangling vs Detangling Brush

Wondering how to detangle curly hair without brushing? Finger combing is a great way to detangle without using tools.

Purchasing a detangling brush doesn’t mean you should completely abandon finger detangling. If you’ve been following Natural Hair Queen for a while, you know that I’m a big advocate for finger detangling.

In fact, you should try to finger detangle as often as you can and always finger comb before using any detangling tool. It will help to prevent breakage because your fingers can feel the knots better.

However, a quality detangling brush is great to have on hand for occasions when you need to do a complete and thorough detangle.

When Should You Use a Detangling Brush on Natural Hair?

• For Straight Styles. Use your detangling brush before flat ironing or blow outs. You’ll also want to detangle before non-heat straightening techniques, like the African threading method.
• For Updos. Tangled or matted updos do not look elegant. You probably need to use a detangle brush for your updo, especially if you’re planning for a special event like a date night, wedding, or job interview.
• For Curl Clumping. Detangling brushes make great curl clumpers for wash and go’s. A styling tool like the
  Denman Classic Styling Brush 9 Row - D4 - Hair Brush for Separating, Shaping & Defining Curls - Blow-Drying, Styling & Detangling Brush – Black
  is known to help form a defined curl pattern on natural hair.

When is a Detangling Brush Unnecessary or Harmful to Hair?

• Hair is weak or broken. If your hair is fragile, using a detangling brush is the last thing you should do. A detangling brush could break the ends and make it very difficult for you to fully recover and repair your hair.
• Twists, braids, and bantu knots. Using a detangling brush for these types of everyday styles is not needed. Detangling the hair on wash day is all you need to make styles last like twist-outs and braid-outs. Detangling tools generally cause more breakage than your fingers,

• Daily Detangling. You don’t need to detangle your hair on a daily basis, and doing so could lead to over-manipulation and thinning of the ends. You can do a minor finger detangle on a daily basis, but you’ll want to skip using a detangling tool every day if you want long and healthy hair.

You’ll have to evaluate when to employ the detangling brush, and when to give your hair a break by doing the finger detangling method.

Best Detangling Brush for Curly Hair

Here is a list of most popular detangling brushes, their features, and where to buy them:

Denman Detangling Brush. The Denman is hugely popular among natural Queens. Denmans come in a variety of styles and none of them snag your strands.

However, be careful about choosing one that has too many nylon pins for thick hair. Instead, choose a

or a that will move through your coils easier than the 9-row Denman.

Also, consider modifying your Denman to have even fewer pins by removing 2-3 rows. The Denman makes a great wet detangling brush and curl clumper. Verdict: A+.

Felicia Leatherwood Detangling Brush. Created by celebrity stylist, the Felicia Leatherwood brush has an interesting feature: All rows of bristles move when you brush. This makes for gentler styling because of the flexibility and ease of working through knots without breaking the hair.

The Felicia Leatherwood Detangling Brush was specifically created for natural hair, which is ideal. However, it might be better suited as a good detangling brush for thin hair.

Some naturals claim that it takes too long to move it through thick hair. The website recommends using the brush with conditioner in your hair. Amazon does not sell the brush, but you can purchase it directly from Felicia Leatherwood. Verdict: A.

Michel Mercier Detangling Brush. The

is a lesser known product, but it was one of the first detangling brushes on the market. This brush contains 428 bristles with 32 different heights, all for the ease of releasing knots from the hair.

The description boasts its ability to detangle thick hair, but the amount of bristles makes it appear more like a fine-tooth comb.

The handle does not have a good ergonomic design and it might be difficult to grasp it when you have oil and conditioner on your hands. It’s probably not the best detangling brush for naturals. Verdict: C.

Conair Detangling Brush. Conair makes a detangling brush called the Conair Tangle Blaster Paddle Brush. It offers two different sizes of flexible bristles that can easily bend when tangles appear. The brush is one of the most affordable detanglers on the market. But be forewarned: The Conair brush has tiny nodules on the end of each bristle, making it too likely that they snag or cause too much friction on your strands. Verdict: D. 

Crave Naturals Detangling Brush.

 is a bestseller on Amazon, and it boasts easy detangling with non-beaded bristles that will easily glide through the hair. It features various bristle lengths that work to separate the hair sideways like your fingers would separate a knot. Will this brush work for natural hair? The brand name sounds as if the brush was created for naturals, but this brush seems more geared toward types 1 and 2 hair. The bristles are spaced very close together, making it a tough choice for thick hair. Verdict: C. 

How to Use a Detangling Brush

Curious about the detangling brush and how it works? Detangling brushes almost always have flexible bristles that bend as you rake them through your hair.

You might be wondering about the detangling brush vs comb. A smooth wide-tooth comb is generally a safe choice for naturals, but it does not have the flexibility that a detangling brush has.

The comb would likely break a few strands as it moves through your hair and does not have the soft padding that many detangling brushes have.

You should experiment with a wide tooth comb and a detangling brush to see which performs best without breakage.

To use it effectively, begin detangling at the ends of your hair first, and then move upward toward the roots. Always detangle with conditioner and running water if you can.

How to Clean a Detangling Brush

Cleaning a detangling brush is easier than cleaning a boar bristle brush because the rows are widely spaced, and the bristles are made of plastic.

To clean a detangling brush, pull the hair out from the bristles, then wash with warm, soapy water.

The Final Verdict

Everyone has different styles and tastes, but the Denman brush is probably the best detangling brush for curly hair. It seems to take the least amount of time to detangle without ripping the strands, it’s easy to clean, and it clumps curls well.

Also, being able to remove some of the bristles makes the Denman Brush the best detangling brush for thick hair. The Denman is probably the best detangling brush for wet hair too.

What are your thoughts on detangling brushes? Which one do you think is the best detangling brush for natural hair?