When you think about hair care essentials, products like shampoo and conditioner immediately come to mind. While hair care products are the key to maintaining healthy hair, you’ll never achieve the style of your dreams without the best hair brush. From natural bristle brushes to vented brushes, each tool serves its own purpose in helping you create your favorite hairstyles.
Not sure which tool you need to create the hairstyle of your dreams? We’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up 15 of our favorite brushes and are letting you know which ones are perfect to create the style you’re thinking of.
The best hair brushes if you want sleek hair:
Straightening Brush
If you’re sick of waking up an hour earlier every morning just to straighten your hair, we have the thing for you. A straightening brush makes straightening your locks easier than ever before. All you have to do it turn it on, let it heat up, and brush it through your strands as you would with any regular brush and *ta-da* a straight mane in minutes.
InStyler Straight Up Ceramic Straightening Brush, $59.99 MSRP
Shine Brush
If you want your hair to look shiny without piling on a ton of shine serum, you need this brush in your arsenal. Ion technology helps to make the hair appear smooth and shiny.
Olivia Garden Ceramic + Ion Supreme Combo Oval Cushioned Paddle Brush, $24.95 MSRP
Smoothing Brush
This brush is perfect for adding finishing touches to your ponytail. The densely packed natural bristles will gently glide over your strands without separating them for a smooth finish.
Fromm Styling Brush, $5.98 MSRP
Natural Bristle Brush
You may have heard brushing your hair 100 times a day is the key to smooth and shiny locks. While the jury is still out on how many times you need to brush your hair in order to achieve flawless strands, all of your brushing will be futile if you don’t use the proper tools.
Natural bristle brushes are typically made of boar bristles. They can help redistribute the natural oils your scalp produces throughout your hair.
Wigo Cushion 100% Boar Bristle Brush, $24.99 MSRP
The best hair brushes if you want voluminous hair:
Vented Brush
A vented brush is perfect for the woman on the go. The vents allow the air from your blow dryer to hit your strands from all angles, potentially speeding up drying time. Because you’ll spend less time blasting your locks with heat, a vented brush may also help cut back on heat damage.
Olivia Garden Ceramic + Ion Turbo Vent Pro Shaper Brush, $17.05 MSRP
Round Brush
Round brushes come in all sizes and materials, but they’re all created with the same goal: to give you a flawless blowout with major volume. When used correctly, a round brush can create volume from your roots all the way down to your ends. The resulting look is a bouncy blowout you won’t be able to stop snapping photos of.
Shu Uemura Small Round Hair Brush, $63.00 MSRP
Teasing Brush
If “the bigger, the better,” is your personal styling motto, you need a teasing brush in your arsenal. This brush makes backcombing your hair easier than ever, helping you achieve sky-high volume.
Olivia Garden Style-Up Folding Teasing Brush, $7.95 MSRP
Vented Round Brush
Vented brushes are great for drying hair, but not all vented brushes are created equal. If you’re looking to create a voluminous style, opt for a vented round brush. The shape of the brush will help impart major volume into your strands, while the vents allow the air from your blow dryer to set your style.
Hot Tools ProStyler Vented Porcupine Round Brush, $14.99 MSRP
The best hair brushes if you want to detangle your hair:
Wet Brush
Your hair can feel weak and vulnerable when it’s wet. If you often brush your hair after showering, invest in a brush designed to make detangling easy and help keep breakage to a minimum.
Wet Brush Original, $11.99 MSRP
Wide Tooth Comb
A wide tooth comb is a must-have for every curly girl! The comb’s teeth glide through curls without snagging. Pro tip: When detangling your curls, begin at your ends and gently make your way up instead of starting at your roots.
Kristen Ess Wide Tooth Detangling Comb, $8.00 MSRP
Detangling Brush
Sometimes it can feel like detangling your strands is an all day event, but it doesn’t have to be. If detangling your hair is stressing you out, chances are good that you’re just using the wrong brush! Swap out your regular brush for one engineered to gently detangle your strands in minutes. The staggered bristles allow the brush to easily glide through tangles without ripping or tearing your strands.
Tangle Teezer The Original, $12.00 MSRP
Synthetic Bristle Brush
Brushes made of synthetic bristles can be ideal for detangling hair. The smooth bristles easily glide through strands, leaving you with polished locks in a matter of minutes. This brush is a favorite of Daniel Roldan, Matrix artistic director and brand ambassador, because it works for all hair types.
“Master this brush and you can dry any type of hair,” Roldan says. “This brush will teach you discipline, heat control, and the natural fall and shine of the head.”
Drybar The Super Lemon Drop Daily Detangler, $16.00 MSRP
The best multi-purpose brushes:
Mixed Bristle Brush
A mixed bristle brush gives you the best of both worlds—the detangling abilities of a synthetic bristle brush with the smoothing powers of a natural bristle brush. Mixed bristle brushes are great at laying your edges flat for a perfect ballerina bun.
Shu Uemura Large Paddle Brush, $78.00 MSRP
Paddle Brush
A basic paddle brush is a must-have in everyone’s hair care routine. The multi-purpose brush detangles hair with ease and helps to create a killer blowout.
Conair Tangle Blaster Paddle Detangling Brush, $9.99 MSRP
Rattail Comb
A rattail comb makes parting your hair a breeze—even for your most complicated hairstyles. The comb’s fine teeth ensures the precise parts. It’s also great for smoothing down any cowlicks that may arise.
Fromm Diane Ionic Anti-Static Rat Tail Comb, $2.76 MSRP
BlowDry Glotion
A blow-out hair lotion for frizz-controlled blowouts.
All-In-One Coconut Infusion Multi-Benefit Spray
A multi-benefit, leave-in hair treatment spray with coconut oil.
