The Brush Guide
A good hairbrush does more than get you from tangled to presentable.
The right brush can help smooth, detangle, distribute your hair's natural oils and make your everyday routine a little easier. But with boar bristles, nylon pins, detangling brushes and more shapes than anyone reasonably expects from a hairbrush, finding the one can get complicated.
Consider this your shortcut.
Whether your hair is fine, thick, coily, wavy, curly or somewhere in between, we're breaking down what to look for and how to find the brush that works best for your hair type, texture and routine.
01 — FINE HAIR
Fine hair needs a lighter touch. The goal is to smooth, detangle and distribute natural oils without creating unnecessary tension on delicate strands.
Look for softer bristles and brushes that move through the hair gently. A boar bristle brush is especially good for smoothing and shine, while flexible detangling bristles can make working through knots a little less dramatic.
THE SHORT VERSION
Gentle bristles, minimal pulling, maximum shine.
OUR PICKS FOR FINE HAIR
Mason Pearson All Boar Bristle Brush
The investment brush for fine hair. Natural boar bristles help distribute oils from root to tip while smoothing the hair and adding shine.
For knots that need a little less negotiation. Flexible bristles make everyday detangling gentler on fine strands.
La Bonne Brosse N.01 Shine & Care
A smoothing, polishing option designed to bring out shine while treating finer hair with care.
02 — THICK + COARSE HAIR
More hair calls for a little more brush.
Thick and coarse textures generally benefit from stronger bristles that can actually move through dense hair rather than simply skimming the surface. Mixed boar and nylon bristles are particularly useful here, combining smoothing with enough structure to work through the lengths.
THE SHORT VERSION
More grip, deeper detangling, still no unnecessary tugging.
OUR PICKS FOR THICK + COARSE HAIR
La Bonne Brosse N.02 The Essential Detangling & Conditioning Brush
Designed to work through dense hair while helping smooth and condition through the lengths.
Mason Pearson Boar Bristle & Nylon Hairbrush
Nylon bristles help reach through thicker hair while boar bristles smooth and distribute natural oils. An icon for a reason.
La Bonne Brosse N.04 Small Detangling & Massaging Miracle Brush
Detangling meets scalp massage in a smaller format that's easy to work through sections.
03 — COILY HAIR
With coily hair, preserving the pattern is the priority.
Rather than brushing for the sake of brushing, think intentional detangling. Work in sections, start at the ends and move upward slowly. Brushes with flexible or widely spaced bristles can help work through knots while minimizing unnecessary tension.
THE SHORT VERSION
Detangle gently, work in sections and let your texture do its thing.
OUR PICKS FOR COILY HAIR
Denman D4 Original Styling Brush
A classic for controlled detangling and styling, especially when working through hair in sections.
Flexible bristles help ease through knots without turning detangling into a tug-of-war.
La Bonne Brosse N.04 Detangling & Massaging Miracle Brush
A flexible detangling option with the added bonus of a very satisfying scalp massage.
04 — WAVY + CURLY HAIR
The wrong brush can turn a very good curl day into a very fluffy situation.
For wavy and curly textures, choose a brush based on what you're trying to accomplish. Flexible detangling brushes can work through knots while helping preserve natural texture, while mixed-bristle brushes can be useful when smoothing or styling.
And when you're brushing matters just as much as what you're brushing with. If definition is the goal, detangling while damp and conditioned is generally a much friendlier approach than aggressively brushing through dry curls.
THE SHORT VERSION
Detangle without disrupting your natural texture.
OUR PICKS FOR WAVY + CURLY HAIR
Mason Pearson Baby Blue Boar Bristle & Nylon Hairbrush
A mixed-bristle option for smoothing and distributing natural oils when you're looking for a more polished finish.
Flexible and easy to work through wet or damp hair when you want to detangle without unnecessarily disturbing your texture.
La Bonne Brosse N.04 Detangling & Massaging Miracle Brush
Flexible nylon fibres help detangle while the rounded pins give the scalp a little attention along the way.
05 — BOAR, NYLON OR BOTH?
Hair type is only half the equation. What your brush is actually made of matters too.
Here's the cheat sheet.
| BOAR | Best for smoothing, polishing and helping distribute your scalp's natural oils through the lengths. |
| NYLON | Provides more structure and grip, making it useful for detangling and working through denser hair. |
| BOAR + NYLON | The best of both worlds. Nylon helps move through the hair while boar bristles smooth and distribute oils. |
| FLEXIBLE | Designed to bend and move with the hair rather than forcing through knots. A very good choice when detangling is the main event. |
06 — TWO ICONS OF THE BRUSH WORLD
Some hairbrushes are purely practical. Others have earned icon status.
Mason Pearson and La Bonne Brosse are two standouts in the brush world, each bringing their own approach to the everyday ritual. One is a heritage classic, the other a modern favourite. Both prove your hairbrush can work hard and look very good doing it.
THE ICON Mason PearsonA beauty icon for a reason. Mason Pearson brushes are made to be kept, used and loved for years, with different sizes and bristle combinations designed for a range of hair types. |
THE MODERN CLASSIC La Bonne BrosseHair brushing, reimagined as a ritual. La Bonne Brosse combines thoughtful bristle combinations with beautiful design and options tailored to different hair types and needs. |
STILL NOT SURE?
Start with what you want your brush to do.
Detangle? Smooth? Add shine? Massage your scalp? A little bit of everything? Start with your hair type, then choose the brush that makes the most sense for how you actually wear and care for your hair.
Because there isn't one universally perfect hairbrush.
There is, however, a much better brush for your hair.
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