A wide tooth comb is the simplest tool in any bathroom and the one stylists tell you to use on wet hair first. It detangles without the snapping and stretching a brush can cause, and the good ones glide rather than snag. These twelve range from hand-finished acetate combs to painted ones and shower-proof basics.
The Wide Tooth Comb Is the Least Glamorous Tool That Saves My Hair
For years I brushed my hair straight out of the shower, which, I now know, is roughly the worst thing you can do to it. Wet hair is at its most fragile, and a paddle brush dragged through a knot does more stretching and snapping than I would like to think about. Every stylist I have ever asked gives the same advice: use a wide tooth comb, start at the ends and work up. It is the least glamorous tool I own and one of the most useful. The comb has also had a small renaissance as hair care started borrowing the language of ritual. Crown Affair, which Dianna Cohen launched in 2020 with a comb among its first four products, treats combing as part of taking care of yourself rather than a chore. The first grid is the combs I keep by the sink: Crown Affair's two acetate combs, La Bonne Brosse's large detangler and the comb from Yves Durif, the New York hairstylist whose salon has been at The Carlyle since 2008.
For wet, tangled lengths
This grid is for the post-shower moment, when conditioner is still in and knots are at their worst. Oribe's comb comes from a brand that made its name in salons, Vollie's is a riot of color, Everist's Confetti Comb adds a bit of color to the counter, and Solar Eclipse's hand-painted daisy comb is simply the prettiest object in the edit. Work in sections, start two inches from the ends and move up only when the comb slides through cleanly. It is slower than yanking a brush through, but only by a minute or two. The payoff shows up months later, in ends that have not been snapped off one knot at a time.
Shower combs, and what I would skip
The last grid is the practical end of the edit, the combs that can live in the shower without anyone worrying about them. Tangle Teezer makes two here, a dual-sided comb and a classic wide version, and Mane and Pattern both make simple, easy-to-hold combs. Pattern was founded by Tracee Ellis Ross for curls, coils and tight textures, which is exactly who a comb like this is for. What I would skip is combing from the roots down on wet hair. It pushes every knot into one big tangle at the ends, and that is where the breakage happens. Start at the bottom, be patient, and use a leave-in if the comb catches.
Slow down at the sink
A comb is a small thing, but it is where good hair habits start. Use it on wet hair, go from the ends up, and keep one in the shower so you are never tempted to reach for a brush instead. Pick a pretty one for the counter and a tough one for the shower. Fewer broken ends is a slow reward, but a real one. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Scalp Brush Picks, From Manta's Bendy Bristles to a Jade Gua Sha Comb and Blow Dryer With Comb Attachments for Smoother Blowouts.
