Unbrush uses two lengths of bristles to detangle and smooth in one pass, and it became a TikTok Shop hit in 2023. Here are four Unbrush styles with the brushes and detanglers I would compare it with.
Unbrush, the Square Brush That Went Viral on TikTok Shop
Unbrush looks like a normal paddle brush until you count the bristles. There are 105 of them in two lengths, 58 longer ones that detangle and 47 shorter ones that smooth, set in even rows on a square head so hair travels straight through at any angle. It is made by FHI Heat, a professional hair tools brand in Simi Valley, California, part of Luxury Beauty Brands, which is owned by Michael Dodo. Unbrush joined TikTok Shop's beta in late 2022, launched there in early 2023 and went viral that May, and by May 2025 it was in over 1,400 Ulta Beauty stores. The original detangling brush is the one to start with on wet hair. The Flex version is the one I would pick for a tender scalp. The Curl Brush is made for curls, and the Smooth Brush is for a sleeker finish once hair is dry. Hold the section at mid-length and brush the ends first, then move up.
Other brushes to compare
Tangle Teezer was invented by Shaun Pulfrey, a colorist who had worked in top London salons, and after he was turned down on Dragons' Den in 2007 the website crashed with orders once the episode aired. Its two-tiered teeth flex through hair instead of locking into tangles. Bounce Curl's EdgeLift brush, from the chemist-founder Merian Odesho, defines waves, curls and coils, and Pattern's shower brush, from Tracee Ellis Ross, is made for detangling and clumping curly hair in the shower. La Bonne Brosse, started in Paris in 2021 by two friends who each spent about fifteen years at big beauty companies, makes the N.04, a small brush inspired by Japanese shiatsu brushes that massages as it detangles.
Slip before you brush, and the skip
A detangler makes any brush work better. Moroccanoil's all-in-one leave-in hydrates and softens, and Oribe's Run-Through primer adds heat protection. Fable & Mane's MahaMane leave-in comes from the Mehta siblings, whose grandmother oiled their hair while telling them fables, and Cair's detangling spray is the La Bonne Brosse haircare line's answer to daily knots, built around a three-step ritual of massage, wash and protect. What I would skip is brushing from the roots down on tangled hair. It pushes knots together and snaps strands. Start at the ends, even with an Unbrush. A few sprays of detangler first make brushing easier, especially on thick or curly lengths.
Keeping your brush clean
Pull hair out of the bristles after each use. Once a week, wash the brush in warm water with a little shampoo and let it dry bristles down. Replace it when bristles bend or the tips wear off. A clean brush spreads less oil and product back into freshly washed hair. If you share a bathroom, give everyone their own brush. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Best Hot Brush For A Blowout At Home and The Foundation Brush Is the Reason Some Bases Look Like Skin.
