The Wet Brush Original Detangler launched in 2005 with a soft, flexible bristle that bends around tangles instead of tearing through them. I set it beside gentler brushes from Tangle Teezer and Mane, plus leave-ins and a pre-wash detangler.
Wet Brush, the Original Detangler, and the Brushes That Came After
Wet Brush launched in 2005 with a single product, the Original Detangler, and the idea was simple: soft IntelliFlex bristles, the brand's own design, that flex around tangles instead of ripping through them, so you can brush hair straight out of the shower. It grew into the best-known brand of JD Beauty Group, a company founded in 1977, and now sits in ACI Brands' beauty division. The Frost Black Original Detangler is the one I would start with. Next to it are three brushes that each approach the same problem differently. Tangle Teezer's large detangler comes from Shaun Pulfrey, a salon colorist who had the idea in 2003, pitched it on Dragons' Den in 2007, was turned down, and then watched orders crash his website after the episode aired. Mane's Ready or Knot paddle, from Jen Atkin, works on damp or dry hair and on extensions. Crown Affair, which began by selling combs, scrunchies and brushes, makes a handcrafted brush with wooden pins. Work from the ends up on wet hair, since that is when strands stretch and snap most easily.
Gentle brushes
The second row is for tender scalps and fragile hair. La Bonne Brosse, the Paris brand two business-school friends started in 2021, makes the small N.04, which massages as it detangles. Altesse traces back to an 1875 brush workshop in Picardie, the birthplace of French brushmaking, and a buyer saved it in 2005 as France's last hairbrush manufacturer; his daughter became the sixth generation to lead it in 2016. Its gentle detangling brush is made for thick or curly hair. Mane's Double Take is a travel-size dual-sided brush, and Virtue's Manta brush bends to the shape of your hand, made for fragile hair.
Detanglers, and the skip
A little lubrication helps any brush. Ouai's St. Barts leave-in conditions and fights frizz, and Color Wow, founded by Gail Federici, makes a pre-shampoo detangler that lubricates curls before you wash. Coco & Eve, which Emily Hamilton and Alexander Ostrowski started after a 2015 trip to Bali, makes a hydrating leave-in, and La Bonne Brosse's mist rounds out the row. What I would skip is yanking a Wet Brush through a big knot. Even flexible bristles break hair under force, so hold the section above the knot and work it loose slowly. A drop of leave-in right on the knot usually does more than extra force.
Care for the brush
Clean hair out of the bristles every few days. Wash the brush with warm water and shampoo weekly, then let it dry face down. Replace it once bristles bend or lose their tips. Keep one brush for the shower and one for dry styling if you can. That way the dry one stays free of conditioner and lasts longer. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Thermal Brush Guide and BK Beauty Brushes.
