Wide Tooth Comb: The Oldest Detangling Tool on Your Shelf

In 2013 the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge ran an exhibition called Origins of the Afro Comb: 6,000 Years of Culture, Politics, and Identity. Led by the Egyptologist Dr Sally-Ann Ashton, it followed the African hair comb across nearly 6,000 years, from ancient Egypt to the civil rights era and the black fist comb of the 1970s. An LSE Africa blog on the show says the long-toothed comb began in Kush and Kemet, in what is now Sudan, South Sudan and Egypt.

I think about that every time I type comb wide tooth into a search bar. We treat it like a boring bathroom object. It is one of the oldest designs there is, and it has lasted because the idea is right. Widely spaced teeth slide through hair instead of snagging on it, so you loosen knots rather than rip them.

The first grid is the combs themselves, from a hand-carved one to a cellulose acetate one made in France. The second is everything that helps a comb do its job: detangling sprays and leave-ins, two brushes, and two wide-tooth attachments for Shark dryers.

Here is a test I like: start at the ends, not the roots. Hold a section a few inches from the bottom and comb only that part until it moves freely, then climb upward an inch at a time. If you feel a tug at your scalp, you started too high.

Crown Affair's Comb No. 002, shown here in tortoise, is hand-carved with widely spaced teeth and rounded tips. The brand says it detangles wet and dry hair and massages the scalp. La Bonne Brosse's Large Detangling Comb is designed in the Jura region of France and made of cellulose acetate, a soft material the brand describes as non-allergenic. Oribe's version is artisanally crafted and hand-finished, meant for wet or dry hair.

Two are made with a bit more thought for curls. Mane's Knot Ur Avg comb is made from recycled material and built to minimize breakage. PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross makes a Wide Tooth Comb too. Tracee Ellis Ross created and owns the brand, which launched in September 2019 for curly, coily and tight-textured hair, 3B to 4C.

Kitsch's Detangle Wide Tooth Comb has a curved, ergonomic handle and a hole for hanging in the shower, which is where most of us use one. The Hair Edit's Untangle & Glide Comb has rounded wide teeth and is meant to cool and massage the scalp as it goes. Yves Durif also makes a plain Comb, and that is all the listing tells me.

My pairing: comb through conditioner in the shower. Kitsch says to work in sections from ends to roots to spread conditioner evenly, and that is how I do it too.

What I would skip: dragging any of these through dry hair that is packed with product or badly knotted. Mist it lightly first, or detangle in the shower where there is slip.

A comb works better with some slip. Oribe's Hair Priming Lotion is a leave-in made for highly textured hair, with a high level of slip that the brand says helps combing without breakage. It also offers thermal protection. NatureLab TOKYO's Perfect Repair Leave In is lighter, a buildable spray that detangles and conditions with camellia and argan oils, and it is color safe.

Drybar's Prep Rally is a lightweight detangling spray that protects hair from heat up to 450 degrees F. Philip B.'s In pH Restorative Detangling Toning Mist is water-light, with citrus extracts and hyaluronate meant to counter the pH of tap water and fight frizz. It smells of Velvet Oud.

For the brushes, Drybar's Lil' Lemon Drop Daily Detangler has flexible bristles that work through tangles wet or dry, and it is meant for brushing out extensions too. Mane's Ready or Knot paddle brush has metal bristles for a gentle scalp massage and is made from ethically sourced birchwood.

Shark Beauty's SpeedStyle Lift & Stretch and FlexStyle Wide-Tooth Comb attachments are for Shark tools. The listing says little beyond the brand's promise of salon-quality results for all hair types, so I will not say more.

Here is a pairing I like: spray, wait a minute, then comb.

What I would skip: brushing dry hair straight out of bed without any spray. Coat the ends first and start there.

I think the wide-tooth comb is the most honest thing in a hair routine. It does one job, it has done it for thousands of years, and you cannot really use it wrong except by rushing.

My rule of thumb is simple. Keep one comb in the shower, one in your bag, and a leave-in by the sink. Detangle wet hair with conditioner in it, from the ends up, and stop when the comb moves freely. Your ends will thank you long before your scalp notices. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together LolaVie and Scalp Brush Picks, From Manta's Bendy Bristles to a Jade Gua Sha Comb.