(Photography by Christie Vuong. Produced by Aimee Nishitoba. Styling by Nicole Billark.)
Rooting for good hair days? It all starts with the right tools. We combed through countless brushes to bring you our favourites for every hair type and styling preference.
With nylon bristles that replicate the smoothing results of natural boar, this brush is a great all-rounder. Multiple testers unanimously selected it as their top pick, noting that it detangles, delivers shinier strands and gives a nice scalp massage at a fraction of the cost of many similar models.
Often compared to the famous—and even pricier—Mason Pearson brush, this nylon-and-boar option with a wooden handle is a real treat to use. Testers raved about how comfortable it was to hold and how smooth and frizz-free their locks looked after using. “I swear my hair is straighter and sleeker, and my blowouts last longer because of this brush,” one said.
This brush has many fans—including several among the Chatelaine team—because it’s affordable and extremely versatile: It can be used on wet or dry hair and works on almost all hair types and lengths. A mix of long and short flexible bristles make quick work of knots and tangles without tugging or snagging.
A word of caution: Heat can cause the plastic bristles to warp, so steer clear of hot tools when using this one.
Our tester was looking for a round brush with grippy bristles to provide tension when styling and a comfortable handle that doesn’t slip. She found her match in this affordable vented brush with a mix of nylon and boar bristles. It gives hair a ton of volume and shine while also being easy to control.
After his wife lost her hair following an illness, hairstylist Tim Binnington created the palm-sized Manta brush. Made from flexible silicone, it’s designed to minimize pulling and breakage on fine hair. Several Chatelaine team members have been using this brush for years and love how gentle it is, even on delicate, heat-damaged or knotted strands. It can be used as a wet brush as well.
Thanks to its generous size and sturdy bristles, this brush can tackle large swathes of hair at once. Dyson is known for its hot tools, so it’s no surprise that this brush was designed with styling in mind: it’s heat-resistant up to 150F, and the luxe weighted handle makes it easy to manoeuvre.
“When I brush my hair in the shower, my curl pattern comes back to life instantly,” says our tester, who has been using Denman brushes for years. Best used on wet hair, the brush’s firm nylon pins create tension, which sculpts and smoothes curls and coils without causing breakage. It’s also an excellent tool for combing hair product through evenly.
The Original Styler comes in various sizes: as a rule, the more rows of pins the brush has, the tighter the curls will be.
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