I Tried The TikTok-Famous UNbrush, And If You Have Curly Hair, I Need You To Listen Up Because It Genuinely Surprised Me

The UNbrush has been all over my For You page. So, I finally decided to try it.

January 9, 2025 · 4 min · 845 words · Kelly Dennis

Table of Contents

We hope you love our recommendations ! Some may have been sent as sample , but all were independently selected by our editor . Just FYI , BuzzFeed and its publishing married person may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page .

The UNbrush has been all over my For You pageboy . So , I eventually decided to try it .

Internet friends, I caved. After months and months of watching videos online, I was influenced and decided to buy it — the TikTok-famousUNbrush.

With over23,000 tagged videosabout the brush, chances are, you’ve seen AT LEAST one person using it to detangle their hair on your For You page. Detangling can be the most tedious part of wash day as you work through tangles and knots while trying to prevent breakage, so it caught my attention when I saw overwhelmingly positive reviews —especially for curly hair.

I’ve particularly appreciated seeing videos of the brush used on all hair types, from straight to coily. SeveralBlack creatorsin the natural hair community have been loving UNbrush, and I’m always looking for new tools that work well with Type 4 curls and coils.

Now, I’m no stranger to testing detangling brushes. Months ago,I tried and ranked eight viral brushesand found some new favorites. But if the UNbrush makes the detangling processeven easier,as the TikTok girlies have been saying, I knew I wanted to try it out.

My first impressions: The UNbrush has a surprisingly simple, “backless” design. It has flexible, long and short bristles, and the back has vented holes. It’s lightweight, which made me wonder how durable it is.

For the test, I’ll be comparing how well theUNbrushworks against my current favorite detangling comb that I use nearly every wash day: theKAZMALEJE KurlsPlus Paddle Hair Comb(the winner of my detangling brushesreview). Their designs are strikingly different, with the UNbrush’s flexible bristles vs. the paddle hair comb’s hard, plastic teeth.

Let’s get to work! During wash days, I usually detangle my hair with my deep conditioner. So, after shampooing, I sectioned my hair in two (one half for the UNbrush and the other for the KAZMALEJE comb).

First, I started on the UNbrush section: I applied my deep conditioner and began detangling from ends to roots. And I’ll be honest with you: I was surprised.

My curls weren’t detangled at all beforehand, yet the UNbrush went through the section without any snags; it just glided through. My hair didn’t feel like it was getting ripped out, and I could work on larger sections of hair without a problem. Ultimately, I had thoroughly detangled hair that I could run my fingers through.

Now, onto the KAZMALEJE section: I used the same deep conditioner and started from ends to roots. What I usually love about the paddle comb is how effortless it makes detangling, but compared to the UNbrush, I noticed that I had to bemuchslower and more careful to prevent hair pulling.

Here was the interesting part: I ran into a big knot right here that the comb couldn’t get through. Typically, I would stop, finger-detangle the area, and then continue using the comb.

But out of curiosity, I wanted to see if the UNbrush could get through that knot instead without finger-detangling. And to my surprise, it went right through the section. There was no hesitation.

The rest of the detangling went smoothly with the paddle comb — here are my results! The section was completely tangle-free.

At this point, I knew which detangler I liked the most. 👀

But first: Here’s what my detangled hair looked like with the UNbrush vs. the KAZMALEJE paddle comb. I was happy with each result — both were thoroughly detangled!

And here’s how much shed hair I had with each brush after detangling. It was a pretty similar amount, and neither one caused excessive breakage.

I was happy with how both brushes performed, but one outshined the other…and yes, it was the UNbrush. Here’s what I liked: The flexible bristles made detangling my hair MUCH faster, and I had no snags. I’ve never had such an easy time detangling my hair on wash day. It’s a lightweight brush but very sturdy.

After washing my hair, I even used the UNbrush while styling my curls. I loved how easy it was to work with heavier creams and gels. Plus, the vented holes were easy to clean. I was shocked that it made my entire routine so effortless, but it’s a brush that could easily replace all the others in my collection.

And funny story: I wasn’t sure if it would be durable, but after wash day, I accidentally dropped the UNbrush in the washer with some towels, and it survived a wash cycle??? Like, it looks exactly the same.

Person holding a black hairbrush with aqua bristles against a neutral background

Image featuring an array of illustrated hairbrushes with text "THE TEST"

Three views of a hairbrush: front, side, and back, designed for detangling hair

Two hairbrushes with different bristle designs laid flat on a surface

A side-by-side image of brushing my curly hair with the detangler brush

A side-by-side of me using the paddle comb to detangle a section of hair

Person using a blue, circular hairbrush on their long hair

Person brushing wet hair with a blue-toothed comb, wearing a white bathrobe

A side-by-side comparison of my curls after detangling with each brush: both sections are well-detangled without any knots

A side-by-side comparison of me holding a clump of hair with each brush I used; it shows how much shed hair I had after detangling with each brush, and they're both relatively the same size

Image featuring an array of illustrated hairbrushes with text: "FINAL THOUGHTS"

Hand holding the two hairbrushes with different bristle designs

Showing the UNbrush after it went through the washer; it looks the same, with the bristles still in tact, from the front and side

Internet friends, I caved. After months and months of watching videos online, I was influenced and decided to buy it — the TikTok-famousUNbrush.#

I’ve particularly appreciated seeing videos of the brush used on all hair types, from straight to coily. SeveralBlack creatorsin the natural hair community have been loving UNbrush, and I’m always looking for new tools that work well with Type 4 curls and coils.#

Now, I’m no stranger to testing detangling brushes. Months ago,I tried and ranked eight viral brushesand found some new favorites. But if the UNbrush makes the detangling processeven easier,as the TikTok girlies have been saying, I knew I wanted to try it out.#

My first impressions: The UNbrush has a surprisingly simple, “backless” design. It has flexible, long and short bristles, and the back has vented holes. It’s lightweight, which made me wonder how durable it is.#

Let’s get to work! During wash days, I usually detangle my hair with my deep conditioner. So, after shampooing, I sectioned my hair in two (one half for the UNbrush and the other for the KAZMALEJE comb).#

First, I started on the UNbrush section: I applied my deep conditioner and began detangling from ends to roots. And I’ll be honest with you: I was surprised.#

Now, onto the KAZMALEJE section: I used the same deep conditioner and started from ends to roots. What I usually love about the paddle comb is how effortless it makes detangling, but compared to the UNbrush, I noticed that I had to bemuchslower and more careful to prevent hair pulling.#

Here was the interesting part: I ran into a big knot right here that the comb couldn’t get through. Typically, I would stop, finger-detangle the area, and then continue using the comb.#

But out of curiosity, I wanted to see if the UNbrush could get through that knot instead without finger-detangling. And to my surprise, it went right through the section. There was no hesitation.#

The rest of the detangling went smoothly with the paddle comb — here are my results! The section was completely tangle-free.#

At this point, I knew which detangler I liked the most. 👀#

But first: Here’s what my detangled hair looked like with the UNbrush vs. the KAZMALEJE paddle comb. I was happy with each result — both were thoroughly detangled!#

And here’s how much shed hair I had with each brush after detangling. It was a pretty similar amount, and neither one caused excessive breakage.#

And funny story: I wasn’t sure if it would be durable, but after wash day, I accidentally dropped the UNbrush in the washer with some towels, and it survived a wash cycle??? Like, it looks exactly the same.#

So, there we have it. To me, the hype is real. Initially, I was skeptical, but I’m pretty impressed with the UNbrush; I can see it working on various hair types, and so far, I haven’t run into anything I don’t like. I’d 100% recommend it!#