In my opinion, internal, negative connotations of Black hair textures are derived– in part– from the pain of doing our hair– especially detangling. During my childhood, hair care did not feel like care at all. My mother, for example, would heavy-handedly comb my hair dry, or quickly dampen it with a few spray bottle spritz. For my high porosity hair, however, the water would absorb quicker than the comb snapping through my knots– usually resulting in uncontrollable tears. For many of us, the solution was never learning how to care for our kinks and coils, and opting into relaxers to make our textures less “difficult” to manage.
Recently, FHI Heat®, a professional hair care brand, went viral on TikTok for a solution we wish we had 20 years ago: The UnBrush. The trending hair brush was one of the first beauty products available on the TikTok Shop, where users can purchase products from content creators through the app. Many Black creators have been sharing the results from the tool– both for ads and regular content– as it visibly glides through their coarse, tangled hair. Most users would respond in the comments in either disbelief– leading them to try out the detangling brush for themselves; myself included.
I went onto the FHI Heat® website, but just like other popular products, many colors– like their Glitter, Neon, Original, and Grey Handle– were sold out. However, after checking back a few times, they restocked quickly. I ordered the original “Midnight” color. Five days later, the brush arrived and I immediately went into the shower to shampoo and detangle my kinky hair. The brush is lightweight with a thin, backless vented base, unlike most paddle brushes with a padded bristle cushion.
I wet my afro and put the UnBrush to my head. Just as the creators on TikTok demonstrated, the brush glided through every coil. At the crown of my head, my hair is the most thick and frizzy, so detangling that section usually requires additional care. Using this brush was the first time I felt like I could care for that part of my head painlessly and thoroughly. I then massaged in shampoo, and continued to brush through my coils. At first, I thought maybe the brush glides easily because it only hits the surface. But, I used a regular comb after and the fine teeth went through my hair with much less tension than ever before.
How does it work? The brush has DuoFlex Anti-Static Bristles™. In other words, it is designed with 105 dual length bristles: 58 long and 47 short. The long bristles target detangling, while the short bristles smooth and polish the hair. For longer hair days, the lightweight tool– weighing 1.5 ounces– makes for a less tiring detangling process. My partner, who has 4C hair, also used the brush on dry hair and has not stopped reaching for the UnBrush since. This pain-free, breakage-free hair care product was the brush we were crying for all throughout childhood– and now? We’re finally breaking the cycle.