The Tangle Teezer Complete Carebrush Majorly Reduced Breakage on My Fine Hair

I have some hot takes as a beauty editor. I’m anti-beef tallow skincare. I have a strong distaste for floral fragrances. And dare I say short nails are chicer than long ones. But without fail, I get the most visceral reactions when I reveal that I don’t brush my hair. Like, ever. You see, I have very fine hair, and brushing it has historically been the quickest path to breakage. Don’t get me wrong, breakage finds other ways to show up. There’s daily life and styling. Hot tool usage. Color treatments. But cutting out a brush felt like the easiest way to avoid it.

But a few months ago, the team at Tangle Teezer let me in on a secret. Their first new innovation in 10 years—The Complete Carebrush—causes less breakage than any other brush on the market and will actually improve my hair health, smooth my hair cuticle, and stimulate my scalp to promote growth. Now I’m a pretty hard sell, but after seeing the technology up close and studying some of the brands' wild before-and-afters (so much shine! So few tangles!), I decided to put it to the test for a full three months. And 90-ish days in, I’m actually shocked to say that I have less breakage than before and my hair feels stronger and looks shinier.

I know, I can’t believe it either.

To get the full breakdown on the new brush and see it in action, keep reading.

How Is the Complete Carebrush Different From the Detangling Brush?

Most people associate Tangle Teezer with the classic Detangling Brush, which comes in just about every color and collab—from The Devil Wears Prada 2 to Barbie—that you could possibly imagine. While you might not be able to tell the difference between the OG and the newest innovation at a cursory glance, I promise you there’s a big one. “The Complete Carebrush has a new and unique layout as well as design of the teeth,” says Heather Page, the brand’s Global Innovation Director. “The design of the bristles allows hair to flow through the brush like a river, with the teeth acting like the banks, guiding hair smoothly through the brush rather than allowing it to meet a sharp surface head-on.”

Now, during that process is where the magic happens. The brush is designed to stimulate the scalp—in fact, you can double it as a scalp massager—so it stimulates blood flow to the follicles, which in turn can promote hair growth. It also seals the hair cuticle as it runs down the shaft, so hair looks shinier and smoother.

How Do I Use the Complete Carebrush?

There’s really no wrong way to use this brush. I personally do one pass right when I get out of the shower to help work my leave-in conditioner through my hair and then again to brush through my curling-iron waves, which is something I never in a million years thought I would do. Rather than my hair looking puffy, my ends scraggly, or removing any semblance of volume, I actually find that brushing my fine, dry hair gives it a polished look without disrupting the lift I worked so hard to achieve at my roots.

Is the Complete Carebrush Worth It?

For $23, this is pretty much a no-brainer purchase. But the affordable price tag aside, this is actually a really solid investment in hair health. I was so worried that I would lose volume and experience more breakage by regularly brushing my hair. Going from no brushing at all to a twice-a-day routine is a bit of a shock to the system. In practice, I actually experienced quite the opposite.

By gently working through knots before using a hot tool and smoothing down my hair cuticle, I’m actually finding less breakage and more shine. While I can’t say that this brush alone is causing my hair to grow (it’s a mix of products, hormones, haircuts, and TLC), my hair is actually getting longer for the first time in a long while. The little baby hairs around my hairline are actually making progress, and it at least appears that I have fewer split ends. Call me a convert—I’m Team Complete Carebrush now.

Shop Tangle Teezer Products I Love

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