I have been waiting for this hairbrush my whole life

My mother is a hair dresser. One morning while brushing my hair before pre-school, I yelled, "I wish you were a candy lady!", furious at her for trying (and failing) to comb out my knots. 

My whole life my least favorite beauty chore has been brushing my hair. My hair is thick and curly with a pin-straight bottom layer and constantly gets knotted. On the right side, I get this one giant bugger I lovingly refer to as "The Dreadful Underneath Knot." 

I have tried all sorts of brushes, leave-in conditioner, even shorter haircuts to prevent The Knot from coming back, but every night after my shower it's there, waiting for whatever feeble beauty tool it will battle. 

After years of searching, I think I've found the Holy Grail. 

The Tangle Teezer brush, from the UK, has been gaining popularity in the U.S., thanks mostly to its (unpaid) celebrity endorsements. Rita Ora, Victoria Beckham, even Emma Watson have all sung its praises.

The brush was invented by Shaun Pulfrey, a colorist from Northern England who brought it to Dragon's Den, the UK version of Shark Tank. All of the investors passed on the product, saying it would never sell. One even called him "hair-brained."  

Now it's one of the most popular beauty tools in the world, with over 10 million sold.

The brush has no handle and is made of a light plastic. I had seen the shape and style of the product while studying abroad in London, but never thought such a small little egg could help me or The Knot. 

Here's a video of the brush in action, being used on wet hair as recommended by the stylists: 

When I was asked at the International Beauty Show in New York to demo the product, I figured, "Why (k)not?" Though no one besides myself or my mother had ever brushed my hair. Too painful.

Sean was there and used the brush made specifically for thick hair like mine. He wet my hair with a spray bottle and used the brush to comb through the knots. I winced, waiting for the familiar pain, but none came. 

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

This was amazing! In fact, I found myself leaning in because it was so pleasant. 

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The various sizes of the bristles make it so there is no pulling, pain or discomfort. This is important because many Teezer-knockoffs have the same shape but not the bristle quality, so they're not as effective.

The Knot was defeated. 

Next, he used their newest product, the Blow-Styling paddle brush, to give me a quick mini blow-out. There was no tugging or leaning backward like with blowouts with big round brushes.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Not only is the Tangle Teezer line of products meant to minimize discomfort, but it's also better for your hair. The less pulling, the less breakage, and the healthier the hair. 

For only $15 at Sephora, you too can defeat your evil knots. 

The Good

Gets out knots without all the pain • Inexpensive • Makes brushing even the knottiest hair easy 

The Bad

Takes a few uses to learn to hold properly

The Bottom Line

For people with hair that frequently becomes knotty or are worried about regular brushes being too harsh on their hair, the Tangle Teezer is a must-have.

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