Brushes with fat, widely spaced bristles are also available, usually with plastic, flexible metal or wooden bristles; make sure the bristles have rounded tips so you don't scratch your scalp. Some brushes have bristles attached directly to a plastic or wooden handle; others have bristles set into a rubber or plastic cushion or a metal cylinder.

Flat brushes have an oval or rectangular back and bristles set in a slight curve. They are used for minor styling jobs and for brushing out tangles and styles.

Paddle brushes are wide and flat. These are good for long hair and for smoothing straight or slightly wavy hair in the final stage of blow-drying.

Round brushes have 360-degree bristles and are used during the final stage of blow-drying. They come in a variety of diameters -- the smaller the diameter, the tighter the curl. Narrow round brushes with metal cores are especially effective for creating curls; as the metal heats, the brush also acts as a sort of curling iron. Wide round brushes are good for straightening and smoothing hair. Be careful when you use a round brush: Don't wind your hair too tightly, or it might become badly tangled.

Half-round brushes are an all-purpose staple: They can be used like round brushes for creating a style, or for just brushing your hair out.

Vent brushes have wide-set bristles and holes, or vents, in the base. This type is commonly used for blow-drying: The openings allow air from the dryer to circulate freely, reducing drying time and creating more volume.

Choosing a comb
As with brushes, there's a wide variety of combs available. Most are made of plastic or hard rubber, but you also can find natural materials like wood. Saw-cut (as opposed to molded) teeth are best because they don't have any rough seams, which can damage your hair. Use combs for styling short or thin hair, and for getting tangles out of and arranging any type of hair.

All-purpose combs, with close-set teeth at one end and wider-set teeth at the other, are the basic type you see everywhere.

Wide-toothed combs and picks are used for detangling thick, damp or dry hair and for giving lift and volume to curly or kinky hair.

Rattail combs have a long, pointed end for sectioning hair, arranging curls and creating straight parts. Their closely spaced teeth also make them good for teasing fine hair.

Teasing combs have alternating long and short teeth; use one with closely spaced teeth for back combing fine hair or one with wide-set teeth if you have thick hair.

Detangling combs have two rows of wavy teeth for getting out lots of little tangles.