This review compares and highlights the top beard brushes of 2024 in a detailed manner, think of it as the ultimate buyer’s guide.
But if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to read through the whole thing, we have got you covered.
Here are our top three beard brush picks for this year:
- Best overall: Kent BRD2 Limited Edition Beard Brush
- Runner-up: Seven Potions Stiff-Bristle Beard Brush
- Best budget option: BFWood Round Travel-Size Beard Brush
Every type of facial hair needs some grooming, exfoliating, and styling help once in a while, and today you’re going to learn about the best beard brushes for just that purpose.
It doesn’t matter what type of beard style you are currently rocking, there’s still a high chance that you will find beard brush to be the universal tool to help you tame the mane.
We would say that it’s even more useful than the trusted beard comb.
Not to trash on beard combs at all, but a good brush will always be able to do more for your beard.
Detailed Comparison of Our Top Picks
Things To Consider Before Buying a Beard Brush
Is this your first time buying a beard brush?
No problem, we can help you learn what are the most important benefits of beard brushes and what to look for when getting one.
You see, the beard brush that might be perfect for someone else might be a complete bust for you. This is because all beards are different, some beards are thick, dense, and stiff as barbed-wire. Others are naturally soft as pillows, while some beards are thin/patchy and easily tameable.
Some men endure beard cowlicks in their journey, others don’t even know what they are.
Your beard brush needs to fit the style of beard that you have. If you have a thick beard and buy a brush with soft bristles, you’re going to find that it does nothing for your facial hair.
Buying a stiff bristled beard brush when you have a soft and thin beard, is just going to hurt and cause damage.
Bristles (Material, Length, Stiffness)
Easily the most important factor in choosing the best beard brush for you has to be the material, length, and stiffness of the bristles.
There are four bristle types most commonly used in beard brushes…
- Boar bristles, which are natural hair fibers harvested from wild boars. They are structurally similar to our own beard fibers, albeit stiffer and more durable. Boars bristles are considered the best material by many producers.
- Horsehair, which is also natural hairs that most commonly come from horsetail. These types of bristles are similar to boar bristles, but a bit softer and lighter in color.
- Synthetic fibers, which are man-made and usually consist of polymer or nylon fibers. These are not as good at distributing oil as natural bristles but do offer slightly better durability.
- Vegetal fibers, which are a new type of innovation in beard brushes, and most commonly sourced from cactus plants. These are almost exclusively sold to vegan beardsmen.
What should the bristle length be?
When it comes to the length of the bristles, you will want to get longer bristles if your beard is long, thick, and bushy (to reach the roots, obviously).
Someone with a short, trimmed, and a bit of a patchier beard will want to get a beard brush with shorter bristles since the reach doesn’t have to be that long and you want to utilize the full length of the bristle instead of just the tips.
What about the bristle stiffness?
This is hugely important, and most people get this wrong. Boar bristle brushes are usually labeled as; stiff, medium, or soft.
If your beard is thick and wiry, you need to go with a stiff. If your beard is of average thickness, the medium is likely the best fit, and if it’s patchy/thin, go with soft boar bristle, horsehair, or something called polymer bristles.
I wouldn’t recommend nylon bristles to anyone who cares about their beard, and if you’re a vegan whose main priority is reduced animal suffering, then obviously the vegetal bristles should be your choice.
Handle (Material, Size, Shape)
The only other thing we need to look for aside from bristles is obviously the handle (or lack thereof if that’s how you roll).
Factors that influence the handle selection are…
- Traveling
- Hand-size
- Beard size
- Storage
So what exactly do I mean with these?
Well, if you’re traveling a lot, you obviously don’t want a big handle on your beard brush to take up space. For travel purposes, round beard brushes with no handle are the best choice.
If your hands are on the smaller side, then choosing a big chunky oval-shaped beard brush is not ideal, as you won’t get a good grip on that and it will always feel weird to use.
As for beard size, if yours is big and long, you may want to get a brush with a large handle to give you more strength and grip.
Lastly, storage. This is basically the same as with traveling; if you’re dealing with lack of space, you may need a beard brush that is small and has no handle. If space is not an issue at all, then, by all means, get a handle that you most prefer.
Price (Value Vs. Quality)
Beard brushes are not really that expensive, and they tend to last for years when properly used and maintained.
Because of that, it would not be a smart move to choose the cheapest possible beard brush. You’d have to suffer from mediocre quality for years just to save a pretty penny for a while.
That 2$ beard brush from your local supermarket might look like a great deal, but it’s probably made from the cheapest synthetic bristles that cause static charge and beard split-ends, while the handle is the cheapest plastic you can imagine.
Investing just 10-20$ more will usually get you a brush that is on a completely different playing field from those dollar-store and gas-station brands with far superior materials used.
Some brushes are priced astronomically high without really delivering you anything extra from cheaper brands. While some companies let their brushes go for absolutely steal prices, even though the quality is great.
Beard Brush Review Final Scores
| Beard Brush | Score (out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Kent BRD2 Premium Beard Brush for Men | 9.6 |
| Seven Potions Stiff-Cut Beard Brush | 9.2 |
| Bossman Boar & Nylon Beard Brush | 9.2 |
| Zilberhaar 100% Boar Bristle Beard Brush | 9.1 |
| Bossman Round Boar & Nylon Beard Brush | 8.9 |
| Kent BRD5 Monster Soft Beard Brush | 8.7 |
| BFWood Round Travel-Size Beard Brush | 8.6 |
Best Beard Brushes of 2024
1. Kent BRD2 Limited Edition Beard Brush
By far the best beard brush you can get your hands on in 2024 is the Kent BRD2 Limited Edition. Hand-crafted from start to finish, Kent makes all their brushes in Great Britain and has been doing so ever since 1777.
Key Features
- Bristles: 100% pure boar bristle
- Stiffness: Medium
- Handle: Yes
- Material: Beechwood
- Size: 6.7″ x 3.2″ x 1.9″ (length x width x height)
- Price: High-tier
Who Should Buy It?
This beard brush is the best fit for a man who doesn’t care about the price and wants the utmost premium quality from his arsenal of beard tools.
With its ergonomic handle and medium bristle stiffness, the Kent BRD2 works best on beards that are around average length and thickness.
Details (Brand, Quality, Reviews)
You can’t really find a better quality brand than Kent when it comes to beard brushes or beard combs. They have been making these products for so long, honing their craft, that it’s almost impossible to beat their standards.
Everything is made by hand and is strictly quality controlled. If you look at the BRD2, you can clearly see that a lot of love has been gone to creating this brush.
What you get when buying this product is the brush (there are left and right-handed models), a gift box, and an additional cotton-string bag for traveling purposes.
Reviews about this products are almost completely positive, with the only negative reviews concerning the price, which is understandable as this is currently the most expensive beard brush on the market (albeit still under fifty-bucks).
Pros:
- Simply the best premium beard brush available in 2024.
- Made specifically for facial hair use by the greatest brush makers.
- Bristles are angled for easy maneuvering, comes as left and right-handed.
Cons:
- Expensive.
- Really that’s the only issue.
2. Seven Potions Beard Brush
Seven Potions is one of the better beard companies out there, with an impressive array of oils, balms, and other beard related goodies.
Their oval-shaped beard brush is one of their best products in a while, and I originally got it when I tested their beard care kit (which included this brush, beard oil, and beard wash)
How have I liked it you ask?
Well, it’s my daily driver, and I have a lot of beard brushes to choose from.
Key Features
- Bristles: First-cut stiff boar bristles
- Stiffness: Ultra-stiff
- Handle: No
- Material: Pinewood
- Size: 3.6″ x 2.0″ x 1.6″
- Price: Medium-tier
Who is it Best for?
Out of this brush review, the Seven Potions one has by far the stiffest bristles. This is because they’re first-cut boar bristle, which is known as the hardest type the animal produces.
Because of the bristle stiffness, it will suit the men with medium to long beards, thick enough to handle some rough action on the face.
If you get this brush with a short and thin beard, I can guarantee that you will be disappointed, as it will be too rough for your facial hair.
Details
I have been positively surprised with this beard brush from Seven Potions. Sure, the bristles felt a bit too stiff for me in the beginning, and I thought for a while that I might be only using it rarely as an exfoliator brush, but soon enough I noticed I was brushing with it almost daily.
After a few weeks of use, the bristles will loosen up quite nicely and still remain somewhat firm. I like this because it makes styling the beard really easy after you put in some beard oil and balm.
Since the brush has bit more roughness to it than many others, it’s perfect for stimulating natural blood circulation on the beard area, as well as enhancing the production of natural sebum oils which nourish the mane.
Pros:
- Perfect for the gentlemen with very thick beards.
- The first-cut boar bristles are rough enough to stimulate circulation.
- Competitive pricing for its quality, my daily driver.
Cons:
- The bristles are far too stiff for patchy and soft beards.
- The bristles aren’t as closely spaced as with some other brushes.
3. Bossman Boar’s Hair & Nylon Beard Brush
If you’re looking for an amazing all-rounder of a beard brush, then look no further than Bossman.
Their unique brush is housed in a sturdy and durable bamboo handle, which feels amazing in the hand.
The bristles are a mixture of boar bristles and massaging nylon beads, so you’re getting the exfoliating rough benefits of the boar’s hair along with the circulation boosting benefits of the nylon beads.
As a cherry on top, the bristles are attached to a cushioned base. So yes, we are talking about a COMPLETE beard brush here.
Key Features
- Bristles: Boar hair & nylon
- Stiffness: Medium
- Handle: Yes
- Material: Bamboo wood
- Size: 8.0″ x 3.0″ x 3.0″
- Price: Medium-tier
Who is it Best for?
If you’ve never owned a beard brush before and would like to get one that kind of fits any beard style or length, and will be your daily driver for years, then get this one.
What you have here is a complete package of everything you ever need from a beard brush, for a competitive price, and with great build quality.
Details (Quality, Reviews, Brand)
Bossman has been around for a long time, and they have solidified their brand as one of the top beard product manufacturers.
They have a big customer base and overall the reviews on their products are overwhelmingly positive.
Bossman has – as to be expected – great return policies and warranty.
Pros:
- Possibly the most complete beard brush there is.
- The combination bristles give you the needed roughness, but not too much.
- Bamboo handle, cushioned base, and the nylon beads make the brush feel amazing.
Cons:
- If your beard is very stiff and untameable, this brush may be too soft.
- As a larger-sized beard brush, this isn’t the easiest one to store and travel with.
4. ZilberHaar Pure Boar Bristle Beard Brush
The German brand ZilberHaar is one of the leading beard brush manufacturers, with the largest number of sales in multiple online platforms.
Their basic pure boar bristle brush is exactly what you would expect from a beard brush, with extremely competitive pricing and selection of different bristle stiffnesses and handle shapes.
Key Features
- Bristles: 100% boar bristle
- Stiffness: Multiple options
- Handle: Yes and no
- Material: Pearwood
- Size: 6.1″ x 1.0″ x 1.2″ or 3.2″ x 1.1″ x 1.1″
- Price: Medium-tier
Who Should Get the ZilberHaar Beard Brushes?
The selection of bristle stiffnesses and handle shapes make ZilberHaar brushes so universal that pretty much any beardsmen can find the right beard brush from their selection.
If you like to travel and have a smaller area of facial hair to work with; opt for the pocket size.
If you fancy an old-school brush with a long handle; get the basic type.
Or if you have a massive beard that needs to be man-handled with as big of a beard brush as you can imagine; get their “major brush”.
For each of these different handle sizes, there’s a choice to go with either stiff or soft boars hair bristles. As you should know by now, long thick beards need stiffer bristles, and smaller patchier beards should go with the soft bristles.
Details
I own the handled brush as well as the pocket version from Zilberhaar, and they’re both amazing, absolutely nothing negative to say about them.
The bigger brush is on my toilet cabinet, while I like to keep the smaller pocket version in the console of my car if I ever need to brush the beard in a rush.
Price-wise I think Zilberhaar beard brushes are a perfect blend of great quality and low price, making them one of the best – if not the best – value choices.
Pros:
- The best-selling beard brushes with stellar reviews.
- Competitive pricing with amazing quality.
- German-made, easily available globally.
- Great selection of shapes, sizes, and stiffnesses.
Cons:
- Boring – just another brush – style design.
- Nothing else is wrong really.
5. Bossman Round Boar & Nylon Beard Brush
If you have a long beard, then you probably already know how much of a hassle it can be to keep it neat and well-kempt.
For a bigger beard, a normal beard brush just doesn’t cut it. When your beard gets out of control, then it’s scraggly beard time all over again.
Luckily Bossman has created a beard brush just for long beards, and due to its big size, round shape, and stiff widely-spaced bristles, you can easily use it to straighten your beard using something like a blow-dryer as an aid.
(Though I must say that I personally prefer heated beard straighteners over the blow-dry/brush method).
Key Features
- Bristles: Boar bristle & Nylon
- Stiffness: Stiff
- Handle: Yes
- Material: Bamboo wood
- Size: 10.3″ x 2.7″ x 2.2″
- Price: Medium
Who is it Best for?
Like said, this is the best beard brush for long bearded men. Period.
If you feel like it’s a struggle to try tame your beard with a normal beard brush, then it’s time to try a big round brush.
And while there are many to choose from, we like the Bossman one to be the best of the best.
Details (Brand, Quality, Reviews)
Bossman’s been in the game for years. They are loved & respected in the beard community and their products are – rightfully – flying off the shelves.
With this big of a customer base and company size, you can expect good return and warranty policies.
Pros:
- Best for long and thick bushy beards
- Easy to hold and roll around when straightening the beard
- Stiff oil-preserving bristles feel amazing and glide through the beard easily.
Cons:
- If your beard is under 3″ in length, don’t bother buying this beard brush.
- Big size for big beards, but ultimately that also means hard to travel with.
6. Kent BRD5 Super Soft Monster Beard Brush
If you have a long and bushy beard which is also sensitive and easy to damage, then you might want to opt for this Kent’s super soft monster brush.
It’s got a big ergonomic handle and large surface area of horsehair/nylon bristles tightly spaced together.
Key Features
- Bristles: Horsehair & nylon blend
- Stiffness: Ultra-soft
- Handle: Yes
- Material: Beechwood
- Size: 8.0″ x 2.0″ x 1.25″
- Price: High-tier
Who Should Buy This Brush?
Anyone who has got a lot of beard hairs that need to be tamed with a big soft brush.
The unique horsehair/nylon blend makes the monster brush considerably softer than its competitors, even too soft according to some reviewers.
But if your beard is delicate and big, your options are limited, and this may be the best fit.
Details
Hand-crafted by the Kent company in Great Britain, this brush is not your average hairbrush disguised as beard brush.
Instead, Kent has specifically stated that they put their best-bearded brush makers to work when creating the Monster brush, just so that it would be something unique and needed, instead of just another beard brush that looks and functions exactly like the hundreds of others.
Pros:
- Perfect for big and bushy but sensitive beards.
- The large size and tightly spaced bristles feel amazing on the facial hair.
- Produced by the greatest brush maker in history.
- Beechwood material is some of the best possible for the handle.
Cons:
- Many users report that it’s not only soft but too soft.
- Extremely expensive compared to most other beard brushes.
- I’m not a fan of using nylon in the bristles, the horsehair is fine.
7. BFWood Round Travel-Size Beard Brush
This is a small and compact round beard brush that is perfect for traveling and minimalistic beard care.
It’s also the cheapest brush of this list and quite possibly the one with the best value. The three different versions of the brush costing under ten bucks each, with a little travel case included.
Key Features
- Bristles: Boar Bristle
- Stiffness: Medium-hard
- Handle: No
- Material: Walnut Wood or bamboo
- Size: 2.4″ x 2.4″ x 1.6″
- Price: Low-tier
Who is it Best for?
If you want the best budget beard brush, look no further, there’s no better quality to price ratio available than this little rounded beauty.
If you don’t need a brush with a big handle and travel a lot living in a small space, you might also enjoy the fact that this beard brush is super small.
If your beard is big and bushy, you might want to skip this brush. The small bristle surface would make your beard brushing routine take ages, whilst the lack of handle means that you won’t have the same strength to brush with as you would with the BRD2 for example.
Details (Brand, Quality, Reviews)
BFWood is a small brand with a good collection of beard products. All of their tools seem to have great value combined with excellent craftsmanship, and we like that.
Quality-wise, I see nothing wrong with the BFWood beard brush. In fact, at just a mere $9 price, it outshines the production quality of many other brands.
As for the design and materials, they actually have four different styles of this same brush; one with dark wood base and black bristles (seen in the picture above), one with a bamboo base, one with a darker bamboo base and a special brush holder, and one with brown wooden base and blonde bristles.
Pros:
- Perfect for traveling with just 2.4×2.4 size.
- Easy to hold round design that fits the palm perfectly.
- 100% boar bristles with medium-hard stiffness for daily use.
- Cheaper than a millennial avocado toast.
Cons:
- Too small for guys that have big and long beards.
- Lack of handle may make it harder to brush thick and stiff beards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best beard brush material?
Boar bristles are easily the best material. As for the handle, anything durable is good, such as; pearwood, sandalwood, or peachwood.
Can you brush your beard too much?
Yes. If you constantly brush or comb or fiddle with your beard, it will eventually lead to protein-loss damage within the beard fibers. As a rule of thumb, don’t brush your beard more than twice per day.
When should I brush my beard?
We recommend you to brush right after applying beard oil, as brushing helps to distribute the oils evenly to your facial hair. It doesn’t really matter what time of the day you do it.
What do beard brushes do?
In short; beard brushes exfoliate, help redistribute beard oil and balm evenly, and stimulate circulation on the face.
What direction should you brush your beard?
You can start the brushing in any direction you want. In fact, you’ll get the best results if you brush from as many directions as possible. However, it’s crucially important that you finish your brushing routine by brushing straight downwards.
Conclusion
Beard brushes may seem like a waste of time on the surface.
But when you dig deeper, you’ll realize that they are in fact, some of the most important tools in any man’s beard growth & care arsenal.
There’s no better and simpler way to nourish and train your beard than to regularly brush it; and for that, I highly recommend that you grab hold of one of the brushes in the above review.
So instead of tossing your cash to the next flashy beard growth serum out there, consider getting a great beard brush instead. It’ll actually work and will last you a long time.
Combine that with a nice pair of good beard scissors and maybe some beard shaping tools and you’re set.
Thanks for reading and keep on beardin’.
