How did the early settlers brush their hair?

Combs for hair have existed since ancient times. They were often carved from bone, wood, or shells and used mostly for keeping hair free from pests, such as lice, rather than for style or physical appearance. As civilizations developed, the desire to style hair in order to reveal wealth and class was met with the creation of traditional hair brushes. However, because they were typically made by hand and individually and intricately carved, only the very wealthy owned hair brushes.
Early settlers started arriving in the Americas in the 1600s, and they would likely have used combs, rather than brushes, to keep their hair clean, neat, and pest free. Lice and fleas were quite common in the colonies. Very wealthy settlers may have had hand carved brushes for styling.
Hair brushes would not become popular or common in the Americas until the mid-to-late 1800s.