This time, I’ve gathered a list of Curly Hair brushes for Photoshop – Free and Premium.

The brushes are created specifically for Photoshop, and won’t work in other graphic software. *Except for GIMP, most of them work also in GIMP, but not all brushes will work with GIMP flawlessly. Read this article to learn more: How to Add New Brushes in GIMP.

– If you are looking for hair brushes for Procreate, please go to this article: HAIR brushes for Procreate

If you have any questions regarding certain brushes, you can reach out directly to the brushes’ author. The “View brushes” are linked to their official pages, where you can read more detailed descriptions, view other example images, read other users’ opinions and contact their author directly.

I hope that this list will save you some time and help you find the right brush that meets your need.

Ps. If you know a brush set that should be listed here, please let me know! Thank you 🙂

Quick list –CURLY Hair brushes for PHOTOSHOP:

1. Curly Hair brushes by Vegalia (Expansion pack)
2. 24 Hairstyle Stamp Brushes Photoshop
3. Photoshop\Clip Studio Paint black history month textured hair brush pack
4. Photoshop curly hair brushes by KsTumanova
5.  Photoshop curly hair texture brushes by KsTumanova
6. Photoshop Braids Brushes by KsTumanova
7. 20 Hair Female PS Brushes Abr. Vol.1 [FREE]
8. REAL Hair Overlays by Photolegens
9. Curly Hair Brushes by Enamorte [FREE]
10. Hair overlays by MyCreativeFarm
11. 200 Hair, Curls, Wigs brushes
12. Braid, Curly and Wet Hair drawing by breakermaximus
13. Hair Brushes Set 2 by Falln-Stock [FREE]
14. Curls by Scully7491 [FREE]
15. Hair Photoshop and GIMP Brushes [FREE]
16. 5 Hair brushes by Sakura222-stock [FREE]

List of Photoshop CURLY Hair Brushes

While gathering this list I focused mostly on looking for curly hair brushes, because some artists find it much more difficult to draw than straight hair.
I intend to update this list or create a new one in the future with separate section for straight hair. However, you can check out other brushes of these authors, they have lots of great sets, including other hair brushes (for example, Vegalia has excellent packs with “braid” brushes).

I always try to mention a few words about the artists and leave a link to their websites. Most of them created these brushes for their own needs, and use them in their own illustrations. So please check out their websites and Instagram pages to see their amazing artworks and discover other amazing brushes!

1. Curly Hair brushes by Vegalia (Expansion pack)

View brushes (30+)

Zipped File Size: 4.1 MB
File Types Included: .ABR | .SUT
Software compatibility: Photoshop | Clip Paint Studio

This Expansion Pack Includes 30+ NEW hair texture brushes for Clip Studio Paint and Photoshop (there are both files: .sut and .abr in this pack).

You will find here curls, coils, braids, and wave brushes. These brushes were specifically made to imitate the African Black Hair Texture. They were created by Vegalia, who has African ancestors and curly hair herself 🙂

She has also created many curly hair and braid brushes for Procreate ( you can find them here: HAIR brushes for Procreate)  that were recommended by Procreate staff themself! (source).

I recommend you to check out her other brushes and artworks on her Instagram: @byvegalia

2. 24 Hairstyle Stamp Brushes Photoshop

View brushes (24)

Zipped File Size: 93.44 MB
File Types Included: .ABR
Software compatibility: Photoshop | (alternative versions: Procreate)
*This pack doesn’t contain Procreate files, they are available to purchase in separate sets, linked above.

Here’s a pack of 24 hairstyle stamp brushes created by Sundrameda. The stamps contain various long hairstyles, that can be used for creating a character’s hair in a few seconds (for comic art styles), or as a base – for more detailed and realistic illustrations.

It’s a nice guide to beginners, who have just begun learning digital painting. Also, it’s a great addition to those who just want to speed up a bit their painting process and don’t certainly like to be a hairdresser – this pack has ready ideas for female hairstyles, both short and long.

The author’s name of this pack is Alexandra and she’s known under the nickname Sundrameda. She created many other brush sets, including the ones with stamps. So if you are looking for example: pose bases, hands, clothes, dresses that can serve as a general guide for your illustration, I recommend you to check out her Instagram page: @sundrameda

3. Photoshop\Clip Studio Paint black history month textured hair brush pack

View brushes (40)

Zipped File Size: 11.9 MB
File Types Included: .ABR
Software compatibility: Photoshop | Clip Paint Studio

This hair brush pack includes 40 afro, curly, coily, braids, locs and twists brushes for photoshop and clip studio paint. It helps you to draw natural textured hair while achieving the effect of various art styles.

Seyi Denola is an artist who often draws African/Afro-American characters with curly hair, or hairstyles used for such curly hair (afro, braids, dreadlocks). She uses these brushes in her own paintings, to speed up her drawing process.

Ps. Denola would love to see your drawings –  if you use her brushes in your artwork, tag @seyidenola on instagram and twitter or @riverdenola on twitter, so she could check them out 🙂

You can find her other brushes and artworks here: @seyidenola

4. Photoshop curly hair brushes by KsTumanova

View brushes (36)

Software compatibility: Photoshop

Ksenia Tumanova created a series of brush packs dedicated to curly hair. In her collection, you will find such packs as: “Curly brushes”, “Hair texture brushes” and “Braids Brushes”.

The pack presented in this sub-point contains 36 curly hair brushes dedicated to Photoshop. It will help you to paint various hairstyles for curly hair, afro, tiny curls, or waves. It doesn’t contain braids or hair accessories, you will find them in a different pack.

4. Photoshop curly hair texture brushes by KsTumanova

View brushes (30)

Software compatibility: Photoshop | Fresco | Procreate| Affinity Photo

In this pack you will find 30 hair texture brushes. It’s a great addition to the previous pack. It really speeds up the painting process, as it allows you to add hair texture in a few seconds.

The Brushset may be used for Personal and Commercial use.

5. Photoshop Braids Brushes by KsTumanova

View brushes (15)

Software compatibility: Photoshop

The final part of Ksenia Tumanova’s collection – the Photoshop Braids Brushes.
This pack contains 15 brushes for painting various braids. They differ in style and thickness, there are also brushes that allow you to paint several braids with just one stroke.

You can reach out to Ksenia via her Etsy page if you need any support. Also it you would like to check out Ksenia’s artworks, you can find them on her Instagram page: @ks_tumanova

6. 20 Hair Female PS Brushes Abr. Vol.1 [FREE]

View brushes (20)

File Types Included: .abr
Software compatibility: Photoshop

This pack was published by Liza Giannouri. It is a set of 20 realistic hair brushes, that were created from photos.
The brushes are a bit pixelated, therefore I don’t recommend them if you are seeking brushes for a larger piece of art. They can serve as a great base, tho.

But most importantly, these brushes are available for free. You can just download them and test them to see if they meet your needs.

7. REAL Hair Overlays by Photolegens

View overlays (43)

Zipped File Size: 96 MB
File Types Included: .ABR
Software compatibility: Photoshop

The package contains 43 overlays in PNG format with real hair without background (there are some with black, gray and white background) which you can use to quickly and easily create hair extensions or simply conjure up more volume or other light moods.
Most overlays can be seen in the sample images.

The artist who created this pack is Carina Demmelbauer-Ebner known also under the name “Photolegend”. She’s a professional photographer who uses her knowledge of Photoshop to create beautiful Photomanipulations. Her artworks look like photographs from a mystical world.

You can check out Carina’s official website here: Photolegend.de – you can find here Carina’s portfolio and training videos

8. Curly Hair Brushes by Enamorte [FREE]

View brushes (2)

Zipped File Size: 1.77 MB
File Types Included: .ABR
Software compatibility: Photoshop

Here are 2 curly hair brushes that were created by the artist Enamorte specifically for painting her artwork: “Queen of Hearts”. As Enamorte said – thanks to them, the hair was one of the easiest parts to paint.

“A few people have commented on the hair in my last painting, and I kind of felt like a dirty cheat. lol The hair was probably the quickest part of the painting. I made these brushes in about two minutes, and they made the hair very easy.”

The artist made these brushes public and free to download, however in the retunr she asks to not post these brushes anywhere without giving her credit. Reselling is forbidden.

You can check out Enamorte’s artworks here: deviantart.com/enamorte

9. Hair overlays by MyCreativeFarm

View overlays(93)

File Types Included: .png
Software compatibility: Photoshop

Evgenij (creator of MyCreativeFarm) provides us with over 90 high-quality realistic hair overlays. You will find here various hairstyles as well as single curls and strings of hair. Some of the hairstyles also have hair accessories.

Also, the overlays have their original color, you don’t have to add it (just tweak its color balance to match your needs). The 93 Files in PNG format have a transparent background and 300 dpi high quality.

For more overlays, visit Evgenij’s Etsy: @MyCreativeFarm

10. 200 Hair, Curls, Wigs brushes

View brushes (200)

File Types Included: .ABR
Software compatibility: Photoshop

DesignByMiller has prepared very high quality Photoshop hair brushes. These brushes will also work in the graphics program GIMP.
These are unique brushes, as they are made from high resolution photographs (over 5000×5000 pixels).

It’s one of the biggest brush packs that I was able to find. It contains various hair styles, for long and short hair, as well as single curls and strings of hair – including ponytails and braids.

*This set may work incorrectly in very old versions of Photoshop that are no longer supported by developers, or partially or completely not work on them (versions CS3, CS4 or older).

11. Braid, Curly and Wet Hair drawing by breakermaximus

View brushes (30)

File Types Included: .ABR
Software compatibility: Photoshop

Breakermaximus provides us with 30 braid, curly and wet hair drawing and texturing pressure sensitive photoshop brushes. They can be used for drawing and texturing human hair and hairstyles.
Many brushes that I mention in this list are made from photos, this brush set however imitates charcoal/pencil texture, therefore it will be useful if you aim for the traditional media look in your artworks.

*Brush size: starting from 1200px+

12. Hair Brushes Set 2 by Falln-Stock [FREE]

View brushes

File Types Included: .ABR
Software compatibility: Photoshop

Here’s another set of free brushes for Photoshop. The set was created by “Falln-Stock“, an artist who publishes stock photos and other resources (including textures and brushes) on Falln-Stock.deviantart.com.

The brushes are free to use, only if you give Falln-Stock credit for making them in the description of your artwork with a link back to =Falln-Stock.

13. Curls by Scully7491 [FREE]

View brushes

Zipped File Size: 2.50 MB
File Types Included: .ABR
Software compatibility: Photoshop

Scully7491 took a little bit different approach and scanned her own hair to create Photoshop brushes. She created a few other similar brush sets, you can find them on her Deviantart page: Scully7491

These brushes are free to use, but you have to give credit to Scully7491, and can’t redistribute or sell these brushes – no commercial use allowed. If you want to use any materials for commercial use, please contact Scully7491.

14. Hair Photoshop and GIMP Brushes [FREE]

View brushes (22)

File Types Included: .ABR
Software compatibility: Photoshop

A set of 22 brushes made up of various types of hair. Includes: bangs, braids, wavy, straight, curly, ponytails.

These are pretty small. If you’re looking to add long, wavy hair with high-resolution brushes, check out Redheadstock’s Wavy Hair Strands Photoshop and GIMP Brushes

If you want to use them commercially, you can purchase a license for a few dollars here: Hair Photoshop & GIMP Brushes

15. 5 Hair brushes by Sakura222-stock [FREE]

View brushes (2)

Zipped File Size: 4.98 MB
File Types Included: .ABR
Software compatibility: Photoshop

Here are 2 brushes created by sakura222-stock, who took a similar approach to Scully7491 and also scanned her hair.
On the brushes page, you can check out artworks (in the comment section) where artists used these brushes.
These brushes are free to use, but If you want to use them commercially, please contact Sakura for more details.