I have curly hair and DD1 has curly hair too so I understand your dilemma.

Whenever I style mine or DD1's hair I make sure the hair is damp, not when dry. I know this goes against all that hairdressers say about breakages of the hairs etc etc but its the only way to get through the tangles and it reduces the frizziness.

I have a water spray bottle for DD1's hair and for mine I shower then style. Detangler sprays are also good on DD1's hair, they have a little conditioner usually which helps get through the hair easily.

NEVER use elastic bands or elastic circles on curly hair as the curls find a way of tangling all around the band and they are painful to remove or need to be cut from the hair. I use only the fabric elastics as they are kinder on the hair.

As for the question about the brush/comb. A wide toothed comb works well and so does those brushes with the knobs on the ends of the bristles with the big air gaps on the paddle (does that make sense?).

You said her hair is long. For long hair a tip a hairdresser gave to my mum for me when I was 8 was to always condition the hair in the shower and run the comb through it with the conditioner in it. Prior to this arrangement there were many tears in the mornings before school as a brush was pulled through my dry unruly curls and it looked a frizzy mess. It just means getting up a little earlier to have a shower in the morning instead of night and then styling.

If you don't want her showering in the mornings or time is an issue, braiding the hair before bed is a real time saver. It can be rebraided in the morning for neatness. Invest in bobby pins too.

Also, hairdryers are a curly haired persons nightmare unless a diffuser is used and its on a low blow setting.

When cutting her hair remember that curls shrink when dry so if you cut a fringe to the length of the end of her nose it will shrink right up to where the hairline begins (it does on mine anyway) so always find a hairdresser that knows and understands curls. I've had many bad haircuts from geniuses (used sarcastically) who claim to know my hairtype and I've been in tears the second I have left the shop.

I know I've put lots of info here I hope some of it is a help to you. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Curl