But on that same note;
There is a time and a place, and this guide will help you pick the right tools for you!
While brushing textured hair is often frowned upon, and there are mixed feelings on whether to brush hair wet or dry, plus the whole styling with a brush bit seems to be counter-intuitive. (why would you brush out the curls to define them??). I’ll explain each of these theories as we go along and when/why you would want to use any type of brush on your hair. From comb, to brushes, to picks, this is your complete guide and all of my tried and true go-to tools. We are going to dive into how to detangle different hair types for the quickest and easiest damage-free method, including the best brushes to use and the difference they make for each hair type.
This includes brushing the hair while it is dry, before a shower and in between wash days.
BEWARE! Don’t do this on hair with LOW elasticity. If your hair is dry and brittle, brushing when dry will cause breakage. And if your hair is curly, prepare for pain because your scalp may scream.
1. Always brush starting at the tips of your ends and work the brush up the hair shaft to detangle scalp to ends.
2. Tight textures, hair that is extremely tangled, matted, can start with a pre-poo. Hair should be saturated with an emollient product to help smooth and lubricate strands to prepare for the process.
This includes brushing hair while it is wet, both in the shower or out, with or without product.
Great for most hair types BUT BEWARE!
It’s not advised for extremely damaged hair (grade 5 porosity) with no elasticity.
Benefits: It helps to thoroughly distribute product throughout the hair. Hair has better elasticity when it is wet and hydrated, it can be much easier to detangle the hair while it is wet and wild.
Always good to use a brush when there is some product in the hair that adds moisture to support the elasticity like: conditioners, leave in conditioners, detangling aids, and/or serums.
Great for all:
Great for Kids:
Great for coarse, thick hair:
Great for tight textures:
Great for travel:
A small handheld brush to massage your scalp with, while shampooing, conditioning, or dry in between washes.
All hair and scalp types. Beware if you have scalp conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, proceed gently.
Benefits: Feels amazing, distributes product for an all over clean, stimulates scalp, exfoliates dead, flaky skin.
Tangle Teezer The Scalp Exfoliator & Massager
Using a brush to style curls. These are brushes best used not for detangling hair, but defining curls. They can help distribute product along your hair shaft and wet set your curls in place for gorgeous frizz-free styles that last.
All curl types (wavy 2b-coily 4c and in between) can get gorgeous curls using the right brush and products. Benefits: Great for defining textured hair to achieve clumped curls + smooth frizz.
BEWARE! Don’t do it if your hair is damaged and breaks easily. Always test your elasticity & Porosity and use the right products to nourish & protect your hair.
Tip: Make sure you check out tutorials for how-to do it correctly here.
GREAT FOR ALL:
Option to remove bristle rows for less tension, which is beneficial for finer hair types and looser curl textures.
GREAT FOR THICK/COARSE:
Creates more tension on the hair for more control. Option to remove bristle rows for less tension and customization.
GREAT FOR SHORT HAIR/TRAVEL:
A tool designed to stretch and set the hair, smoothing out curl and frizz. These are to be used with or without heat, and work by creating tension to stretch the hair straight and by removing kinks.
Any hair type looking to set their hair in a style. Benefits: works well in combination with heat from blow dryer, can prevent the need for using excessive heat with hot tools like flat iron and result in a more full, fluffy looking style.
BEWARE: that some of these brushes, including a round brush, can easily get tangled and stuck in the hair if used incorrectly. Heat protection should always be used when applying heat. Only use tools with heat if they are marketed to be used with heat or you run the risk of it melting in your hair.
These little tools are great for finishing your style with extra volume. They can be thrown in your bag to keep with you on the go!
Anyone looking to fluff up and add volume to their look.
Benefits: Helps achieve volume in textured hair.
BEWARE: PICK/TEASE ON DRY HAIR
Pick out from the root. Don’t pick from the ends if you want to maintain the clumps, instead focus on the roots for volume
Backcomb/tease to add volume
Use a comb/pick to remove hair from the brush. hairdressers/ people sharing their brushes should clean and sanitize with a spritz of alcohol after each use, and for at home Fill a bowl or your sink with warm water + a drop of shampoo, let them soak and swish around in the water, rinse and dry. Good to go!
If you’ve gotten this far, I’m sure by now you have an idea of what tools you may want to use for your hair. Bottom line is: brushing curly hair isn’t bad, it’s all about how you do it. For more tips and demonstrations, watch my youtube video for tutorials using these tools below!
Have you ever bought a product that didn’t work for you, you couldn’t return it and feel there was nothing left to do but throw it away? OR are you trying to reduce our carbon footprint but eco-friendly beauty products are either not as good or don’t make sense financially?
Having a bad hair day can be a frustrating experience. You could put all this effort into styling your curly hair, and it just won’t cooperate. While some days are just unavoidable, if you find yourself constantly having bad hair days, this list should help you understand what you’re missing.
If you’re looking to achieve smooth, frizz-free, bouncy and defined curls, you NEED to try my Ribbon Curl Technique. This specific style of brush styling, including the sections and the way the brush is used was coined by me and inspired by the effect that scissors have on a ribbon
