How to brush curly hair, from someone who has tried everything

Brushing my curly hair has been a constant battle throughout my life.

When I was around 12 years old, I found myself at a sleepover with a group of girls taking turns brushing out sections of my hair. They were dazzled by its ability to go from looking like a softly coiled telephone cord to a piece of steel wool right before their eyes as they took a brush through it dry. Since that day, they would beg me to let them do it again – it even earnt me the incredibly endearing nickname, Sideshow Bob.

Brushing my curly hair has been a constant battle throughout my life. It was the cause of tears and tantrums due to the pain of ripping through knots and tangles as I tried to smooth my hair out and wrap it into a bun like all the other little girls at ballet. In my teens, I was always trying to fight the frizz. And now in my twenties, even after figuring out how to style my curls, I still struggle to know exactly when and how to brush my hair around wash days, the gym and going out.

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I’m looking to shake off the Sideshow Bob legacy, so I’ve been trying out different techniques that hairdressers recommend for combing through curly hair to get the best bouncy, head-turning curls. How you brush your curly hair is, of course, subjective depending on your hair type and how you like to wear it, but here are a few tips from the experts that will help make the difference between a good hair day and a hat day. 

Brush your hair while it’s wet

I’m fighting the urge to make some sort of cheap sexual innuendo about wet vs dry, because this is serious business! Anyone with curly hair will know that brushing your hair dry will equal instant chaos and frizz. According to the experts, as our curly hair is much drier and more porous compared to other hair types that take well to being combed through dry, we are not just more prone to frizz, but also breakage. The friction caused by a brush or comb pulling on dry stands can cause hair to go fluffy and split. Wetting your hair before you try to comb through can help to reduce hair frizzing and breaking as damp hair helps the strands stick together, preventing trauma to the follicle.

Get the right tools

The key to frizz-free locks is not as simple as taking any old brush and ripping through your hair under the shower head. Investing in the right products and the perfect brush is key for curls. Many hairdressers I have spoken to throughout the years recommend only using a wide-tooth comb or a detangling brush with silicone or boar bristles designed for wet curly hair. You’ll want to avoid anything designed for thin or straight hair, like a smoothing brush or small-tooth comb, as these will tug and pull on your strands too much. It’s also important to go for materials that can endure water – avoid anything wooden or with a fabric base.

Many experts recommend brushing your curly hair after shampooing, either while you’ve got your conditioner in or post-wash with a detangling or moisturising product, as clean, oil-free follicles are more open and therefore less inclined to tangle. Just like your brush, you should invest in hair products that work for you and your curl type – this might be a scalp scrub, a softer shampoo like a co-wash, or a deep, nourishing conditioner.

Moisture is a friend to curly locks, so experts often recommend using products like leave-in masks, conditioners or hair oils on damp hair when combing through. I also like to brush any styling products through while my hair is still damp, but if it dries off beforehand, I will re-dampen with a spray bottle (get one of these, they are magic for re-invigorating curls!) before brushing. When it comes to drying your hair after a good brush, the method all comes down to personal preference. You might find using a diffuser attachment on a quality hairdryer works wonders for you, whereas I like to use a microfiber towel on my freshly washed locks.

Only brush when necessary

Now this one isn’t my strong suit, but much like the common expert advice to only wash your curly hair one to two times a week to allow your hair to obtain moisture through natural oils, many hairdressers will also recommend reducing how often you brush your hair. This is not only because it allows your natural curls to maintain their shape and moisture (some hairdressers say you can even ‘train your hair’ to keep its curls by reducing how often you wash and brush your hair), but also because wetting, brushing, washing and styling your hair can take a lot of work.

Having a good, low-maintenance haircut reduces how often I need to wet, brush and re-style my hair. Most days, I can re-curl my fluff with a spritz of water and some oil. Some curly folk will tell you to brush your hair only on wash days, but some will say three times a week is optimal. Like most things in your hair and beauty routine, it’s all about figuring out what works best for you.

This article was originally published on March 17, 2023.

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