Brushing curly hair – everything you need to know

Why curly hair should not be brushed? does brushing ruin your curls? Curly hair breaks easily, so brushing curly hair when it’s dry makes it break and leads to split ends. So it is not advised to brush the curly hair and yes brushing may ruin your curls if not done properly,

Even though it causes damage to your curls, it also does good things to your hair like adds shine, detangles your hair and removes the dead skin cells from your scalp, so when done properly, your curls can get the benefits too.

Related Posts: Do split ends travel up the hair shaft, Best oil for hair with split ends

Should you brush your curls dry or wet?

Dry curls doesnt have enough elasticity to bear the tension that the brush gives, so when you brush out the dry hair your curls will get damaged, so you should only brush your curls when it is wet.

When your brush the wet hair it gives, 

  • more definition to your curls,
  • It gives consistent curl pattern,
  • Also it drastically minimize the detangling time

You can even use the detangling brush in the shower when the conditioner is still in your hair, or you can immediately add leave in conditioner while your hair is still wet after the shower, this will also reduce the detangling time.

How to choose the best brush for curly hair

A good hair brush should be good at two things: bristles and the handle, a good handle will help you to hold it in the right angle and position and the good bristles will help to brush your hair, it should be light enough so that it does not damage the curls.

Look for the right grip

A short grip will make it feel uncomfortable to hold in your hand, also a thick handle will make it uncomfortable as well, make sure the handle is lengthy and not too thick or thin either.

Look for the premium bristles

Premium products are always worth investing, the boar bristles act gently on the hair on the other side plastic bristles may cause damages to your curls especially if it’s dry, boar bristles will have both the gently at the same time with necessary tension to act on the tangles, so it is good to go for it.

Avoid brushes with balls at the tip

Balls at the tip of the bristles are mostly found in nylon brushes, since nylon brushes might have sharp edges, these balls structure is added to avoid injury to the scalp, it is good if your scalp has damages from dryness and other problems, but when you use it on the curly hair, the balls might tangle with the already tangled hair and may cause more damage to your curls.

Wider spaced bristles

Like wide toothed comb if you use the brushes with wide spaced bristles, the damages may be minimised.

Best brush for curly hair

1) Denman classic styling brush

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This brush is made of nylon bristles which is softer on your curls, since it has desired amount of space between each bristles it doesn’t pull out the hair, it glide through the strands easily.

As we mentioned above in choosing the right brush, it doesn’t have balls at the ends, it has all the properties that is discussed, so it is the right one to go for.

3) Bestool Detangling brush

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The ergonomically designed rubberized handle helps to handle it with ease, the wide spaced and flexible bristles glides easily through the strands, it helps to easily separate the knots without pulling and damaging the hair.

How to brush curly hair

Moisturizing and detangling

Lubricating the chain will make the vehicle go smoother, likewise lubricating your hair will avoid the friction between your hair and the brush,

I would suggest you to use coconut oil or a detangler gently massage it with your fingers, even though it takes time, it will mostly remove all the tangles and makes it frizz free

work from the bottom

Always start from the bottom and move up, this will avoid the stress, when you start from the top it will cause more tension because the hair is pulled from top all the way to the bottom.

How to brush thick curly hair

If you have thicker curly hair, it is even tougher and time consuming than if you have wavy hair, if this is your case, this is how you should brush your hair

  • Separate your hair into multiple sections,
  • Fill your hair with detangler 
  • Comb from the bottom of your hair and move all the way up,
  • Repeat the same process for all the sections 

How often should you brush curly hair?

As we discussed already brushing the curls is a bad idea, but we are breaking the rule to get the benefits that the brush gives so you should not do it very frequently, what i would is suggest is keep it one or maximum two times a month, this would help to keep it damage free and gets the benefit at the same time.

When should you brush curly hair?

Human brain has a capacity to feel a thing when it’s necessary, when you need a brushing you will feel uncomfortable with your curls, when your hair is knotted heavily and you feel you can not detangle it with your fingers, you should brush your hair, make sure to use a gentle brush.

Also one more thing is you should brush it when it is completely covered with the conditioner or a hair oil.

When should you brush dry curls?

Yes, brushing dry curls is not recommended, but if you need voluminous curls, brushing it dry will give more volume, but if losing the curl pattern and breakage doesn’t bother you much, you can think of it.

Does brushing curly hair wet damage it?

Curly hair are more prone to breakage due to its structure, so brushing it dry will cause more damage than brushing it wet, 

So, eventhough it has more elasticity, it still gets damaged and that’s why it is advised to brush your curls less frequently.

How to detangle curly hair without brushing it

Finger comb

Our fingers are nature’s gift, they can be used for many purposes including detangling, one more advantage of it is you can adjust the gap between fingers as necessary, so the first source to brush your curly hair is your fingers.

use a wide toothed comb

The second option is wide toothed comb, wide toothed comb is the best choice for curly hair, as the chance of messing up with the tangle is a lot less.

How to keep curls away from tangles

Silk cap or bonnet

Usually bonnet is used to maintain the curl pattern and keep the tangles away from your curls. Go to bed with the bonnet so that you can wake up with less tangles which leads to less time spent in detangling it.

Best Silk Sleep Cap For Curly Hair

Avoid brushing it while dry

As we discussed a lot already, avoid brushing your 

Keep your hair hydrated

Keeping your hair hydrated either with oil or conditioner or detangling spray will give less room for the tangles, also gives life to your curls

Bun, Braiding or Straightening

Maintaining braiding or keeping your hair in bun will make a huge difference, when your hair doesnt have space to move and touch the other strands there is going to be less tangles.

Straightening is another indirect option to make your curls knot free.

Using sulfate free products

Sulfate is one of the main enemies for curly hair, as it dries out the moisture from your hair, it makes the curls dry and lifeless which leads to dry, frizzy and tangled hair, so it is always recommended to use sulfate free products.

What to avoid when brushing curly hair?

  • Brushing too much hair at once should be avoided, split it into sections,
  • Starting from the scalp and moving to the bottom should be avoided, it should always done in the opposite way,
  • Brushing the dirty hair may leave to poor result, clean your hair before brushing,
  • Brushing the same curls should be avoided as it cause breakage, brushed hair can be clipped to avoid brushing the same sections.

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