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Hair-care guide

Brush Styling Curly Hair: Define Clumps With a Brush

TheWashDay editorial · Updated · From the American Academy of Dermatology · How we compare

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Brush styling means running a styling brush through each wet section after your leave-in and gel are in, so the curls form bigger, smoother clumps. It is a styling step, not detangling: the hair is already detangled and coated in product. Wet hair breaks more easily, so the brush goes through gently, and if you see snapped pieces in the bristles, go back to fingers.

The steps

  1. Product in each section
  2. Brush roots to ends
  3. Turn and release
Diagram. Smooth leave-in and gel through a soaking-wet section, brush it from roots to ends with light tension, and turn the brush at the end so the section springs into a curl. The numbered steps below say the same in full.
  1. Detangle in the shower with conditioner in, then rinse and keep the hair as wet as your leave-in and gel ask.
  2. Work in sections: leave-in, then gel, smoothed through each one.
  3. Hold the section out and brush slowly from the roots to the ends, keeping light tension.
  4. At the ends, turn the brush slightly so the section springs back into a curl.
  5. Leave each section alone once brushed; dry without touching, then scrunch out the cast.

Brush gently

The American Academy of Dermatology lists brushing wet hair among habits that damage hair and advises a wide-tooth comb for textured hair. Brush styling works on hair that has already been detangled and is full of slip from product; never use it to pull through knots, and stop if strands snap.

How to detangle without breakage Breakage

Updated · The sources for this guide are on our Sources page. Report a changed detail.

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