Is Brush Styling Ruining Your Curls?

Is brush styling bad for your curls? You all know that I love using a brush to style my curls because of how well it enhances the curls, but what about possible damage or changes to your curl pattern? In this video and post, I go over the following topics:

• What is brush styling
• Pros & cons of brush styling
• Hair types that should avoid brush styling
• How to brush style safely
• Brush styling alternatives

My goal is to explain all of the facts so that you can determine what is best for your hair, your lifestyle needs, and your desired results.

What is brush styling?

Using a brush to apply tension on your hair when it’s clean, wet, and when you’ve applied your styling products in order to enhance the appearance.

Techniques include:

• Brushing with tension
• Brush coiling/wrapping

Pros of brush styling

• Enhances curl pattern
• Creates a more even curl
• Enhances root lift
• Smooths frizz
• Helps curls last longer
• Prevents stringiness
• Faster than finger coiling

Image source

Cons of brush styling

• Cuticle damage from the tension
• Breakage
• Can weigh down the hair
• Too thick clumps take longer to dry
• Time-consuming
• Requires coordination
• Over-manipulation when using brush coiling techniques

How do you determine what is best?

Evaluate your hair’s unique needs and weigh that with what is important to you. We do many things that cause some damage to the hair such as diffusing or bleaching. You have to decide what’s best for you and your goals. For me, I don’t like the stringiness and frizz that I get when I don’t brush style and my curls don’t last long. I am sacrificing a bit of cuticle damage in order to have longer-lasting curls, do less refreshing, and achieve the look I want. Overall, I am taking very good care of my curls and doing a few select forms of damage, including brush styling and diffusing with heat.

Hair types that should avoid brush styling

Again, it’s up to you if you don’t mind damaging your hair some if you want the results of brush styling. However, there are some hair types that have a higher chance of getting damaged from brush styling.

• Damaged hair or high porosity hair
  • Heat damage
  • Chemical damage
• Those with bleached hair and highlights
• Very fine-textured hair or fragile hair
• Those prone to breakage 
• Those struggling with hair loss

How to brush style safely

It is possible to reduce the damage caused by brush styling so that you can still benefit from it. Here is a routine with tips for safely brush styling.

1. Ensure your hair is free of tangles after washing & conditioning. Spritz it with water. You cannot brush style on hair that is drying.
2. Always apply at least a curl cream or leave-in conditioner before styling for slip and to help protect the cuticle.
3. If you’re using a gel that has slip, you can apply it before brush styling which will also provide more definition and frizz control. Alternatively, if you’re using a thick gel or want less definition, scrunch in your gel after brush styling.
4. Use a brush that has plastic, smooth, flexible bristles. Avoid applying too much tension.
5. Avoid boar bristle brushes which are too harsh on the hair’s cuticle.
6. Use bond repair treatments or deep conditioners that contain protein to maintain healthy elasticity. Depending on your damage level, you can use these 1-3 times per month.

Brush styling alternatives

• Use a brush with fewer, more flexible bristles that don’t apply tension if you want to encourage some clumping or smooth the hair.
• Finger coiling
• Rake and shake method
• Praying hands method

Products Used:

• Bounce Curl Water Mister, 10% off with code GENAMARIE
• Ouidad Curl Reboot Nourish + Strength Leave-In Mask (Thick & Coarse Curls)
  20% off from Ouidad with code GENAMARIE
  Amazon
• Kinky Curly Original Curling Custard
  Target
  Amazon
• Wet Brush Original Detangler Brush
• Tangle Teezer Naturally Curly Detangling Brush
• Briogeo Vegan Boar Bristle Hair Brush
• Ouidad UNBREAKABLE BONDS™ Bond Building Shampoo
• Ouidad UNBREAKABLE BONDS™ Bond Building Conditioner

If you’d like me to make a video on any alternative methods, please let me know. If you want to see my Fast Brush Styling Routine which uses safe brush styling techniques, watch that here.