How to Get Curlier Roots

One of the most common causes of straightened-out curls, especially at the root, is buildup. Buildup occurs from all the conditioning products that we use, our scalp’s natural sebum and sweat, and hard water minerals.

Clarifying shampoos will remove buildup from the hair and scalp and prevent the roots from being weighed down.

If you have hard water buildup, you will need a shampoo with special ingredients such as “Disodium EDTA” to remove minerals like calcium and magnesium. 

Clarifying shampoos can be used 1-2x per month.

I’ve been using this one from Ouidad and really enjoying it. It’s not too stripping, yet effectively removes all buildup.

Straightened-out roots can be caused by damage from washing your hair in hot water, the sun, bleach, hair dye, and straightening.

While the only way to eliminate major damage is to grow it out and get a haircut, you can use products such as bonding treatments or products with protein to strengthen the hair. Bond repairing treatments work to relink broken bonds in our hair to restore strength. I always noticed that my curls spring up more after using bond-repairing products or protein because they can help restore the curl’s structure.

I used a deep conditioner from Not Your Mother’s that has bond-repairing ingredients which will strengthen and prevent damage. I let it sit for about 10 minutes and then rinsed it out. Ensure you’re fully rinsing it out, and gently massage your scalp as you rinse to ensure there isn’t conditioner left behind which can weigh down your roots. 

Styling techniques such as brush styling and finger coiling will enhance your curls, encourage ringlets, and create more consistent curls throughout. When I brush style, I start right at the root and twist by brush with slight tension. The tension around the edge of the brush is what creates ringlets. 

You just want to be gentle and not tug or cause breakage. Ensure you have products that are very slippery like this gel in your hair when brush styling. Avoid brushing the hair upside down as this can just stretch out the roots, especially in the back. I prefer to style upright for more control over how the hair will lay.

Creating a messy part or going with a “no part” look will encourage root lift. You can also try and pay attention to the direction of the curls. If you’re brushing in the opposite direction by mistake, it can straighten them out.

If you don’t want to use a brush, you can also try the finger coiling technique which can give a similar effect.

Before I diffuse, I always like to microplop which can really enhance the curl shrinkage. I used the Hair Repear towel which is absorbent and won’t cause frizz. Hold the root up with one hand and then gently scrunch all the way up to the roots.

I don’t recommend the traditional plopping method because this can really smush the roots into the scalp and cause them to flatten out.

Diffusing is crucial for enhancing root curls, and having a diffuser attachment that has long prongs that extend out past the end of the diffuser is important because then you can use them to lift the roots away from the scalp. The heat will help to set the curl shape and your gel cast.

Air drying will result in a more elongated look due to gravity and the water weight. Diffusing helps create more volume and root lift overall.

Once my hair is 100% dry, I scrunched out the crunch and fluff my roots for a softer look.