This post will teach you everything you need to know about how to get curly hair at the roots. If you’re wondering how to get the top of your hair to curl like the bottom, use the steps below to tame frizz and maintain even curls across the length of your hair.
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How to Get Curly Hair at the Roots
The curls closest to your scalp and your root volume is affected by several factors including hair type, style, and routine. If you don’t know your hair type, I highly recommend taking the Texture Quiz from Naturally Curly. Next you’ll need to determine the cause of your flat roots. Below are a few suggestions for defining those curls.
1. Clarify Your Hair
Product buildup can prevent curls from forming properly. Depending on how your products are formulated, deep conditioners, detangling products, styling creams, and mouse can weigh down your curls.
To make the curls at the root more defined try a clarifying shampoo or skip your co-wash and opt for a gentle shampoo instead. If you’re using a no-poo method or co-washing your hair, you might try a hair clarifying product or scalp scrub.
There is no need to clarify your entire head of hair if you don’t need to. Scalp scrubs are convenient products because they start as an exfoliating paste and melt in warm water, making it easy to remove the product and build up.
If you’ve never clarified your hair, you might be surprised by how light your curls will feel.
{Related Post: Insane Curly Girl Clarifying Shampoo Tips}
2. Use Products for Your Hair Type
The products you use will make or break your routine when it comes to making curls tighter at the root, especially if you have a loose curl pattern and want to get more volume.
Using products for your hair type is so important for root definition. You can fix flat roots by using products designed for your curl pattern.
If you’re using thick defining creams on wavy hair, it will weigh your hair down and you will lose volume. If you have collier hair, stick to thicker creams and defining custards designed to clump your curls together and provide volume and definition.
If you have wavy hair, mouse, light leave in conditioners, and gels with a light hold are usually best for defining your hair without weighing it down.
3. Style Your Hair in Sections
Section hair when styling to ensure product is evenly distributed. If your roots are frizzy and your ends are curly, one of the best remedies for this is to style your hair in sections and apply product close to the root (but never directly on the scalp).
Using a brush to evenly distribute the product in your curly hair is the most effective way I’ve found to tame my frizzy roots without applying product directly to my scalp.
Try using a denman brush to define your curls or use your fingers. The small amount of product on the brush will transfer to the roots of your hair, without weighing it down.
If your hair is flat in the back, styling your curls in sections will also help you define the back section of your hair. To prevent your crown from lying flat, you can also part your hair differently to relieve tension. When you wear your hair in tight styles, you are always placing more tension on part of the hair. By parting it differently and mixing up styles, you give your hair at the part some time to revive.
Also, a simple but common issue to avoid: root tangles.
Don’t forget to detangle your roots properly, or you can lose definition. Before styling, detangling properly is key for curl definition. If you leave tangles in your roots, it won’t be easy to define the curls close to your scalp.
4. Upside Down Styling
If you still feel like you need more volume at the root you can try flipping your head upside down to style.
This helps define the roots at the base of your neck and lifts the hair from the roots as you are styling. Scrunch your products in your hair if that works for you or section your hair and pay close attention to the back of your head. This method also helps with volume if you feel like the back of your hair is flat, because styling upside down helps you see the sections of your hair in the back that are difficult to reach.
5. Shake or Pick Your Roots
While some opt for back combing, this can create unnecessary frizz for curly hair. Having tried this myself, I find it’s better to pick my roots, or use my fingers to lightly shake the roots of my hair for volume.
Usually, it’s best to do this in the morning on day 2 or 3 to revive your curls after a long night underneath a satin or silk hair wrap.
Between back combing, shaking your roots, and picking your hair, you have plenty of ways to experiment with what works best for you. However, I would try back combing as a last resort since the friction can break up those curls you worked so hard to define and create unwanted frizz.
6. Diffuse Your Curls
If you don’t have time to let your hair air dry, diffusing your curls is the best way to dry your roots. Diffusers distribute heat evenly and allow you to place the dryer close to the curls without causing frizz.
If you don’t have a diffuser at home, hold the dryer above your head and tilt the dryer down (in the direction your hair falls). As you move to the middle section of your head, keep the dryer pointed at an angle.
Even if you don’t have a diffuser attachment, you can try a concentrator attachment and experiment with what works best for your curls.
7. Curly Hair Root Clipping
Root clipping is a common method for lifting the hair near the roots to create volume. To prevent your crown from lying flat, clip your roots in sections to elevate the curls at the root.
This will lift flat roots from the crown of your head, allowing them to dry faster, and separating them from the rest of your hair to allow them to curl.
10. Change Your Haircut
The right hair cut for your hair type is a powerful way to elevate your curls.
Let’s not forget the power of a proper haircut. A professional hairstylist can cut your hair in a way that creates volume and eliminates frizz. Even the way your hair is cut can define each curl.
If you remove split, frizzy strands at the end of your hair, your curls will feel much freer and lighter. Your roots will also thank you.
8. Separate Your Curls
Sometimes just the simple act of separating your curls and finger coiling with a small amount of hair product (usually oil) can create volume and definition. If you have several curls that are clumped together or if you just twisted your hair, carefully separating your curls from root to end can lift your style.
After I stopped straightening my hair, I wore twist outs often because they were the best way for me to protect my hair from the cold weather and to define them with moisturizing products. Separating my twists in the morning created a ton of volume. I can do the same with a wash and go if I need more volume.
9. Scrunch Your Roots
You can scrunch your hair to help your curls form after applying products. This method is more common in looser curl patterns that become straight after products (or just water) is applied.
If you have coarse hair patterns that stay curly in the shower or after you applied your products, you might not benefit from scrunching but you will need to try it out to see how your curls respond.
11. Plop
Plopping your hair overnight is a popular method of flipping your hair upside down and wrapping it in a t shirt or microfiber towel overnight. This keeps the curls in an upside down style and prevents adding tension to the curls.
It also takes the pressure off of your roots since you’re not pulling your hair into a bun which pulls on the curly roots you worked hard to define.
12. Pineapple Styles
Pineapple hair styles take pressure off of your roots as well and protect them overnight. You can try satin or silk scrunchies to pull your hair into a high pony tail on the top of your head.
Pineapple styles are a great way to sleep with curly hair because it keeps your hair out of the way and won’t stretch your curls overnight, which can result in loss of definition. Pineapple styles help keep your curls defined between washes, but the hair tools you use are also important. To prevent pony tail lines, try loose scrunchies or satin hair ties.
In general, it’s best not to wear tight styles all the time. Loose styles will help you define your roots and will help you bring out your natural curls across the length of your hair.
13. Protein
Having the right amount of protein and moisture in your hair can affect your curl definition. If protein moisture balance is the issue you have, see Protein Moisture Balance: A Complete Curly Girl Guide.
If your hair feels mushy and is difficult to define, you likely need protein. If your hair feels brittle or dry, you likely need moisture.
This issue is easily remedied with a treatment on wash day, but many don’t even know they need to pay attention to protein moisture balance. I highly recommend reading the article linked above to learn the best way to balance your hair.
14. Dry Shampoo and Volume Powder
You may want to use caution with dry shampoos and volume powders.
Dry shampoo and volume powder are effective hair care tools. However, products can cause buildup on the scalp. If you use a dry shampoo, remember to properly clarify your hair and scalp on wash day.
15. Styling Methods: Finger Coiling
Finger coiling is a popular method of defining your curls with your finger and training your curls to fall naturally without frizz. If you want to finger coil, you can start with the roots and define the entire length of your hair.
Remember not to apply the product directly to the scalp and to take care to divide your hair into sections so you can evenly distribute your products. It’s best not to rush through this method, as tempting as that might be. Finger coiling will lock your curls into place and keep them frizz free. If done correctly, your curls are set until the next wash day.
You can use a styling product to clump curls as they naturally cluster together. If some curls tend to stick together, finger coil in the direction your hair naturally goes. In other words, it’s best not to pull apart curls where they don’t naturally fall apart.
How to Style Crown of Curly Hair
Styling the crown of curly hair comes down to the technique you use to apply your products, how you part your hair, and how you dry the crown of your hair. Root clipping is an effective way to lift the roots and allow them to dry more quickly. The way you apply your products will influence how your roots lay on the top of your head.
Brushing your hair flat, as if you are preparing for a sleek bun, can result in the roots laying flat. Finger coiling the roots or lifting your hair to detangle it instead of brushing it down against your scalp can help you as well.
For more advice about how to make hair naturally curly and how to stretch hair for length without eliminating curls, see 7 Smart Strategies to Bring Out Natural Curls
Recap: Curly Hair at the Roots
Getting the top of your hair to curl like the bottom is possible with a few changes to your styling routine and hair care method. Using the proper hair tools, getting a professional hair cut, and taking time to research the ingredients in your products are all important steps for developing a hair care routine that works for you.
Naturally curly hair is a lot of work at first. Reviving your curls, transitioning from straight to curly, managing seasonal hair care, and determining a styling routine comes with a huge learning curve at first. However, it is so worth it and it does get easier.
{Related: What No One Tells You About Natural Hair Care}
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