Every girl’s dream is thick, voluminous hair, until they have to style it. Let’s be honest, while thick hair is beautiful, trying to tame it can be tiring.
How do we style our thick hair so we achieve the look of beauty rather than beast? It really comes down to having the right products, styling tools, and a better understanding of your own hair needs. So, because everyone deserves to love their hair, I am here to give you a list of my top recommendations to help you appreciate your thick hair the way it deserves.
Understanding Your Hair
Before we jump into it, I want to briefly cover the difference between hair type, texture, and density. Hair type refers to the pattern of your hair, such as curly, wavy, straight, etc, while hair texture refers to the width of the individual strands, and density is considering the number of hairs per square inch of your head. Thick hair comes in all different forms — some people have lots of fine strands packed closely together, while others have fewer but coarser strands that take up more space. Understanding your hair is important. For example, if your strands are coarse and strong, higher heat settings may be needed, but if your hair is dense but fine, using the same heat setting as someone with coarse hair would be excessive. If you are having a hard time determining your own type and texture, just ask your stylist to help.
Let’s Talk About Brushes
There is a brush out there for just about anything. Thermal brushes for styling, vent brushes for drying, detangler brushes, paddle brushes, teasing brushes, honestly, the list goes on and on. It can be overwhelming, so I have narrowed down two brushes that do a phenomenal job for my clients with thick hair.
Vented Wet Brush
A wet brush is specifically designed with flexible bristles to help detangle your hair when wet. It has become a total game-changer for my own hair because it not only prevents breakage when brushing through wet hair, but it also saves time with how quickly it works through tangles. If your hair takes a long time to dry, the venting on this brush works to shorten that time by letting air pass through the hair while you are drying.
Pro tip: The wet brush alone is great for detangling, but add a leave-in conditioner before, and it’s going to be a breeze to detangle — my favorite is Lanza’s Trauma Treatment.
Olivia Garden 3.5” Ceramic + Ion XL Round Brush
I was first introduced to this brush working as an assistant in a busy salon. I spent probably half of my day drying clients’ hair and couldn’t have done without this brush.
Here’s why: the large barrel significantly reduces the dry time, the ceramic heats quickly and maintains heat, which smooths the hair, and the Ion technology reduces frizz. Now you will notice they have a wide range of brush sizes, but my preference for both speed and ease of use is the 3.5-inch. The brand on the round brush doesn’t necessarily matter, but I do really love the Olivia Garden because it’s durable, and the hair does not get caught in the sides like some other brands.
Helpful tip: Everyone has their own preferences. If you don’t love using a round brush that is separate from the dryer, you can achieve a similar result using a round brush dryer combo. Don’t worry, I will list my favorite below.
Heated Tools
In order to help you start to finish, I want to make sure I cover three main areas: drying, straightening, and curling. The next items are all products I have or would spend money on because we aren’t messing around over here when it comes to good hair.
Ella Bella Ionic Hairdryer
Ella Bella has over 400 positive reviews on this tool and has done an amazing job at creating a sleek, lightweight hairdryer without compromising on the power, which is exactly what you want to look for when you have thick hair.
I love this dryer for many reasons, but the number one has to be how lightweight it is, and if you have ever dried thick hair, you know it should be considered a workout. That, combined with how effectively it reduces the time spent drying, lets just say your arms will thank you. It also has ionic technology, which means that it produces negative ions to neutralize the positives and results in less frizz and more added shine. Who doesn’t love that?
I love drying my hair with the concentrator attachment, which will help, in addition to the ionic technology, if you struggle with frizz. Just point the dryer so it’s blowing down the hair shaft, and it will help smooth and seal the cuticle.
Bio Ionic OnePass Flat Iron
The biggest thing for me when picking a flat iron is whether or not it is designed with hair health in mind. If you’re a dedicated straight hair girl, you just know that when you straighten your hair a lot, you will end up with some unwanted breakage.
I am going to say it out loud for the people in the back — not every hair needs the same temperature. Bio Ionic OnePass has temperature control, which is a must. The ceramic plates heat the hair evenly, but still add that heat protectant before using. It’s an amazing and trusted brand, and I tend to reach for the 1.5-inch when tackling thick hair because it helps me get through it quickly. But it is bulkier, so if you struggle with larger tools, the 1-inch would be better for you. Another benefit of the 1-inch would be its ability to curl your hair if you prefer curling with a straightener over a curling iron.
Use the length and width of your straightener plates as a guide for how big to make your sections.
Ella Bella 6-in-1 Multitool Styler – Volumizer Attachment
As promised, here is my recommendation for anyone who needs a round brush and hairdryer combo. I added this to my list because I absolutely love multi-tool stylers. They are cost-effective, space-saving, and I love the idea of having options for creative styling, and the round brush attachment is phenomenal.
The Ella Bella 6-in-1 Multitool Styler is an easy choice for me because it competes with brands like Dyson and the Shark, but it is much more cost-effective, and in this economy, who doesn’t want to save a little money? It has two round brush attachments, and for thick hair, I really love the volumizer. It gives similar results to the 3.5-inch Olivia Garden round brush and works quickly. It also has a blow dryer attachment, which works amazingly, but I do still love a standalone dryer because of the nozzle attachments. Seriously, there are so many great things to say about this tool, so absolutely check it out.
Pro tip: If you allow your hair to dry about 80% of the way before styling with the round brush attachment, you will save your hair some heat damage.
Bio Ionic 1.25-inch Curling Iron
A common question my clients have is “What size curling iron should I choose?” It really comes down to personal preference. I personally curl all of my thick hair clients using a 1.25-inch barrel because it gives you the softest, luxurious-looking curls and cuts down on styling time. I’ve used this curling iron for many years, and I just feel like the curls hold so well. I will say if you have thick but short hair, this may not be the tool for you because the barrel is quite long.
You can achieve different types of curls based on which direction you hold the iron and how you drop the curl, so get creative.
Product and Extra Tips
Using the right products and techniques will really improve your hair and help you achieve specific hair goals, and as a cosmetologist—or honestly just a girl—who loves helping people with their hair, here are some products and tips I use and recommend often for my clients.
- Use a product like Kenra Blow Dry Spray before drying to cut the drying time even more.
- Brush your hair roots to ends in between washes to make sure your natural oils are being distributed through all of your hair, and add an oil or serum to your ends to help with frizz. I personally love Lanza’s Neem Serum.
- Wear a velvet scrunchy at night in a loose ponytail to protect your hair and preserve styles. I like the IVARYSS brand on Amazon.
In Conclusion
Remember that your thick hair is one of the most beautiful textures to work with — it’s full, voluminous, can hold just about any style, and although it can be overwhelming at times, with the right tools and education it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated.
We’ve talked about some incredible tools, but if you’re just starting out, I’d suggest the Ella Bella 6-in-1 Multi-Tool Styler. It gives you a bit of everything to play with, so you can explore different looks and add more tools as you go. I hope with time, you love your hair the way it deserves.
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