How to Care for Coarse Hair

Are your coarse strands giving you a headache? You’re not alone. Caring for coarse hair can be a daunting task because coarse strands can be unruly and difficult to style. While this is the case, anyone can care for coarse hair with proper guidance. This article will tell you how to care for your coarse hair to keep it looking its best.  

Choose the Right Products

Coarse hair will not behave if it’s not shampooed and conditioned properly.

When cleansing your hair, not just any shampoo will do. Sticking with a sulfate-free natural shampoo is the best option for coarse hair. The more hydrated coarse hair is, the more manageable it will be.

You should also use conditioner every time you wash your hair. You can even skip the shampoo now and then and try co-washing (conditioner-only washing) if you’re dealing with extremely dry hair. This will also help to preserve your coarse hair’s moisture.

If you want to go the extra mile, incorporate a hair mask or hydrating leave-in conditioner into your routine to soften your coarse hair.

Limit Heat Styling

Heat styling causes several issues with coarse hair, including dryness, frizz, and breakage. To keep those coarse strands as healthy as possible, limit how much heat you apply to them.

This means you should towel-dry or air-dry your hair as often as possible and use the “cool” setting on your hairdryer whenever you use it. Also, consider reducing how often you use curling irons, straighteners, wavers, and other heat styling tools. When skipping heat styling tools isn’t an option, keep the heat low and use heat protectant sprays to limit the damage.

The less heat damage you inflict on your hair, the better it’ll look and feel.

Change Your Pillowcase

Though you may not think your pillowcase matters, swapping your regular cotton one out for a silk or satin pillowcase is a game-changer. Silk or satin pillowcases provide your coarse hair with a soft, low-friction surface to sleep on – this prevents tangles and reduces your weekly detangling sessions. Silk and satin are preferred because these materials don’t absorb moisture or snag your strands.

Brush Carefully

For coarse hair, a round or flat brush with spaced-out boar or nylon bristles is your best bet. It’s the best type of brush for preventing damage as you remove stubborn tangles from your coarse hair. Dampen your hair, apply a detangling product, and then brush your hair in sections to remove tangles without creating frizz.

Regular Trims

Trimming your hair reduces split ends caused by heat styling, coloring, and other damaging treatments. Getting regular trims every two months or so can help maintain your coarse hair’s shape and make it easier to detangle and style.

Coarse hair can be tough to manage if you don’t have the right tools and guidance. That’s why learning the proper techniques for caring for this hair type is a must. Following the tips presented in this article will enable you to keep your coarse hair healthy, strong, and free of tangles and frizz - soon, you’ll have the gorgeous hair you’ve always wanted.

Author: Andrea Reyes

Andrea is a mother, wife, writer, and natural hair enthusiast of 15 years. Currently on her natural hair journey, she’s been trying countless products and techniques to understand and embrace her natural hair. She is the creator of NaturallyTextured.com, a new website featuring informative articles that share tips, tricks, and techniques aimed to help others learn to love their hair through proper hair care. She writes with the hope of making hair care easier to understand and implement.