- Styling and caring for your hair can be made more convenient with a few hacks.
- Unfortunately, these don’t always work on naturally coily or curly hair types.
- Instead, try the natural-hair hacks ahead.
A good hair hack can change your life, especially if you’re someone who spends a lot of time and effort properly caring for and styling your hair. Understanding how it responds to certain products, techniques, and hair tools can not only give you peace of mind, but it can also transform your daily routine and give you a few much-needed minutes (if not hours) back in your day.
The only problem? The majority of hacks you see go viral on social media typically only feature solutions for fine or straight hair types; the options get more sparse the more coily the textures become. Many don’t take into account the thickness, porosity, fragility, or general length of time it typically takes to style natural hair, which often results in Black and brown people having to put their own spins on hacks that were already supposed to be saving them time and brain space.
Still, there are some tried-and-true hacks for natural hair that have made the process of styling infinitely easier. From quick detangling tips to a technique that will ensure a properly preserved silk press, read ahead for some of the best natural-hair hacks to start incorporating into your routine immediately.
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Natural-Hair Hack: The Stocking Cap
You may have grown up using a stocking cap to preserve your silk press. Perfecting the method feels almost like a rite of passage, but brushing your hair into the perfect circle and putting a cap on it is no easy feat – one that some of us (definitely not talking about ourselves here) still struggle with to this day. So the updated version that went viral on TikTok feels like a perfectly timed gift.
This hair-wrapping hack involves parting your hair down the middle, cutting the ends of a pair of pantyhose, and placing the stocking on your head. Then place each half of your hair in each “leg” of the stockings, pull it through, and tie it like you would a durag. This hack is so unbelievably genius, we couldn’t believe we hadn’t tried it sooner.
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Natural-Hair Hack: The Pineapple Technique
One of the most frustrating things to deal with when it comes to natural hair is shrinkage. The best way to counteract it? Stretching your hair. One of the easiest hacks to doing so? Pineapples. No, not the fruit – the technique.
This is where you essentially put your hair into a loose ponytail with your curls piled high on top of your head. Not only is it an adorable style in itself, but it also prolongs the life of your curls and mitigates any frizz and tangling while you sleep.
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Natural-Hair Hack: Detangle With a Wet Brush
We all know that a wide-tooth comb has been touted as the optimal detangling tool of choice for natural hair, but detangling brushes have finally started to get their time in the spotlight. Not only do they not tear the hair when used correctly – meaning, when your hair is properly moisturized and has enough slip – but they can also double as styling stools when you want a sleek ponytail or bun.
Some of our favorites include the Felicia Leatherwood Detangler Brush ($19), the Denman Hair Brush For Curly Hair ($24), and the Dae Vegan Detangle + Style Brush ($22), which won a 2022 POPSUGAR Beauty Award.
Getty / Edward Berthelot
Natural-Hair Hack: The Hair-Porosity Test
Sometimes caring for your natural hair means you need to get back to the basics, and that could go as far as understanding your hair’s porosity level. Porosity essentially just refers to your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. This is important to know because whether your hair is high, medium, or low porosity will determine the best types of products to use for optimally healthy hair.
A neat hack to check your hair’s porosity is to take a few clean strands of hair and put them into a cup of water. If your hair sinks to the bottom of the cup fairly quickly, then your porosity is high. This means you should use hydrating and protein-rich products.
If it sinks a bit more slowly, then you most likely have normal/medium porosity hair. The products you use should be focused on providing both moisture and protein to continue maintaining your hair’s health.
However, if after a few minutes the strand appears to just float on the surface, then your porosity is low. You’ll want to use lightweight, water-based products and avoid anything that is protein rich. Think: hair milks and light natural oils like the Adwoa Beauty Melonberry Hair Milk Leave-In Conditioner ($24) or the Moroccan Oil Treatment Light Hair Oil ($34).
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Natural-Hair Hack: Stretch Curls With Pantyhose
Another easy way to stretch your curls? This hack, which will require another piece of clothing, but if you have a pair of old tights (or even another pair of those pantyhose that we mentioned earlier), then you’re good to go. To stretch your hair, take the tights, cut off the legs, and place it over your neck. Then pull it up over your ears and hair. Using the control top makes the tights act as a DIY headband/bonnet, and this style will help you get more volume out of your curls on day two of that twist or braid-out.
