Natural hair can be a chore to upkeep. Whether you have loose waves or tight coils, it can take hours upon hours to achieve the perfect style. Often items, it can feel as if your hair is speaking a different language than the rest of your body. This list of must-have hair tools can be useful for all curl types in helping to maintain your beautiful crown of textured tresses and cutting the time it takes to do your hair in half. 

1. Spray Bottle

Whether you are styling your hair or refreshing day old curls, you NEED a spray bottle close by to give that extra boost of moisture. The great thing about spray bottles: they can be found just about anywhere (and for a low price)! You can grab one just like this one from your local beauty supply, or purchase a continuous mist bottle off Amazon for under $10. The dollar store even offers an excess of spray bottles in a variety of super cute colors!

2. Detangling Brush

Natural hair often has a mind of its own, so a detangling brush to tame those tangled tresses can cut your wash day in half. Be cautious when shopping for detangling brushes, though; you’ll want to select a brush with soft bristles so they don't tug on the hair strands. Celebrity hairstylist Felicia Leatherwood, whose styled people like Issa Rae, Ava Duvernay, Skai Jackson, and Nicole Ari Parker, offers a salon-quality detangling brush (pictured here). It has widely-spaced, flexible bristles that make it easy for the brush to glide through hair, and you can find it right here in our shop!

3. Wide Tooth Comb

Some prefer a wide tooth comb to a detangling brush, and it works just as well as to detangle coils and curls alike. While it doesn’t work as well to define curls, you can gently use it to comb through tangled hair from tip to root for more manageable hair. Best part, wide tooth combs are extremely affordable; you can get one in any color of your choosing from the beauty supply store for $5 or less!                                     

4. Sectioning Clips

If you have ever styled natural hair, then you know working in sections is a must. Some simple sectioning clips can help pin up unnecessary strands while styling, making the process quicker and more manageable. They can even be used in the shower, for those who wash their hair in sections. Sectioning clips almost always come in a multi-pack, giving you enough clips to work with 6-12 sections at a time. 

5. Edge Brush

Edge control alone only goes so far but, paired with an edge brush, your hair game is ultimately elevated. Use a brush alone to lay your edges, or get a dual edge brush with a comb to create any curve, swoop, or edge style of your choosing. This dual edge brush from our shop is only $3!

6. Diffuser 

If you are a wash-n-go girl, you absolutely NEED a diffuser in your hair collection. Used to evenly distribute air throughout the hair for effortlessly bouncy looks, diffusers are the key to the perfect wash-n-go. If you already own a blow dryer, you can buy a diffuser head attachment for under $15. Plus, you can get a collapsible attachment, much like the one pictured, making for the perfect styling tool while traveling.

7. Hair Pick

Third day hairstyles are usually full of volume, however those first day fresh curls may need a little help to achieve a voluminous look. A pick is the greatest tool to give your styles a little body and break up those parts in your hair after taking out a fresh twist-out. Hair picks also come in all sizes to accommodate short coils and long curls alike. Best of all, you can find them at your local beauty supply store ranging for around $1; that’s one dollar bill!

8. Heat Protectant

If you own any type of heat styling tool, you need a good heat protectant to protect your curls. Even if you don’t apply heat to your hair often, just straightening or curling your hair consistently for a week could damage your ends and hurt your curls (especially if your hair is not trained to withstand it). Even though it will not stop heat damage from happening, it will protect against the harsh elements of heat styling. You can find heat protection products, like this one from OGX, for under $10; your favorite hair company probably sells one of its own!

9. Fine Tooth Comb

Are you a fan of braids, twists, and other fun styles? If so, you may need a fine tooth comb. Parting is essential for a clean, neat look and can elevate a simple hairdo to a professional-looking style. Plus, fine tooth combs are great for detangling nasty knots stuck in the hair. You can find a fine tooth comb in your favorite color at your local beauty supply store anywhere from 99¢ to $1.50.

10. Hard Brush

Do you frequently wear your hair in any variation of simple styles that pushes the hair back or up, away from the face? If so, let me introduce you to your new go-to hair styling tool. Best friends with the “lazy natural,” the hard brush is perfect for taming stubborn fly-aways and making any basic updo a cute, sleek look. The classic wooden harsh brush is a must-have that can be retrieved from any beauty supply or drugstore for around or under $5.

11. Elastic Bands

Elastic bands are an essential part of any hair collection. They can be used to stretch your hair after a wash day, to wear simple ponytails, or to create neat and parted twists or braid styles for children. It is important to get the bands without the metal bar on them, since these can get stuck in natural curls and contribute to tangles and breakage. Unfortunately, anyone with natural hair can testify that elastic bands always break (especially with thicker hair) or get misplaced, so you’ll definitely need to grab a couple of packs. Thank goodness they are so inexpensive!

12. Microfiber Towel

You learn pretty early on in the natural hair community to use a cotton T-shirt for drying your hair on wash day, since regular cotton towels can create frizz.  However, if you wash your hair often, you’ll find the problem of constantly having to wash soaking wet t-shirts before they stink up the laundry. Microfiber towels are totally safe for natural curls, absorbing excess moisture without all that friction.

13. Satin Scarf/ Bonnet

Much like the cotton towel issue, cotton sheets and pillowcases can create frizz and lead to breakage, ruining the hairstyle you took almost an hour or more to do. Every natural girl needs a satin scarf or bonnet to sleep with at night to safely protect their strands and preserve those styles. You can purchase a simple satin scarf or bonnet at a beauty supply store at a budget-friendly price. You can also get them custom ones, like this one, from websites like Etsy or online boutiques for $25 or less.

14. Conditioning Caps

Deep conditioning is a vital process of wash day. No matter if you are using a store bought treatment or your own DIY concoction, you need a conditioning cap to trap in heat and to make sure the deep conditioner/ treatment is penetrating deep into the hair shaft and roots of the hair. You can purchase a microwavable conditioning caps, like this one, for prices ranging from $20-$30. Too pricey? No problem. You can also purchase a multi-pack of clear caps from the beauty supply for under $5 . 

15. Massage Brush

Hair massages are extremely beneficial to natural hair; they help stimulate blood flow in the scalp, which can contribute to hair growth. You can use a massage brush to caress your scalp while watching TV, or to massage your hair while washing your hair. Many naturals love to use massage brushes to clean their scalp because fingers often contain dirt and other types of debris beneath the fingernail that can get stuck in the hair during the wash process. You can purchase a vibrating one off websites like Amazon or Ebay, or find one at your local beauty supply store and move it around your scalp at your own pace.

16. Flexi Rods

Two words: heatless curls. Need I say more? Flexi rods are the perfect styling tools for those who want to achieve flat-iron curls without the harsh heat that a flat iron brings. Found in many different sizes to create a variation of curl styles, flexi rods can create anything from a beach wave look to a tighter Shirley Temple curl. While they can be very uncomfortable to sleep with, the results are undeniably fabulous and totally worth the hassle.

You can use this hair essentials to take care of your protective styles