Lift curls and coils with a hair pick

Use a hair pick to add lift where dry curls or coils look flatter than you want. Short movements near the roots let you adjust the shape while leaving the curl groups at the ends together.

Hands-on time (estimate): 1–5 min
Waiting time: Finish drying before you begin.

When to use it

A hair pick lifts dry curls or coils near the roots to add fullness. Its widely spaced prongs stay near the base of the hair instead of combing through the ends.

After loose curls or coils have dried fully, when you want more fullness at the sides or height at the crown.

Fully dry, loose curls or coils with enough length for the pick to enter near the roots without pressing on the scalp.
Hair that is already detangled, when you want to lift selected areas while keeping the ends grouped.

Before you start

Keep the prongs off your scalp. Stop immediately if they scratch, catch or pull.
Do not use dry picking to remove knots. Detangle tangled lengths separately with water and conditioner before drying and styling again.
Leave braids, twists, locs and attached hairpieces out of this method. Follow any treatment aftercare that limits handling.

What you’ll need

Clean hands
A clean, smooth hair pick with widely spaced prongs

Make it work for you

Check the situations below before you begin, then follow the steps with those adjustments in mind.

A section is hard to reach

Work within a comfortable reach

Start at a visible side with your shoulder relaxed. Turn your chair or body to check another angle. Leave a section alone if you cannot place and remove the pick comfortably.

Step by step

STEP 1 OF 7
Check that the hair is ready
- With clean hands, lift a small outer section and touch the hair underneath near the roots. Check the sides, crown and nape for dampness.
- Let damp areas finish drying. If the lengths are knotted, leave the pick aside and use a wet, conditioned detangling method first.
If gel has left a stiff cast you want to soften, do that on fully dry hair before adding root lift.
STEP 2 OF 7
Check the pick
- Hold the pick away from your head. Look along its prongs and lightly feel their sides for rough, cracked or bent areas.
- Use a clean, smooth pick. Put a damaged one aside; a rough prong can catch strands as you withdraw it.
STEP 3 OF 7
Place the pick near the roots
- Choose a reachable side section. Lift a little outer hair with your free hand so you can place the pick beneath it near the roots.
- Slip the prongs a short way into the hair, keeping the tips off your scalp. Stop if they will not enter easily.
Do not push deeper to get past a knot. Pick a smaller accessible area, or leave that spot alone.
STEP 4 OF 7
Make one short lift
- Let go of the outer hair and lower your free hand. Move the pick a short distance outward, away from your head, to lift the roots.
- Keep the stroke close to the roots. Stop before the pick travels into the lengths or begins pulling on the scalp.
STEP 5 OF 7
Take the pick completely out
- Ease the pick out of that small root area without dragging it through the ends. Let the hair settle before you place the pick again.
- If it catches, stop and ease it back toward where it entered. Free the caught strands gently with your fingers before removing it.
If the strands will not release easily, stop styling and deal with the tangle separately. Do not yank or keep repeating the stroke.
STEP 6 OF 7
Check the shape before repeating
- Put the pick down and look from the front and both sides. Lightly pat any area that sits higher than you want.
- For more width, repeat a small lift at the sides; for more height, work at the crown. Leave the areas you like alone and stop when the shape suits you.
STEP 7 OF 7
Clear the prongs and put it away
- Hold the pick away from your head and remove loose shed hairs from between the prongs with your fingers.
- Clean the pick using its care instructions if needed. Let it dry before storing it.