How to Use an Afro Pick Without Breaking Your Coils

Picking and combing are two different jobs

An afro pick is for lifting and shaping, not for detangling. Its long, widely spaced teeth are designed to slide into coily hair at the root and raise it outward, giving volume and a rounder silhouette without disturbing the curl pattern at the ends.

If you drag a pick from the scalp all the way to the tips like a comb, the teeth catch in coils and knots and snap them. Detangling happens first, separately, with fingers or a wide-tooth comb, working from the ends upward. Only once the hair moves freely do you pick.

Getting the hair ready: damp or dry

Coily hair picks best when it is moisturized and either lightly damp or fully dry, not soaking wet. Very wet hair is stretched and heavy, so it picks out flat and then shrinks unevenly as it dries. Dry, unmoisturized hair is brittle and more likely to break.

A good routine is to spritz with water or a leave-in, work a small amount of cream or light oil through, and let it absorb for a few minutes before picking. On a wash day, pick once the hair is about three-quarters dry. On other mornings, a light mist and moisturizer before picking is enough.

The picking motion, step by step

Work in sections, from the back of the head to the front, so you can see the shape develop and fix any flat spots last.

1. Hold the pick with the teeth pointing toward your scalp and slide it into the hair about a finger's width from the root, not scraping the skin.
2. Lift straight out and slightly away from the head in one smooth motion, stopping before the teeth pull through the ends.
3. Move over by the width of the pick and repeat, overlapping each section slightly.
4. At the crown, where hair is often denser and flattens from sleeping, take smaller sections and give it an extra pass.
5. Use a lighter touch near the temples and hairline, where coils tend to be finer.
6. Pat the whole shape with open palms to round it off and settle any stray pieces.

Choosing a pick

The right pick has long, smooth teeth with rounded tips, spaced widely enough that your hair does not bunch between them. Longer teeth reach the root in a bigger afro; shorter picks suit a short, rounded shape or a frohawk.

Metal picks are strong and slide easily but can be harsh if the tips are rough. Plastic and wooden picks are gentler on the scalp. Whatever you use, run a finger along the teeth now and then, because a chipped tooth or a sharp seam will catch and break hair every time.

Mistakes that cause breakage and a lopsided shape

Most picking problems come from force or habit rather than the tool. Watch out for these:

• Pulling through tangles instead of stopping and detangling them with your fingers.
• Always picking in the same spots, usually the front and sides, so the back stays flat and the shape looks lopsided.
• Picking the edges and lineup, which lifts hair out of the sharp outline your barber cut and makes it look grown out.
• Picking every hour through the day; once in the morning and a light touch-up is usually enough.
• Skipping moisture in winter, when indoor heating dries coily hair quickly.

Picking before and after a haircut

For an afro fade, picking decides the real size and shape of the afro, so we pick the hair out fully in the chair before cutting. You do not have to arrive picked out, but coming in with your usual daily shape helps us see how you wear it.

After the cut, pick the top gently and leave the faded sides and lineup alone. Our guide to haircuts for coily hair covers shaping and outline choices, and a skin fade is the most common way to frame a rounded top.