What Summer Actually Does to Curls
Curly hair naturally has a harder time moving sebum from the scalp down towards the ends. The bends in the strand make that journey less straightforward, which is why the lengths can feel dry even when the roots do not.
Then add summer. By the end of August, curls can feel rougher, look duller and become much easier to tangle than they were at the beginning of the season. More masks and oils are not always the answer, because what's missing isn't just moisture on the surface. The first step is helping the hair make better use of its own natural oils, and this is where first-cut boar bristle earns its place as an authority in haute coiffure rather than simply a natural alternative to nylon: its keratin structure shares a biological affinity with the keratin that makes up the hair fiber itself, allowing it to capture sebum at the root and release it along the length with a precision no synthetic material can replicate.
If your lengths are particularly weathered, start with the basics of repairing and reviving hair after summer before adding anything new to your routine.
A Better Brushing Ritual, The Altesse Way
Brushing curly hair does not have to mean attacking a mass of knots and hoping for the best. The gesture works better when you slow it down and let the brush move through the hair gradually, section by section, with the same deliberateness you'd bring to any other part of your routine.
1. Start at the ends
Begin with the ends and work upwards in small sections. If you come across a knot, ease through it rather than pulling harder. Once that section is clear, move a little higher and continue towards the roots.
It is a simple approach, but it makes a difference when hair is already feeling dry after a long summer. For more on the technique, see how to detangle curly hair without breaking it.
2. Work through the full length
Once the tangles are out, move into longer strokes from the roots through to the ends.
The Care Hairbrush for Thick, Wavy, or Curly Hair is hand-tufted with 100% first-cut boar bristles. As the bristles pass through the hair, they help distribute sebum from the scalp towards the lengths.
For curly hair, this is particularly useful. As mentioned earlier, natural oils do not always travel easily through a dense curl pattern, so the ends can miss out. Brushing helps carry some of that natural conditioning where it’s needed.
3. Give the scalp a little more attention
Do not rush through the roots just to get to the ends. Let the bristles make gentle contact with the scalp as you brush, using steady strokes rather than pressing harder.
The brush's hand-tufted construction gives this part of the routine a gentle massaging sensation. Discover more about the benefits of brushing for a healthier scalp.
4. Keep going
Brushing is most useful when it becomes part of your routine rather than something you reach for only when your hair is completely tangled. A few unhurried minutes in the evening can help keep the lengths manageable and distribute natural oils consistently.
No need to turn it into a complicated ritual, the point is simply to give your hair a little more time and attention.
What Six Generations of Brushmaking Bring to Your Curls
A hairbrush is a surprisingly precise object. The bristles need to be selected and positioned carefully, the cushion needs to move with the shape of the head, and the handle needs to feel natural in the hand.
Altesse Studio has been refining those details in France since 1875, across six generations of brushmakers. The Altesse Studio Care Hairbrush for Thick, Wavy, or Curly Hair brings that expertise together in hand-tufted first-cut boar bristles, an olive wood body and natural latex cushion, designed to work comfortably through thicker, textured hair.
True French craftsmanship does not merely design an object of beauty; it elevates a daily gesture into a sensory hair transformation.
After a summer of salt, chlorine and humidity, your curls could use exactly that.