What is slip?
Slip refers to how lubricated a product makes your hair feel after applying. This term is primarily used to describe hair products (i.e. daily conditioner, deep conditioner, or leave-in conditioner”>, which are usually applied during washing and detangling. The more slip a product has, the easier it is to run your fingers, a wide-tooth comb, or brush through your mane. If you have curly, wavy, or coily hair then you know this to be true because we tend to deal with tangles, snarls, and knots more than our straighter-haired lovelies.
Why do curly girls love slip?
Our coils bend, curl, and twirl around one another and create knots. You have to manipulate your strands in order to remove these knots and that can create damage from over-manipulation if not done properly. According to The Natural Haven, the way to do that is to coat the trouble spots (knots, snarls, tangles”> with either a hair conditioner that may have oil, silicones, or even mineral oil to help release the knot from your hair. These ingredients reduce the friction and help the tangles to be removed without breakage. Aside from the obvious, slip has even greater ways of helping your hair, routine, and even time-management! Check out the top four reasons why slip is important for the curlier textured divas.
1. Save time on wash day
Wash days tend to be rather long for those with curlier textures, and when people surpass the TWA (teeny weeny afro”> or shoulder-length stage they begin to notice more fairy knots, tangles, and snarls. It is a pain to deal with on wash day, as you are not just cleansing your strands and scalp but detangling your hair too. Although slip is not essential for a product to be effective at conditioning, I have noticed it can have a noticeable impact on your hair care routine.
Detangling is the act of removing the knots from your curls, and for some it can take hours. That is why so many incorporate pre-pooing and oil rinsing into their regimen because the slip can make the process smoother and quicker. With the right product you find your detangling sessions minimized by anywhere from 25% to 50%. Not sure which ingredients to look for? Read more about Ingredients for the Slip Addicted Naturalista.
2. Cut down on breakage
No one should be tugging at their hair to remove knots and snarls, and if you are not using products with a lot of slip you might find yourself doing just that…tugging. That causes breakage! The best way to deal with a knot is to slather it with some good conditioner and rub the knot between your thumb and index to release it. This will greatly reduce breakage from the tension of detangling and releasing the shed hair from being entwined with the other hair. We all have shed hairs that must be removed and the easiest way to do so without yanking out non-shed hairs is to coat the hair and then comb or brush them out easily.
Related: The Slip Awards: 6 Products with the Best Slip
3. Save products – and money
Natural hair products are not cheap! So you can appreciate saving a penny or two when it comes to your regimen. A great conditioner with amazing slip will not require a generous application. No worries, there are cheaper ones and you do not have to break the bank to have them, but dumping a whole bottle of conditioner on your hair just to get rid of tangles means it does not have enough slip to do the job.
Yes, we will go through tons of conditioner as curlies, but that does not mean you need to go through an entire bottle or even half a bottle during wash day just to detangle. If you are doing so, then it is time to find another product. When you have great slip you use less product and you leave more pennies in your wallet.
4. Unlock your wash and go
Many naturals steer clear of the wash and go style for fear of the dreaded fairy knots, tangles, and ever-lasting wash days. I am here to tell you that if you have the right products to detangle properly, quickly, and effortlessly, you will be more apt to rock that wash and go, and any hairstyle choose.
Which product gives you the most slip?
