Top Tips To Get Rid Of A Cowlick In Curly Hair

Do you struggle with a cowlick and wish you could keep your unruly hair under control? Trying to tame a cowlick can be frustrating, but I have some tips that can help.

I have a cowlick at the back of my head that shows through my low density hair. Even after styling my hair carefully, the cowlick would get more obvious when my roots got a bit greasy and I slept on my hair. I had no idea how to cover my cowlick effectively, and it made me feel really self-conscious.

However, I’ve learned a few tricks to make my cowlick look better. In this guide, I’ll share the best way to improve the appearance of cowlicks, with some simple tips and tricks that will help you keep your cowlick under control. 

These tips also work well if you have a small patch of hair where your scalp shows through, perhaps if you’ve got very thin hair or you’ve had some hair loss. 

Read on to discover my best tricks for fixing a cowlick in curly hair.

What Is A Cowlick?

A cowlick is a small swirl of unruly hair that grows in a different direction than the rest of your hair. The name comes from the way a calf’s hair swirls after its mother licks it.  

This little hair whorl can appear anywhere on your head, but you’re more likely to have a cowlick on the crown of your head or at the part of your hair. Cowlicks on the crown of the head are easier to hide than a cowlick on the front of your head. 

Cowlicks are totally harmless and usually caused by genetics, so there’s no way to get rid of your cowlick. They can affect any hair type, but the good news is that it’s easier to tame stubborn cowlicks in wavy or curly hair than straight hair. You’ll probably find it easier to fix a cowlick in coarse hair than fine hair, and long hair hides a cowlick better than short hair.

Preparing Your Hair

Starting with freshly washed and conditioned hair will help you get the best results from this technique.

At the moment, I like to use Nizoral Shampoo, which gives me lovely, clean tresses and keeps my scalp flake-free. I follow up with MopTop Daily Conditioner for smooth strands and good curl definition.   

Clarifying Your Curls

Many fans of the Curly Girl Method avoid using shampoos containing sulfates because they can make their hair feel dry. But hair products, sweat, and your scalp’s natural oils can build up on your strands over time, and the weight will pull down on your hair and emphasize your cowlick. 

So, even before you start styling your hair, removing any buildup is vital.

Using a clarifying shampoo regularly will clear away any buildup and leave your hair with that squeaky clean feeling. Look for a shampoo like Malibu C Un-Do-Goo that contains olefin sulfonate, but remember that this will also strip out the natural oils from your hair, so always follow up with a conditioner afterward.

Try Styling Your Hair Standing Upright

If you’ve got thin hair, you’ve probably tried styling your hair upside down to give your hair more fullness and root volume. However, you might find styling your hair like this also makes your cowlick more obvious.

My cowlick is in the center of my head, and if I style my hair upside down, the part of my hair tends to fall naturally right where my cowlick is. It’s really obvious straight after I’ve finished styling my hair. 

Styling your hair upright can make hiding your cowlick easier, but if your cowlick is over to one side, you might find it doesn’t affect your hair so much. I recommend testing both methods to see which gives the best results for your cowlick.

Applying Products To Damp Hair

My next tip is to apply your styling products to damp hair instead of really wet hair. That’s the opposite of what I usually recommend for forming curl clumps, but it’s the best thing for covering a cowlick. 

Styling wetter hair will generally give you better clumping, but thicker clumps will pull your strands down and give you more separation in the root area. That will make your cowlick show a lot quicker than skinny clumps.

So, after I’ve rinsed out my conditioner, I squeeze out the excess water and do a very quick micro-plop. This is where you use a cotton t-shirt or a microfiber towel like the Tee-Owels’ hair towel to quickly scrunch the hair up towards your scalp a few times.

Micro-plopping doesn’t leave your hair as dry as towel-dried hair, but it’ll remove some of the water weight from your strands. That will make it easier to get the skinnier curl clumps that are better for covering your cowlick.

Choosing The Right Products

The next step is applying hair products that add lift and volume to your root area and fullness throughout your strands. Using lightweight products is essential because any extra weight will pull down the curl clumps and create separation around your cowlick. 

You can focus your product application more on the area around your cowlick, especially if you have more than one cowlick or your hair is really thin in certain places. However, avoid applying too much product, as this will just weigh down your clumps.

I like using Moptop Anti Frizz Gel, a medium-hold gel with a thickening and volumizing effect. You could also try Va-Va Volumizing Foam if you prefer a light hold product or Curlsmith In Shower Style Fixer if you want to go for a strong-hold gel.

Strategic Styling For Your Cowlick Area

When you start sectioning your hair for styling, take extra care where your hair parts around your cowlick. 

You want to ensure you’re not separating your hair right around your cowlick, as this will make it harder to cover. For example, if you’ve got a cowlick in the back of your head, like me, you’ll get better results from styling across the width of your head instead of splitting your hair into vertical sections.

I like to use a styling brush to pull a cluster of hair up and get a little tension in the strands. That brings the strands away from my scalp and creates some root lift. I also use my fingers to do a little shake at the roots, just to help spread any stubborn hair over the cowlick.

If your hair starts to get dry while you’re still styling, just spritz it with a little extra water. Remember, you don’t want to make your hair soaking wet, but you need enough moisture to style it effectively.

Another great tip is to keep your clumps pretty skinny. You don’t want to go for big, juicy clumps because the weight of these will cause separation in your cowlick area. Instead, run a Denman brush through your hair and give your strands a little shake to create skinny clumps.

Finish this stage with a quick scrunch, then check that you haven’t created any separation around your cowlick. 

Diffuse Drying For Better Results

I generally diffuse dry my hair, but if you really don’t like using a hair dryer, you can air dry your hair instead. I prefer to diffuse my hair because my hair gets less frizzy, my style lasts longer, and I don’t have to wait 8 hours for my hair to dry.

If you’re going to diffuse your hair, apply a heat protectant before you start blow drying. 

One of the most important tips for this step is to make sure you dry your hair in the right direction. Flipping your hair from side to side will give it more volume, but as you tilt your head away from the cowlick, the weight of the hair will cause it to separate right around the cowlick. 

Try using a pick-style brush to support the hair around your cowlick and lift that section of hair up, taking care not to split your hair exactly where the cowlick is. Then you can blast it with the diffuser for 30 seconds or so.

Work your way around the rest of your hair, watching for how your hair falls in a specific direction around your cowlick. You don’t want to tilt your hair in a way that makes it naturally split there. 

Final Touches And Maintenance

Once you have completely dry hair, the final stage in taming unruly cowlicks is giving your style the final finishing touches. 

I like to slide my fingers up against my scalp and rub back and forth to shake out the root area. This can create a little frizz, but it gives your hair more volume and helps you cover any thin patches around the crown of your head.

After that, I finish with a quick spritz of hairspray to ensure my hair stays laying how I want it. You can use whatever spray you have on hand, but I like Suave Max Hold spray, which gives my style extra longevity. 

You’ll probably find that your cowlick starts to show up again if you fuss with your hair too much or when you’ve slept on it. The skinny clumps start to join together into bigger clumps, and the weight of the hair can make your cowlick more obvious.

When that happens, I separate the clumps, touch up the cowlick area, and shake out the roots again. That way, these effects should last you three to four days.

Learning To Love Your Cowlick

Maybe ‘love’ is going too far, but try to have realistic expectations about your hair. Your cowlick is totally natural and tons of people have them, especially if they have low-density hair. Having a little acceptance for these quirks will make managing your curls a lot easier.

Sometimes, I have a bad hair day, and it’ll show up again right after I’ve finished styling. I’ve learned to accept my cowlick and I do what I can to make it look better, but I know I only have so much control over my hair.

We all want our hair to look great, but even on a perfect hair day, your cowlick might start to show through over time. That’s OK!

FAQs

If you’re still wondering how to fix a cowlick, the answers to these frequently asked questions might help.

How Do You Permanently Get Rid Of A Cowlick?

Cowlicks are very common and generally caused by genetics, so there’s no permanent way to get rid of a cowlick. However, you can use styling techniques and products to hide a cowlick. 

Can You Train A Cowlick To Stay Down?

The right haircut can make it easier to train a cowlick. It’s more difficult to tame a cowlick if you have short hair, because longer hair will add weight to the stubborn strands. Combined with the right products, this makes it easier to persuade long hair to stay down.

How Do You Fix A Cowlick Hairline?

If you have a cowlick at the front of the hairline, you can fix it temporarily by using your blow dryer to dry your hair in the opposite direction of the cowlick.

The Bottom Line

In this guide, I’ve shared my best tricks and techniques for taming a cowlick. Following these simple steps and choosing the right products will help you cover your cowlick for longer.

However, remember that your cowlick is entirely natural. It’s one of your hair’s unique features and can’t be permanently removed. 

So, try not to worry about your cowlick, and instead create a tailored hair care routine tailored to help your curls look their best.