I don’t think I’ve thought more about scalp health than I have in the past year. With the beauty industry’s renewed focus on haircare, which includes a specific emphasis on the scalp, my hair TLC is more in-depth than ever. Shampoo and conditioner no longer suffice—masks, exfoliants, serums, and essences are essentials not only for my skincare routine but for my wash days, too.
When Curl Queen’s Glove first came on my radar, it felt like an affirmation of this focus. From the name alone, I assumed that The Glove, which launched last winter, was like an exfoliating glove for your hair. But once I worked it into my hair cleansing routine, I realized that it’s so much more than that (more on this below). Typically exfoliating gloves are known to buff away dead skin cells, even out your complexion, reduce fine lines, and keep breakouts at bay. While some of these effects aren’t applicable to the scalp, I figured that getting a stronger grip on product buildup would serve my scalp well. Getting into the shower armed with Curl Queen’s The Glove felt Edward Scissorhands-esque at first, but once I experienced the gloves in action, I was sold—it’s my new wash day must-have.
What Is The Glove?
The Glove is the brainchild of celebrity hairstylist and curl expert Nai’vasha. Functionally, it’s a cross between a Denman brush, a scalp scrubber, and a buffing mitt. Aesthetically, it looks like a pet deshedding mitt. Needless to say, its function is multifaceted: It massages the roots, works in product, detangles hair, and defines curls. In an Instagram post unveiling The Glove last February, she said that it was “designed to detangle, stimulate, encourage blood circulation, and for the ultimate scalp massage.” Check, check, check, and check.
The latter two functions were most surprising to me because I didn’t consider that a cloth glove covered in tiny silicone nodules on the palm could do much more beyond buffing away product buildup, but it detangled my 3C/4A hair seamlessly. The material is totally breathable and waterproof, which we can chalk up to the fact that it’s made of scuba fabric. Genius!
The Process
To get the most out of The Glove, I used it in the shower. After wetting my hair, I used it to massage my shampoo into my scalp. Even with some light pressure applied, it didn’t feel like any grating on my scalp, which made the experience all the more relaxing. When I rinsed my hair, I found that going back in with The Glove cleared out all of the residue that I might have missed under the showerhead. I followed suit with a conditioner. While it was sitting in my hair, I separated my curls and combed them by pinching my index finger and thumb together. As soon as I rinsed out my conditioner and hopped out of the shower, I worked in my leave-in conditioner by palming it through with The Glove from root to tip.
The Verdict
Since I tend to frequently use heat-styling tools (I know, I know!) curl definition is an ongoing challenge for my hair. There are some parts of my head where hair immediately reverts back to its curly texture and other parts that struggle to form curls due to this thermal damage. My hair goal at the moment is to grow out the damaged hair and eventually start fresh. But in order to do that, I need to make sure my scalp is in top form. That’s why I’m so impressed with The Glove. After washing my hair, it felt cleaner than it does when I use my usual hand-held scalp scrubber.
While The Glove didn’t bring those curls back to life (I didn’t expect it to, TBH) it brought next-level definition to my healthier strands. It was the same type of curl that I’d only see after running a Denman through my hair post-shower, but The Glove left behind way less shedding, which is a win in my book. The Glove also gets bonus points for allowing me to keep my manicure safely tucked away while washing my hair. One of the most unpleasant parts of having nail extensions is washing your hair while they’re broken or cracked, but that’s not a factor with The Glove.
