Detangling – for Adults

Detangling natural hair can be challenging for all of us, maybe with some exemptions. It takes a lot of patience plus you need the right tools, products to do it the right way. (This post is a little long but feel free to read in phases, take a nap and come back – it will be here for you😁)

The difficult part is there is a lot of information among the natural hair community when it comes to detangling natural hair. One of the big questions is “should you detangle your hair before or after washing and conditioning?” My response “detangle when you need to“. You need to be sensitive to the needs of your hair and the appropriate time to detangle. In my journey and experiences, I find that whether you detangle before or after your goal should be, to reduce friction, breakage and offer your hair the ability to receive the needed moisture. Tangles can restrict your hair from growing, in the same way, too much detangling can cause unnecessary breakage – so strike the balance.

Is it best to detangle on dry or wet hair?

I find its best to detangle my hair when damp or wet, that is when natural hair is more manageable. Your hair is also less likely to break when it’s damp, however, it is more prone to breakage when its dry so keep that in mind and refrain from detangling dry hair.

Items needed to detangle your natural hair

• Hair brush – there are so many hair brushes on the market so I won’t bore you 😁 . I usually get mine from my local beauty supply store (another post is saved for “tools for hair care“)
• On the shelf products: (few ones I’d recommend, among many)
  • Aunt Jackie’s Knot On My Watch, Instant Leave-in Detangling Therapy
  • Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Extra-Moisture Detangler
• DIY:
  • Oils: coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, shea butter (yes! Shea is bae) and for detangling too – you can use a mixture of oils that work for your hair or just one oil you have available. (as I say every time you will have to explore a few of these to figure out what makes your hair tick – feel great. haha! Coconut oil is great for my hair but I find it doesn’t always work for some other people I know. (How to test in another blog? 🤔 Let me know)
  • Aloe vera (use fresh pulp or aloe vera juice)
  • Water in spray bottle

Detangling before shampoo

Wash day: I detangle my hair before using shampoo on wash day. However, I don’t always detangle when I co-wash (because sometimes I just can’t make time for it – just being real! 😮 This is typically because my co-wash days are usually my lazy days. Other times, I feel my hair doesn’t need it and skip it completely. Detangling before shampoo is only necessary to add some moisture to you hair to prevent breakage. Since you may get the chance to detangle again it’s important to do this gently and carefully, as needed.

Steps:

• Section hair
• In a spray bottle fill with water, spritz on sections of the hair, add coconut oil or other oils, while gently finger detangling the hair
• Add aloe vera gel or juice, apply some more oil and continue finger detangling, if needed (recommend skipping the combing during this time)
• Cover with shower cap for about 30-an hour (if you have time, few times I leave it in overnight but you’ll have to cover it well to avoid the mess of the aloe on your pillow – you should be fine if you are a gentle sleeper like me 😉 )
• Head to shower or sink to wash

Detangling before styling

There are so many ways of doing this to achieve the best results but sometimes depends on how you plan to style your hair. Hair stylist who braid, for eg. don’t like it when our hair is soaked in oil and butter. To detangle effectively keep hair sectioned into manageable sizes – methods (names are made up by me):

• Method 1: Traditional
  • While hair is damp, apply leave-in conditioner and some oils. Finger detangle and comb through to remove any knots.
  • Apply cream (shea butter) and additional oil if needed.
  • Brush/comb and style as needed

• Method 2: Extra mile (😎)
  • Combine water, leave-in conditioner and some oil (avocado, coconut and/or olive oils), if you have it.
  • Shake well and apply to hair or sections
  • Finger detangle first, and gently comb/brush through from ends to roots
  • It helps to add some more hair butter and/or oil before applying styling products.
  • Proceed to style

How to avoid tangling

• Avoid leaving hair out for prolonged periods – the “fro” look is beautiful but doesn’t help hair growth. But keep in mind to moisturize your hair well if you plan to leave it out periodically – at least mid week or weekly
• Your hair should be in protective styles more often especially during the cold winter months. 
• However, don’t keep hair in protective styles for “too” long. I know sometimes it’s convenient and time saving, but resist the temptation. Ideally, eg. braids should only be kept between 6-weeks (see previous post). 
• When protective styles are out take time to deep-condition, cleanse and condition again
  • Plan a deep conditioning routine and stick to it.
• Don’t skip too many wash days. Keep hair clean always
• Choose products carefully, especially shampoo and conditioners and switch if necessary. Some products, may dry the hair

Detangling after protective styles (weaves, wigs, braids)

This is very important for your journey. I’m as well guilty many times 😔 but when I follow these I see great results.

• After take-down don’t be in a hurry to wash your hair.
• Instead on every strand or row of hair (depending on whether you had braids, cornrows, etc), apply a mixture of your favorite shea butter and oil (s) to the new with the new growth and gently finger detangle – removing any dirt (usually with braids)
• When complete, you may add more hair butter and let this sit overnight if you have the time, otherwise 30minutes-an hour should work
• Next – pre-poo as needed with your favorite products, and
• Head to the shower/sink to wash