Raechele Cochran Gathers, MD Regularly detangling natural hair is important for removing shed hairs that would otherwise twist upon their coiled neighbors, causing knots, matting and breakage. Detangled hair can also be easier to style and even apply products to.
Detangling Tips for Natural Hair
1. Don’t be too tired or impatient
Do not try to detangle your hair after a rough day, or when you’re upset, or super rushed. Natural hair is often very fragile, and it’s important not to tug or tip at the hair. Sometimes, when a knot is particularly stubborn, the best thing to do is to gently coax out as many strands as you can, and then cut the stubborn knot out. And if you need a break, take it.
2. Section the hair
Staring at a head full of tangled hair can be daunting. Take it section by section. Depending on the thickness and length of the hair, usually 4-6 sections are best. Twist sections out of the way and pin them up with duck bill clips. If you’re using a conditioner or oil mix to aid in your detangling, you can apply this now, so it has time to sit and penetrate the section of hair until you get to it.
3. Fingers, comb or both?
Some people prefer only to use their fingers to detangle their hair. For some, especially those with tightly coiled hair, this may be the best method for decreasing breakage and hair loss. One can also finger detangle first, and then use a wide toothed, smooth, seam-free comb to finish out the job and make sure that all of the shed hairs and tangles are gone. It’s important to use a seam-free comb to avoid the comb snagging on the hair. Another great options for some naturals is the tangle teezer brush or a detangling brush. Both are good at gliding through tangled coils without causing a lot of breakage.
4. Pin it up and keep it moving
After detangling a section, loosely twist it and pin it up. Don’t leave an already-detangled section loose for too long. If you hair was dampened to aid in the detangling, it will begin to shrink up as it dries. And as it shrinks, knots and tangles might re-form. You can discourage re-tangling by loosely twisting your detangled sections back up and pinning them out of the way until you are ready to continue the styling process.
5. Don’t wait too long to detangle
Consider detangling at least every other week. The goal of detangling is to remove shed hairs before they can twist, curl, and knot upon their neighbors. Try to pick a day of the week where you have some protected time that you can devote to your hair.
6. Don’t wash tangled hair
Make sure that your hair is at least somewhat detangled prior to washing with shampoo. Applying shampoo to tangled hair might worsen knots and breakage.
Check out I am Lewa as she shows her method of detangling her gorgeous curls and coils.
