Detangling is one of the most difficult tasks that every natural must deal with if they would like to have healthy hair and scalp. Sadly, this constant battle of getting the tangles out and removing shed hairs is time consuming and painful. With all of the headaches associated with this process I thought it would be helpful to provide a thorough breakdown of the tools and methods that can be used to make this process as painless as possible.
The Tools –
Fingers
While your fingers may not be considered a tool, they do a great job at getting the tangles out of your natural curls. And in my personal opinion, the best way to detangle your hair. Because you are utilizing an actual part of your body it is easier for you to feel a tangle and gently take it apart. It may be the best option for naturalistas with fine hair that splits and breaks easily. Plus, for people whose go-to style is a wash and go, this is one of the best ways to retain your curl pattern while washing to avoid having to use a lot of product to get it back. This by far is the gentlest way to detangle your hair. However, this process has to be the lengthiest of all the detangling methods.
Wide Toothed Comb
The wide toothed comb may be the most preferred product by many naturals for detangling. The reason it is so widely loved is because it can detangle efficiently and remove shed hair, while minimizing damage with widely spaced teeth.
Denman Brush
The Denman Brush is a detangling tool that's been around for quite some time now and has been reviewed extensively by many naturals. Many contribute its popularity to how fast it can detangle due to its semi-flexible teeth. Some contribute its success to its ability to capture the shed hair which can prevent your hair from matting. However, some naturals’ hair can't tolerate all the teeth, but the brush can also be opened by removing columns of teeth and make the spacing between them wider to minimize the damage done to the hair. But like most detangling tools, the Denman brush can damage your ends if used too often without caution.
Tangle Teezer
As a detangler, the Tangle Teezer does what it’s supposed to do. The tangles melt out of the hair because the teeth are extremely flexible. Instead of just getting stuck in the tangles or ripping them out, the Tangle Teezer gently coaxes tangles until they unwind. For me, this tool did not work the best.
I have some reservations regarding the Tangle Teezer. First, the noise it makes is pretty scary. It makes a scratching sound that freaked me out so much that I kept checked the brush to be sure I hadn’t ripped out huge chunks of my hair. However, my main issue with the Teezer is it couldn’t penetrate larger portions of my hair. I have extremely thick hair that I divide between four to eight sections; depending on what tool I’m using, when detangling my hair. But no matter how small I made my sections; it was difficult for Teezer to do its job. Ultimately, it was very time consuming to use the Tangle Teezer, and it also caused me to get split ends. Additionally, its lack of handle makes it difficult to grip the brush when product is in your hair.
Paddle Brush
Although not a popular option, I still felt that this product should be mentioned. While the paddle brush does get the shed hair out, there are many problems with its design that make it unsuitable for detangling natural hair. For one, most paddle brushes have little balls at the end of the teeth which can snag on the hair. The teeth also don’t flex at all which can cause them to rip out tangles.
Tips –
Dry Detangling
This method is preferred by naturals whose hair tangles easily or who are about to shampoo their hair. Dry detangling is done by applying oil, conditioner, or a mixture of the two to the hair, then detangling it before cleansing. This method is great for several reasons:
- It can be done in front of the mirror and out of the shower to make it easier to see and remove the tangles.
- There is less chance for breakage since the hair is strongest when dry.
- The oils and or conditioner not only act as a lubricant for easier detangling, but they also help to moisturize the hair to reduce the dryness and matting that shampooing can cause.
Wet Detangling
The second method involves detangling the hair when it is wet and well lubricated with conditioner that has good slip. The reason why this method is so well loved is because:
- When the hair is wet it is more elastic and it is easier to detangle.
- The conditioner and the water creates more slip than oil and conditioner.
For maximum results I suggest doing both. Dry detangling before washing your hair will help to improve your results when you detangle wet with plenty of conditioner after cleansing.
Now that you have read about the different detangling tools and the methods, I wish you all the best in your detangling endeavors.
How do you detangle? What are your go-to detangling tools and methods?
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