HOW TO DETANGLE CURLY NATURAL HAIR - DETANGLING 101
Anyone with naturally curly hair knows that curls cannot reach their full potential without a proper, thorough detangling routine. Whether you’re completely new to being natural or a seasoned naturalista, you can never know too much about detangling. Keep reading to learn some tips and tricks for easily detangling your curls.
photos by Unsplash
Detangling is very crucial to having healthy, manageable natural hair. It took me well over six months before I mastered the technique of detangling my hair. Now after being natural for 5 years, I (think) I’ve finally found a detangling routine that doesn’t take over an hour and works fantastically. Detangling helps distribute product evenly in your hair, helping you explore and learn the different textures of your curls. I tend to use the exact same detangling product from week to week, regardless of the desired style. If it ain’t broke, I usually don’t try fixing it. Now I say all of that but if a better product comes along, I’m switching.
Things you may need:
leave-in conditioner or detangler
spray bottle
wide tooth comb or Denman brush (the latter works best, I promise!)
hair ties and/or hair clips
For me, freshly washed hair is the easiest to detangle so that’s usually when I get it done. Of course you can detangle whenever your schedule allows, but clean, fresh hair always gives my curls the best look. The less product build-up in your hair, the better the final product will look; any leftover product residue can make it difficult for your to curls to form after detangling. Whether it’s freshly washed or two days old, let’s get into these tips and tricks for detangling!
I use this particular spray bottle that helps saturate my hair a bit easier than the average spray bottle. I find that it helps cut down on the time it takes for me to detangle overall. Snag one of your own right here.
WET. WET. WET.
Make sure your hair is super damp or wet the entire time you're detangling it. Detangling dry hair is just a waste of time, boo. I usually detangle right out of the shower and I keep the spray bottle nearby to quickly re-saturate my hair as it dries out (because it will, especially if you have thick hair). My hair is nearly dripping wet each and every time I detangle—a major key. Wetting your hair while it’s in sectioned pieces is SO much easier than trying to saturate your entire ‘fro at once. This brings me to my next tip 🙂
SECTION IT UP.
Splitting your hair into several sections before and while you detangle makes the detangling process less time-consuming and so much smoother. You'll find it much easier to apply product in smaller sections if you’ve been trying to tackle your whole ‘fro at one time. For my technique, I split my hair in two sections, with a part down the middle. After the middle part, I split those two sections in two additional sections across my head (from ear to ear), leaving me with four large sections. Depending on the length and thickness of your hair, the number of sections for detangling will change. Also, depending on your hair type and hair condition (presence of moisture), you may have a different number of sections each time you detangle. When I detangle, sometimes I have as little as six sections and other times I have as many as twelve. I notice a smaller number of sections when my hair is more moisturized and easy to manipulate prior to the detangling process.
BE GENEROUS WITH PRODUCTS.
If you didn’t know already, moisture is extremely important for natural hair to flourish. The detangling process is an important step in introducing and maintaining that moisture within your hair. My hair is super thick and extremely dry by nature, so when it’s time to detangle, I have to use a lot of product to keep it moisturized. When I was inexperienced and scarcely using products in hopes of making them stretch, my hair looked dull, dry, and boring after detangling. After several failed twist outs and wash-n-gos, I noticed the best results when I used my products generously—or basically when my hair had a “white” cast when wet (the cast always disappeared as my hair dried). To me, that initial white cast shows that my hair is completely saturated with product and helps me see that each strand is getting moisturized. If you’re noticing the white cast after your hair has dried, you may be using too much product to detangle. Make sure you’re using enough product for good slip, but not so much that your hair is drenched and dripping with product. If you’re worried about using too much of your expensive, precious products (as I was), I recommend buying a really cheap product just for detangling purposes. I will write a post with specific products you can use and link it here!
ENDS TO ROOTS.
For pain-free detangling and the best results, you want to start detangling from the bottom. The ends of your hair are the oldest, so that can explain why that’s usually where the majority of the knots in your hair are. Getting all the kinks out at the bottom before touching your roots ensures that healthy hair from the top isn’t getting mangled and tangled with older hair at the bottom. I use a Denman brush to detangle my curls, but with a little bit more time and care, a wide tooth comb works just as well. For me, the wide tooth comb works okay but the Denman brush is a perfect detangle brush—I really wouldn’t use anything else. If you’re looking for a tool that gets your curls combed out, or simply a new detangle brush, here ya go. Whether you’re combing or brushing to detangle, be sure to maintain a tight grip on your hair as you go, that way you feel the least amount of pain.
STYLE.