Voice & Viewpoint Style Writer
When it comes to natural hair everyone’s favorite part is the detangling part right? Nope not even close. Detangling is the worst part of our regiment but the most necessary and effective part of our regiment. Natural hair has a tendency to become more tangled than relaxed or straight hair. Our kinks and coils will knot up, get clumped together or wrap around themselves. Detangling allows us to remove the tangles and any shed hairs we have. Learning how to properly detangle natural hair will ensure that you are not breaking it off. It will also help with the overall health of the hair, as improper detangling can result in split ends and damaged cuticles.
There are a few different ways to detangle your hair the most popular are with a wide tooth comb, Denman brush or your fingers. Finger detailing is a great way to detangle because it actually allows you to feel the tangles and be able to carefully separate them. However, finger detangling takes a lot of patience and time. If you don’t have the time to put into it then do not attempt this because you will get frustrated and possible cause more damage than good.
One of the most important steps in detangling is to make sure you detangle your hair while it is in sections. Do not detangle your hair all at once, it will just create more tangles and defeats the purpose. Sectioning your hair makes it easier to handle and manage. You can choose to detangle your hair whether wet or dry/slightly damp.
Wet with conditioner is one of the most popular ways to detangle your hair. Making sure to use a conditioner that has great slip. When a conditioner has slip it means it has emollients, which are conditioning ingredients that form a protective film on the hair to help your strands slide past each other as you detangle. This step can be done on your wash day. After you detangle a section make sure you keep it separated so it does not tangle back up.
Dry/slightly damp means you are not detangling while in the shower or while washing your hair, it’s not completely dry but not completely wet either. You can use oil to help with the slip and the ease of removing the tangles. If you are detangling this way it’s best to do this before you wash your hair. This is called pre-pooing and more information will be given on this next week so make sure you stay tuned.
When detangling it is best to work from the ends of your hair to the root. When combing from the root, you encourage your hair to wrap around itself, which will cause more tangles, knotting and even breakage. So stick with combing from the ends of your hair and work your way up.
The biggest tip I can give you is to be patient, and be gentle with your hair. Rough detangling will end up causing you more pain, breakage and a whole lot of damage. Detangle your hair slowly and carefully, especially at the ends of your hair. The ends of your hair are the oldest and weakest part of your hair. Your hair is beautiful, so make sure you treat it right!
