10 Genius Hacks You Should Try to Detangle Curly Hair
Most curly-haired gals know what happens if you run a typical brush through curly hair. And they know it is not pretty. This is why experts always recommend avoiding these ordinary brushes at all costs. So, does this mean that curlies need not detangle?
Well, detangling is an essential step in all hair care routines, so one should not skip it. However, it is worth noting that there are many types of curls, and there are specific ways to detangle them.
How often one should detangle varies, though. And this again depends on the texture of the curl and the hair type. But the general rule of thumb is to detangle the curls on wash days.
Now, when should you wash? This is also dependent on many factors. One is the climate you live in. If you reside in a place with extreme humidity levels, your scalp may become too active, causing your hair to become oily.
The safest we can recommend is to wash your hair once a week. From here, you should be able to tell whether you need more washes or less.
Assuming you already know when to detangle, we’ll teach you some genius detangling hacks that are worth trying. We've scraped every corner of the web to find only the best hacks for you. Check them out:
Hack #1: Use a Hair Butter
Did you know that there is a type of butter that is made for your hair? Although it’s hard to find, you can always make your own at home.
To make rich hair butter that allows you to create various styles, prepare:
- ½ cup of Shea butter
- ¼ cup of Aloe Vera gel
- 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil
Blend the ingredients together. You can use it right away for a thicker consistency or let it sit in the fridge first for a couple of hours. Your hair will benefit from the vitamins and the richness of this hair butter.
Whether your hair is wet, dry, or dirty, you can use this product. But as much as possible, avoid applying it if your hair is dry. Dry hair is usually more prone to damage. When you, later on, use a brush to detangle, you may end up pulling out the tangles, rather than detangling them.
Hack #2: Start Detangling from the Bottom
You probably don’t know about this. But detangling is easier if you start from the bottom. To do this, take a detangling brush and slowly brush your tips. Once they are smooth, work your way up.
Hack #3: Use a Detangling Brush as a Final Tool
Don’t be tempted to grab that detangling brush right away. You can start detangling using your fingers. This will allow you to have a feel around any steady knots that could break even the most robust and most expensive detangling brushes.
Ideally, you have to use your fingers to detangle wet or dry hair. After which, use your favorite detangling brush for a final run-through. This will allow you to find those tangles that your fingers could not find.
Hack #4: Detangle in Sections
Detangling your hair by section is recommended as it will not snag or pull your curls out. The only time when you can perhaps detangle your hair successfully without dividing it into parts is when your hair is completely wet, or it is hugely lubricated with hair butter. Even so, you have to be extra careful.
How small every section should be will depend on how dry or how tangled your hair is. The drier or, the more tangles you have, the more segments are required.
Hack #5: Be Gentle
The bristles of a reliable detangling brush will pick up and smoothen the tiniest tangles that we don’t notice. However, as Superman always says: With power comes great responsibility. It is crucial that you be gentle with your hair, whether you are detangling it when it’s wet, dry, or damp.
If you section your hair, start brushing the ends. And then, go slow and feel any snags. This way, you can make the most of your entire detangling routine. If you practice caution and care, you will lose a lesser amount of hair.
Hack #6: Detangle for a Wash-n-Go
Are you aware that your hair is more fragile when it is wet? Even if that is the case, sometimes it allows you to slay a wash-n-go style.
The only thing you have to remember when detangling your wet hair is to do it in sections. Make sure you apply hair butter first and be gentle with your every stroke.
Hack #7: Detangle for Protective Styling
This is the complete opposite of a wash-n-go. Since it is not recommended to detangle wet hair, what you should do is to be patient and allocate time for a detangling session.
Detangling, before putting up your hair in a protective style is an excellent way to keep your curls fully detangled while you give your strands a break.
Hack #8: Invest in a Good-Quality Detangling Brush
It is best that you have multiple detangling products at tools at your disposal. However, try not to be cheap on those tools that do the most work for your curls, such as your detangling brush.
One of the best detangling brushes out there is Osensia’s Flexi Boar Brush with Nylon Bristles. This revolutionary brush has 17 rare earth elements that allow your hair to reap more mineral benefits.
Osensia’s best detangling brush has nylon bristles that allow it to detangle and brush your hair evenly and prevent damage. Its body glides gently as well, so as not to pull the strands. It also has a lightweight handle designed for better grip while hair styling. So, what else can you ask from this brush?
Hack #9: Keep Your Detangling Brush Clean
Yes, it is imperative that you keep your brush clean, mainly since it will be used on your hair. As you brush, dirt, bacteria, grime, dust, and dead skin cells will stick to your brush. If you don’t clean your brush, all the dirt will be redistributed back into your clean hair.
According to studies, cleaning your brush helps make it more effective. So, make it a habit to clean it. To clean your hairbrush, follow these steps:
Remove the hair from your detangling brush.
Next, shampoo your hairbrush. Every once a month, use a gentle shampoo to remove oil, dirt, and product build-up on your brush. Hold your brush’s handle, swirl its head around in a glass bowl with warm water. Add a few drops of your preferred gentle shampoo and use an old toothbrush to scrub the bristles and the base. Rinse the brush by slowly swirling it around in another bowl of clean, warm water. Avoid soaking your hairbrush in water for a long time as it could harm the cushion or other wooden parts.
Finally, dry your brush overnight. Put it in a clean, dry towel. Be sure that the bristles are facing down. Leave it that way overnight.
Hack #10: Detangle in Moderation
As the adage goes, “Too much of something is bad enough.” This means detangling every day will only do more bad than good.
Since you will be putting force onto your hair, you may end up pulling the scalp and tresses. According to research, detangling too often may also cause damage to the strands as it will make them counterproductive.
While everyone wants to rock a big Afro-inspire hair, you can always keep the style up to the next day. To do this, you need not detangle. Just sleep with a loose scrunch on top of your hair. In the morning, dampen it and try to brush only the ends.
Bonus Hack: Be Wise in Your Hair Product Choice
The formulation of shampoos and conditioners today are particular to the scalp and hair type (fine, oily, coarse, dry, curly, damaged, straight). However, professional and good quality hair products are usually labeled according to their use and the type they are intended for. The only thing you should remember here is that there are sometimes “trade-offs” involved in the selection of natural hair care products.
For example, you may have beautiful hair and need more volume. Then again, volumizing shampoos are not formulated to protect color-treated hair. The safest way to get a shampoo and conditioner that matches your needs is to go to the salon. They will analyze your hair types and their needs and provide you with decent recommendations.
Summary
If your hair is naturally curly, then you know trying to run a regular brush can be quite a challenge, especially when tangles are involved. Snagging and snapping them can be extremely painful. And while these tangles are certainly no fun, there are ways to detangle them effortlessly.
Check out the hacks we have above, and you should be able to detangle the kinkiest hair in an instant. Take it from us! We're the experts here.
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