Detangling is enough of a pain when you have straight long hair but it can outright ruin your day if your hair is on the curlier side. What’s worse, there’s no one best way to detangle curly hair as there are different types of hair curls too – looser or tighter, drier or oilier, and more.
Whichever type of curly hair you have, you’ll need to figure out the best way to detangle natural hair curls without damaging it as curly hair requires much more care and time than most people think. So, here are a few tips you might find useful:
How to detangle wet curly hair?
Arguably the easiest way to get rid of entangled curly hair is in the shower and with a conditioner. This is especially true for tight, dry, or coarse curls as these are more prone to breakage and need the extra moisture to stay healthy. So, hop in the shower, pick up a conditioner that’s more creamy and hydrating, and start by slowly finger-detangling your curls from the ends toward the roots, one section at a time.
After you’re done, pick up a wide-tooth comb and detangle your hair again, from the ends, one section at a time. Avoid narrow-teeth combs as they tend to flatten hair curls.
How to get tangles out of curly hair while it’s dry?
Dry detangling is an option for people with heavier or looser curls. You can use your fingers first and then move to a wide-tooth comb, preferably a wooden one, or a wide paddle brush – whichever you prefer.
The benefit of dry detangling is that your hair is stronger when it’s dry. If your hair feels a bit stubborn but you don’t want to take a shower, consider putting some lubricating oil or olive oil on the comb or the brush you’re using.
How to detangle natural hair after braids?
Detangling hair after braids is best done in the shower. That’s not only because your hair will be entangled pretty badly and you’ll need the smoothness of a wet and well-conditioned hair, but also because your hair will have picked up a lot of dirt and debris while it was braided up and you’ll need to wash and detangle it at the same time.
There are going to be a lot of things you’ll need to wash off from each knot in your hair so your best bet is to slowly and meticulously detangle your hair with your fingers as you’re shampooing and conditioning your hair, and then give it another pass with a wide-tooth comb or a paddle brush.
