Detangling thick curly hair is arguably one of the most dreadful and often times painful parts of caring for natural hair.
I’m sure we’ve all experienced those horrific childhood moments of sitting in between our mother’s legs as she combed through our hair which involved lots of tugging, tears and even a few whacks to the head. I’ve definitely learned the hard way of leaving a protective style in for way too long and being left with matted hair that took hours to detangle. However, if you have the right products and patience, detangling becomes a breeze!
Here are a few important tips to keep in mind when detangling:
– Section your hair using clips so that you can focus on each section at a time.
– Wet your hair and finger detangle gently. If you have severe knots, apply coconut oil before you apply the conditioner.
– Apply a detangler or conditioner with slip to coat and hydrate your curls to avoid breakage.
– Start from the ends and slowly begin working upwards section by section.
Whether you detangle before you shampoo, while you’re conditioning, or as part of your styling routine, one of these tools is sure to streamline your detangling process.
Designed specifically to be used on wet hair, this is a great brush to keep on hand when detangling in the shower. Plus, the bristles are friction free and have little balls that are mini detanglers on the end as well. They’re really gentle and smoothing, giving zero friction on the hair.
Felicia Leatherwood’s Detangler Brush
Hollywood’s Natural Hair Guru and celebrity hairstylist, Felicia Leatherwood, created this brush to help detangle natural hair with ease. It’s made with firm bristles and an open-ended flexibility along the top of the brush to provide fluid movement for kinky hair without abrupt hair pulling.
A holy grail for many naturals, for adding definition and detangling when wet. Made with rows of nylon pins and anti-static rubber pad it’s great for combing through knots and tangles with care.
Curly Hair Solutions Flexy Brush
This is by far my favorite brush to use for detangling and clumping my curls! The Flexy Brush has soft flexible multi-dimensional silicone bristles for sensitive scalps & stubborn knots. This brush exfoliates the scalp while detangling stimulates blood circulation and minimizes hair loss. What’s great is that it’s lightweight and can be used on wigs, extensions and natural hair.
This palm-shaped brush is made with two tiers of bristles which helps to smooth hair cuticles, minimize frizz, and reduce hair breakage. Not to mention, it’s compact and is great for traveling.