How to Detangle Your Natural Hair with Ease (Complete guide)

The spiral shape of natural hair is what makes it easy for the hair to tangle to a strand(s) next to it. All it takes is using the wrong hair product, sleeping without twisting your hair, or not covering up your hair with a bonnet, and your natural hair will become a tangled mess. When you find yourself in a situation like this, treating your natural hair delicately like an egg is your only option. If not, the hair will find its way off your head and wrap tightly on whatever comb you are using.

Detangling your natural hair is very important and so are the hair products that you are using to detangle it. Regular detangling helps to keep your natural hair free from constant hair breakage. This is because the more tangled your natural hair is, the more difficult it is to manage and comb through it.

Detangling your natural hair also helps your hair to stay hydrated. When you apply hair products on a tangled hair, the possibility of your moisturizer distributing evenly on your hair is 1 out of 100. When your hair is detangled properly, it will be easier to comb through before and after applying hair moisturizers, making sure every strand of hair gets the moisture it needs.

I love working in sections when I am detangling my hair because it makes the work a lot easier when applying hair products. Sectioning your natural hair is the easiest way to get your hair products to evenly distribute to the hair especially if your natural hair is long.

Tools for Detangling your Natural Hair

1. Wide-toothed comb

2. Rat-tail comb

3. Spray bottle filled with water.

4. Water-based leave-in conditioner of your choice

5. Hair clips.

How to Detangle Your Natural Hair

1. Spritz your hair with water: 

It is recommended to have your spray bottle close by, filled with water. You also need a leave-in conditioner or any water/oil mixture to aid the process. You have to moisturize your hair in order to make the detangling process an easy one.

2. Part your hair into smaller sections: 

Section your hair using a rat-tail comb or your fingers depending on what you are more comfortable with. The sections can be 4, 5, 6, or 7 which also depends on how long your hair is as well as the thickness. Create as many sections that you can easily manage, smaller sections are easier to detangle. Use hair clips to keep leftover hair out of the way until you are ready to work with them.

3. Work with your fingers first:

To start the process, finger-detangle your natural hair first to enable you to work out the major snags and interwoven hair without having to pull too much hair out. Instead of using your fingers to rake down the knots, use both hands to separate the tangles. Be gentle while doing this. When you rake down the knots, they can tighten up more, making it harder to detangle, but when you separate the knots by working outward, you have a better chance of not breaking your hair.

4. Use a wide-toothed comb: 

While using the wide-toothed comb, start from the bottom of the first section. Grip the root and gently work the comb through until the bottom is tangle-free before moving up the hair. Move to the next section and continue until your hair is tangle-free.

5. Spray some more water into your hair if it dries up along the way for additional moisture.

6. Give yourself time to detangle the hair:

Working through the knots can be frustrating but rushing through the detangling process can cause damage to your hair. A proper detangle session should not last the entire day but it is not something you want to do when you have an urgent matter to attend to. Detangling your natural hair for about 30-45 minutes is not spending too much time on your hair.

Tips for Successful Detangling

1. Detangle your natural hair on a regular basis:

Detangling your hair will be an easy thing if you have the habit of detangling regularly. If your hair is not in a protective style, you should detangle your hair at least once a week. Detangling your hair will last for hours if you don’t detangle on a regular basis which will lead to frustration, making the natural hair journey a not-so-easy one for you.

2. Do not over-detangle:

Your hair must not be 120% tangle-free for you to accept that it is really tangle-free. The day you went natural was the day you signed up for the tangles package that comes with natural hair. As long as you can style your hair without been interrupted by interwoven hairs or snags, the occasional mini-tangles should be overlooked.

3. Use Products with slip: 

Stick to the products that work best for your natural hair. The more slip you have, the easier it will be for your fingers or comb to glide through your natural hair.