Read on to learn what causes hair tangling and how to remove tangles in hair naturally at home without breaking and damaging your hair.
Whenever you pick up a comb to brush your hair, your main concern is not to pull and break your hair. But, of course, you won’t like when your hair gets messy and turns to knots. So you will want to detangle its knots carefully without losing too many strands.
No one can avoid knotted hair strands because of the hair products we use or the new hairstyles we show off every other day. This article teaches you how to detangle your hair without pulling and tearing it. You only need to follow the following prevention tips and a little patience.
What Causes Hair Tangling?
You must first understand why your hair gets tangled. A hair knot forms when two single hair strands wrap around each other to get intertwined. When this happens to a few strands, removing these knots (tangles) becomes difficult, right? Hair that is silky or is not prone to tangles. But damaged and textured hair (wavy or curly) is the worst.
The following factors can contribute to hair tangling:
(i) Lack of hydration and dehydrated hair.
(ii) Sleeping with loose hair.
(iii) Split ends.
(iv) Using too many hair styling products that involve heating hair.
(v) Harsh hair care products
(vi) Lot of humidity in the air.
(vii) Massaging hair too hard while shampooing.
(viii) Over-washing.
(x) Wind blowing through your hair.
(ix) Rubbing hair with a towel.
(xi) Not brushing hair daily or overbrushing.
How to Detangle Your Hair With Home Remedies?
Here are ten ways to detangle your hair without causing damage.
# 1
Don’t sleep with your hair open. But tying too hard is not a good idea, either. Instead, you can wear simple hairstyles to bed, like a braid or a loose ponytail.
# 2
Trim your hair ends from time to time to improve the hair quality because the split ends cause hair to get tangled more often.
# 3
Conditioner
The most critical step in good hair care is to condition your hair. It makes it easy to detangle the hair. Apply a conditioner at the hair tips and move upwards towards the roots. Skip your scalp because it does not need a conditioner. Leave on the conditioner for five minutes, comb your hair to detangle it, and rinse.
# 4
Detangling Spray
You may consider using a detangling hair spray. It reduces the tension between the hair during detangling. Moreover, it is a quick fix when you have no time. You can use detangling spray on both damp and dry hair. It does not need to be rinsed out. The detangling sprays contain ingredients like shea butter to soften your hair to make detangling fast and easy.
# 5
Oils
You may use mineral oil to detangle your hair effectively. It is an odorless and colorless distillate of petroleum. In addition, mineral oil works as an antistatic and removes tangles.
Note: Ensure that your hair is conditioned just enough; too much residue on the hair obstructs the function of mineral oil in getting rid of tangles.
After you detangle, your hair may appear a lot more brittle. So apply a few drops of olive oil and allow the oil to penetrate your strands and scalp for 20 minutes.
To avoid dryness, oil your hair regularly. You may use a carrier oil such as coconut oil, castor oil, olive oil, or sweet almond oil, along with essential oils like tea tree, lavender, or rosemary.
# 6
Water
Moisture can make hair detangling easier. It helps remove the tangles without hard pulling. Before you start detangling, use a spray bottle filled with water to spritz some water on your hair. Then, take sections of hair with your fingers, comb with a wide-toothed brush, and clip the detangled hair with a secure hair clip or pin. Continue for all hair sections until your hair is detangled completely.
# 7
Wide-toothed comb
Use a wide-toothed comb. Wide-tooth comb and paddle brush are gentler on your hair and will help detangle your hair in a much more painless way.
# 8
Begin from the bottom.
Most people make this common hair care mistake. Usually, they tend to comb the hair from the roots. Instead, begin from the bottom of the hair. Comb some inches at the bottom, and then work your way upwards gently. This helps prevent hair breakage and pain on the scalp due to pulling.
# 9
Use your fingers
First, use your fingers to separate your hair into sections gently before you reach for your comb. This helps to remove most of the tangles before combing your hair.
# 10
Hair masks
It may be a sign of dry hair if your hair gets tangled frequently. Use a hair mask packed with moisture to provide your hair with instant hydration. You can make one at home using simple kitchen ingredients such as egg, yogurt, honey, and banana, or pick one from various hair masks in the market.
Tips To Prevent Tangled Hair
Dos
- Brush your hair before washing if your hair gets tangled easily.
- Wear braids because these hairstyles keep the hair in position and prevent tangles.
- Use a hat or scarf on windy days to ensure your hair is not all over the place and gets tangled.
- Get your hair trimmed every 4-6 weeks to remove split ends.
- Start detangling from the hair ends and work toward the roots. This will help prevent breakage.
- Work in small sections to avoid pulling too hard on the hair.
- Consider using a detangling product such as a detangling spray or leave-in conditioner to help reduce tangles and make combing easier.
Don’ts
- Don’t rub your hair with a towel because it can tangle your hair. Air dry, or use a soft cotton t-shirt to dry your hair.
- Don’t sleep with loose hair.
- Don’t sleep on a cotton pillowcase. Instead, use a silk pillowcase to prevent knotty.
- Avoid products that produce heat as they lead to more tangles.
- Overusing shampoo to produce more lather should be avoided because more foam doesn’t necessarily mean more effective cleaning. On the contrary, it can do more harm than good.
- Don’t try to detangle when hair is wet. It’s more fragile and prone to breakage, so wait until your hair is mostly dry before detangling.
- Avoid pulling too hard. To remove a stubborn knot, gently work it out instead of yanking it.
Wrapping Up
Follow the above simple tips for using conditioners, oils, hair masks, and a wide-toothed comb to make removing hair knots easier. Be gentle, and don’t try to remove knots from wet hair. When the hair is dry, use a wide-toothed soft bristle comb to remove the knots.
