DETANGLING MADE EASY

Hi cuties!!

How are you all?? I hope school/uni/work/life is going well for all of you. I’m getting back into the swing of things at uni. It feels kinda weird being back in uni and being back in London. I’ve been on summer vacay for 4 months and I’ve barely spent any time in London in the last year (because I was living in LA). It’s my final year though so I’ve gotta work hard but also enjoy my last year here!

Now, on to something most of us HATE: detangling. Detangling is probably the thing I hate most about my hair. It can be frustrating and terribly time-consuming, especially if you have thick hair or super curly or kinky hair. Of course, when you have kinky/curly hair, there are loads of twists or turns in the strands. This means that all the hairs tend to wrap around each other and get stuck together as opposed to straight hair. However, detangling doesn’t have to be a horrible nightmare. Here are some tips to make your life easier:

Don’t delay wash day

This is probably the hardest tip to stick to because sometimes we’re busy or other times, we simply can’t be bothered to go through the whole wash day process. But if you can, really try to find a day that works for you and stick to it. For most naturals, the only time they detangle their hair is on wash day so if you leave your hair unwashed for long periods of time, your hair will most likely be a tangled mess by the time you get round to washing it. I’ve done this a few times and I ended up having to CUT tangles out of my hair. Set up a routine and stick to it!

Saturate your hair with conditioner or a detangler

This is like the number one key for detangling in my opinion! You need a product with slip to detangle your hair – otherwise, you risk literally ripping and damaging your hair when you try to detangle it.

As well as my regular conditioner, these are my current favourite detanglers: Shea Moisture African Water Mint & Ginger Leave In Detangler and Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave In/Detangler

Try mixing your conditioner with an oil

This one is a necessity when my hair is literally like a nest. Oils can literally dissolve some of the worst knots and tangles. All you do is mix the oil of your choice with your conditioner and work it through wet/damp hair. It really works. My favourite oils for this process are olive oil and coconut oil but pretty much any oil will work as long as it’s not too thick – so you may wanna reach for the almond oil rather than Jamaican black castor oil.

One of the oils I love to use is avocado oil as it’s incredibly nourishing for the hair. I mix it with my fave conditioner atm: Herbal Essences Clearly Naked Conditioner

Pre-poo your hair

I do this every week before washing my hair and it has helped with detangling SO MUCH. As well as helping with detangling, it helps to soften the hair and prevent it drying out when you wash it. I apply my oil (or oils) of choice all over my dry hair and I LIGHTLY FINGER detangle my hair. This helps to break up some of the really bad knots before the water hits my hair – potentially making the knots worse. Also, the softening effect of the pre-poo makes it easier to detangle the hair.

Detangle in sections

CRUCIAL! Unless you have really short hair or straight/slightly wavy hair, I strongly suggest you section your hair rather than diving straight in. How many sections you make is up to you entirely and depends on the length and thickness of your hair. Also, sectioning ensures you don’t miss out any spots.

Finger detangle or use a wide tooth comb

Having the right tools is essential for healthy and proper detangling. I prefer to use only my fingers because it allows me to take tangles apart properly. However, I will occasionally use a wide tooth comb to REALLY detangle my hair, especially if I’m about to straighten my hair or do braids. The comb detangles the hair without ripping it out.

Be gentle and take your time

This is important. The whole detangling process is when people experience the most breakage, especially if we’re in a rush or we’re getting frustrated. I make it a point not to detangle when I’m angry or upset lol – it sounds ridiculous but it’s a thing! I’m more likely to wildly rip through my hair if my mind isn’t right. Regardless of how thick or wild your hair seems, it’s a delicate baby!

That’s it, cuties!! Of course, there are LOADS more tips out there but these are my top ones. Let me know if you have any other tips!! Happy detangling!

Love,

Tara xXx