Detangling: how about those newish detangler brush/combs?

[JoAdjacent]

The ones with comb style teeth of different lengths on a brush style paddle? I think they've been popular for awhile but newish to my area.

I've found that they work pretty well, and they're a fast way to get rid of tangles, but I'm a bit suspicious of fast when it comes to my hair :)

I'm wondering what you guys think re: potential damage? Am I better off just turning on Netflix and taking my time with a wide tooth comb?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Personally (and I have fine, fragile hair) I would rather go slowly and carefully with a wide tooth comb, but everyone has different preferences as to how they detangle. You'll have to do some experimentation and see what works best for you. :)

[PixieP]

Are you talking about Tangle Teezers?

[lapushka]

I don't quite know what kind of detanglers you mean. Do you have a link to one? You mean the Felicia Leatherwood paddles?

They are just a brush!

I would also just detangle with a WT comb, and a brush after. I do this right before my wash. The rest of the week I finger detangle (separate strands to get sheds out, I don't go through with fingers like a comb).

[EliseMarie]

Are you referring to the Wet Brush? They are amazing. My daughter has waist length hair and it's gorgeous and healthy and she has been using one for years. She is 15 now. It allowed her to handle her hair on her own when she was younger. They literally just glide through long hair. They look like a normal brush, but they bristles are more flexible and the base that the bristles are set into is like a flexible rubber. They don't seem damaging. I would like to hear others opinions though.

[lapushka]

I think first OP needs to get back to us about what s/he means precisely. We can guess all we want (gosh I hate that). LOL

[peachyleshy]

If it's not pulling and ripping at your tangles it's probably a pretty good brush. I don't like using combs to detangle, but that might work for your hair and if you're being extra gentle and watching Netflix I think that's a winner ;)

[Beeboo123]

I find all these detangling brushes rather suspicious... If you have to use force to go through tangles, that’s not good. I stick to finger detangling, my hair is too fragile for me to try these newfangled brushes.

[JoAdjacent]

I googled that, and yes! Tangle teezer is the thing! I wished I'd checked that before posting

[PixieP]

I thought so :) I have a Tangle Teezer and I love it. I brush my hair very gently, going from the bottom up. I never have to use force. That and finger combing is the only things I use to brush. I've been using them for years, and my hair is growing happily.

[lapushka]

I use a WT comb first and then I brush with my Tangle Teezer (TT). I never use a brush right away for detangling - never! I first get the hardest tangles out with my comb (and never a fine toothed one either). I do this once only during the week, and that is before washing because my hair is wavy. During the week I finger detangle (separate the strands) to get sheds out and to preserve my wave pattern.

I don't know if your hair is straight or wavy, or even curly OP.

[Silverbleed]

Tangle Teezer works pretty amazing for my hair, thankfully. My sister doesn't like it, but she's got a lot less issues with tangles while my hair is permanently tangled (I can barely brush through it with my fingers without getting stuck lol). As long as you're being gentle, you'll probably be fine.

I also like my wooden comb a lot. If I had no choice but to pick only 1 of both, I would still go for my wooden comb though. Because I feel it gives better results for my hair, it only takes longer to detangle.

[Groovy Granny]

I use wide tooth combs too, but just for a quick styling.
My tangles are rare but tiny (like fairy knots)...however I cannot use the Tangle Teaser; it kills my fine silver :tmi:

My hair and I love the Vented Wet Brush (https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Wet-Epic-Quick-Brush/dp/B01BE8XJOK?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ2F6RDUSIYCWQMFQ&tag=sa-sym-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B01BE8XJOK) .
It is awesome on wet or dry hair so I have one in my room and 1 in the shower.

In fact I loved it so much I got the Boar Bristle Curved Detangler (https://www.amazon.com/Boar-Bristle-Hair-Brush-set/dp/B01D3Y6WFG/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1513364678&sr=1-7&keywords=vented+wet+hair+brush) (vented wet brush design with boar bristles added) to use in Winter (it cuts static) .
But I actually found that I am grabbing it on a daily basis for the BBB benefits in addition to detangling because it penetrates the scalp hair better than a full BBB.

There are lots of options/brands/prices....preference comes with experiencing them on YOUR hair.

[Twig]

I use a WT comb first and then I brush with my Tangle Teezer (TT). I never use a brush right away for detangling - never! I first get the hardest tangles out with my comb (and never a fine toothed one either). I do this once only during the week, and that is before washing because my hair is wavy. During the week I finger detangle (separate the strands) to get sheds out and to preserve my wave pattern.

I don't know if your hair is straight or wavy, or even curly OP.

I do this routine, too. But my hair's not super wavy, and it needs a follow up smoothing with a BBB.

[school of fish]

Agreeing with others that these sorts of preferences are very individual, that different hair textures like different tools :)

I'm one of those who does well with a Tangle Teezer type brush, even for gentle detangling. That said, I have noticed a couple of things about it:

1- it was NOT the best option for me back when my hair was in very dry, damaged condition. I found I got too much snapping and breakage back then, which turned around completely once I'd managed to rehabilitate my hair into a healthier state (through a combination of adding extra moisture and microtrimming out damage). Since my hair has become more resilient I've been able to use it with great success.

2- I do better with it in the more humid summer months than in the super-dry winter months. I live in a climate where winter is harsh and no amount of care in the routine can entirely counteract the ambient conditions. My hair is just a little more brittle in winter than in summer, and the brush is more likely to snap strands, so I'm less likely to use it in wintertime.

[Anje]

Tangle Teezer was pretty good for me, better than the Wet Brush. But I still need to treat it like any other comb or brush and start at the ends, working slowly and carefully upward. Because it's hollow, the TT is rather loud: some people find this disconcerting, but I felt like if I could work slowly enough to minimize the noise, it reduced hair breakage substantially.

For me, the gentlest thing was finger-combing, but it had quite a learning curve. I cannot just rake my fingers through my hair like comb tines -- that's a recipe for tangles and breakage. Instead, I would pinch a few inches from the ends and slide my fingers down, sort of squeezing out the tangles. Repeat a little higher, over and over, and sort of feel through the hair to find the spots where the hair was loosely tangled to target them. Raking was only a final step. It worked well for me when my hair was fingertip length and usually fairly contained to minimize tangles.

[JoAdjacent]

Thanks for your help everyone. My hair is pretty wavy, volume is a bit shy of 4"
in circumference and medium strands. I really should have included that, sorry everyone, I joined the site a little while ago but this was my first time posting a thread.

I've read all your comments now, and I think I'll try fingercombing, then use my wide tooth comb, and then tangle teazer if there's any issues left after that, and see how that goes.

I currently section off my hair when brushing/combing, starting with the bottom few inches and working my way up, so I'll do a full round of that for each stage ;)

I might be overthinking? But my hair is currently the longest it's ever been (nearly to tailbone but I'm a shorty) and I want to start taking my haircare a bit more seriously