View Full Version : how to untangle curly hair gently?
lole18
July 17th, 2012, 08:19 PM
my hair is very tangled and it always breaks when should i comb it? with or without shampoo in it:(and is yogurt good for tangled hair?
kitschy
July 17th, 2012, 08:26 PM
I untangle only when my hair is wet and drenched with conditioner, and then, only with a wide toothed shower comb. I never touch my hair or disturb my curl pattern once I start drying it. Those things keep me from getting frizz. Also helps me retain my ringlets. You might want to read this thread http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=369
Bene
July 17th, 2012, 08:28 PM
As a curly, detangle when wet. Do not, I repeat, do not detangle with shampoo in your hair. Rinse the shampoo out first. If you use conditioner, detangling is possible if you have conditioner in your hair. If you don't use conditioner, but you use a leave-in of some sort (oil, serum, whatever) detangle then. Wide tooth comb or use your fingers.
If you choose to detangle when dry, well, that's a whole other story. Your curls have already decided what they want to do and you end up with a big frizzy mess. If you choose to damp bun, detangling is possible when dry, but you sacrifice your curls, so choose early on what you want to do.
As for yogurt, that all depends on your hair. I found yogurt makes my hair tangly when it's in, so I only comb after the yogurt has been rinsed out.
And remember, moisturize. Curly hair needs lots of moisture. Consider conditioner only washing. If that's not something your scalp is happy with, then there are other options available.
Again, DO NOT detangle with shampoo in your hair.
spirals
July 17th, 2012, 11:05 PM
I only ever detangle in the shower with my fingers. That's probably why I feel the need to wash every other day. If I can't wash, I spritz on curl refresher spray, gently pull out any tangles I can with my fingers, and ignore the rest. I don't have a lot of problems with tangling since I largely stopped brushing and heat-styling. In the winter I get dreads, though, at the nape because of my coat and scarf. In that case, I have no advice; I've been known to cut one out before.
Madora
July 18th, 2012, 06:38 AM
Detangling, whether curly or not, depends on how you do it.
Fingercomb gently first. Then separate the hair into small, thin sections and use a wide tooth comb to detangle.
Don't try and just move the comb through a wide swatch of hair. You need to be slow and methodical when dealing with curly hair.
CurlyCurves
July 18th, 2012, 08:15 AM
Gently. Very gently.
I avoid detangling when my hair is dry as it's;
A) Harder.
B) I hear *snap* far too often for my liking.
I detangle with conditoner drenched hair, first with my fingers, raking through steadily. If I hit a snag, I stop, pull it 'up and apart' to seperate and continue. I carry on until I feel it's finger detangled. Then I go over it with a wide tooth, seam free comb, then I follow up with a Denman brush :)
spirals
July 18th, 2012, 11:29 AM
If I am going to do it dry, I use my fingers like Madora said. I can usually get my brush through if I spray the brush with oil first and brush the ends first and work upward. I don't do it often, but I have to before coloring or the rare occasion when I want waves or straight hair.
DarkCurls
July 18th, 2012, 11:35 AM
Yoghurt works for my hair. But not too often (once a month) or my hair starts to feel weird.
As for detangling, I do it in the shower when hair is saturated with conditioner, as others have said -- a good conditioner that gives a lot of slip. It's what I find easiest and most gentle (I finger-comb). Combing (or brushing, ugh) at any other time makes my hair go "snap, snap, snap."
Dragon Faery
July 18th, 2012, 11:44 AM
I detangle 2 ways:
1. In the shower, drenched with conditioner.
2. With a good amount of oil spread over my hair and fingers. Slooooowly.
When I wear it curly, I fingercomb it in the shower while full of conditioner (it takes awhile), and then try to touch it as little as possible while drying.
...And then try to touch it as little as possible when it's dry. :)
I don't touch it until I'm ready to lose the curl. Then I oil and gently, slowly, fingercomb.
When I don't worry about having it curly (due to keeping it up usually), I detangle in the shower, rinse, wring it out gently but thoroughly, and then (carefully) braid or bun. I still use oil when fingercombing while dry, but it's a lot easier to detangle when I wear it mostly up. Fewer curls, less damage, and less opportunity for it to knot itself up. :)
earthnut
July 18th, 2012, 11:52 AM
Do not detangle when your hair is wet but doesn't have any product in it!! This is when hair is at it's most fragile and prone to breakage.
The best times to detangle is when your hair is covered with something slick and slippery, that will provide lubrication. Either conditioner or oil. Even shampoo is better than hair that's just wet.
However, seriously consider reducing or eliminating your shampoo! Shampoo dries out the hair, causing the scales on the hair shaft to lift, create more friction, and therefore more tangles. To have non-tangly hair, you need to properly moisturize it. Try some deep conditioning treatments. If your hair is fine, try a protein treatment too.
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