by Alexandra Nicole Nuralam

How To Detangle Your Hair the Right Way

If I don’t sleep with my hair tied up, I often wake up to a matted nest of hair the next morning — clearly not a good look. There’s no denying that waking up to tangled hair or showering and finding tangled knots in your hair is annoying. But beyond just being a nuisance, trying to detangle hair knots can damage your hair, cause major breakage, and make strands more brittle over time. Not to fret, there are ways to detangle your hair without tearing away half of your hair. All you need is a little patience, the right products and the right techniques. Scroll ahead for more.

Go easy

Tangled hair is very fragile, so treat your hair as you would your skin. No tugging or harsh yanking.

Start at the end

Don’t take your hairbrush straight to the top of your head and tug downwards. That is the quickest way to damage your tangled tresses. Instead, start at the bottom and work your way up. The ends-to-root brushing technique minimises damage, as knots at the root will just get moved down to your ends as you brush through, causing damage and even breakage.

Use the right tools

Your fingers are always best as you can “feel” where the knots are and work them apart. You can also use a wide-tooth comb or paddle brush, as they are much more gentle on the hair.

Do dampen

Hair becomes more elastic when it’s wet so you will lower the risk of breakage if you detangle when your strands are damp. Wetting with water will help, but what works even better is to spritz on a detangling spray, which will give hair added slip and make it easier to unwind stubborn snarls.

You can make one of your own, too. Just combine one-half conditioner with one-half distilled water and pour into a spray bottle. Need even more slip than a detangling spray can provide? Squirt a little conditioner directly onto the knot, then, using two fingertips, gently massage the knot for a few seconds before attempting to work the hair apart again.

Don’t skip conditioner

Even if your hair is very fine or on the oily side, you should still use a conditioner every time you shampoo. Just apply it from ear-level to the ends of your strands to keep that hair silky without adding any weight at the roots.

Deep treat

Use a hair mask or deep conditioning treatment once or twice a month to help keep the ends of your hair (where knots are most common) well-hydrated and less likely to become matted.

See your stylist

Usually, the strands most likely to tangle are those that are splitting. Make regular trips to the salon—even for just a trim—every 3 to 4 months, it will help keep the ends of your hair healthy.

Watch what you wear

Turtlenecks, scarves and high-collared clothing rub against the ends of your hair, which causes friction that can lead to knots. So, if you are going to wear something that comes in constant contact with your ends, try tying up your hair into a ponytail, braid or knot at your nape for the day.