How to Detangle Curly Hair Properly | Detangling 101

Could you be causing unnecessary breakage and damage by improperly detangling your curly hair? This detangling 101 video will show you different ways to detangle safely without damage.

Before we dive into the various ways you can safely detangle, let’s cover the incorrect ways to detangle that could be causing damage.

❌ Incorrect Detangling Methods

• Shampooing matted hair, then conditioning, then detangling damp, towel-dried hair, especially without product in
• Shampooing matted hair, then conditioning and ripping through knots quickly with a brush
• Starting at the top and ripping through knots with a brush
• Brushing curls dry without any oil or product

Harmful Effects of Improper Detangling

• Breakage
• Poor length retention (hair never gets longer)
• Split ends which can split further up the shaft
• Shorter hairs all over which cause frizz
• Cuticle damage from friction which results in dry hair, frizz, etc.

Detangling Before Styling

I don’t recommend waiting to do all of your detangling after you’ve rinsed out your conditioner and towel-dried your hair. This will definitely cause unnecessary breakage. It’s best to ensure all tangles are out while you still have conditioner in, then rinse.

To prevent tangles from forming again after washing, run your fingers through to lift hair off scalp. Then wrap or plop your hair in a flat-weave hair towel or T-shirt, not a bath towel. Avoid wrapping the hair tightly.

If you do happen to get more tangles after you’ve towel-dried, you can apply a leave-in conditioner or curl cream and finger detangle. You can use a brush here if knots are not bad but be gentle.

Safe Brushes for Curly Hair

While I don’t recommend using a brush to detangle, I love using brushes to distribute product, smooth frizz, and style my curls. When choosing a brush, ensure it’s flexible and not too dense. Avoid brushes with little plastic beads at the tips of the bristles if you want to use it to detangle. A lot of dense styling brushes such as the Denman Brush or the Bounce Curl EdgeLift Brush are not meant for detangling. Here are brushes that can be used to detangle, distribute product, or style:

Detangling on Refresh Days (Non-Wash Days)

Detangling on refresh days is not ideal because you’re likely to cause breakage when your hair is just damp and has product in. It’s normal to have some tangles and loose hairs stuck in your curls on refresh days. Many people will wait until wash day to detangle. This is something that you get used to in time.

If your tangles are extreme on refresh days, then you’re likely not properly protecting your curls overnight and not being mindful of friction against your curls throughout the day.

It’s best to just wash your hair if you have bad tangles in addition to product buildup.

If your hair does not have buildup and you have tangles but you wish to refresh, try removing them dry with a bit of oil or the Curlsmith Shake & Shine Refreshing Mist, then refresh. 

Another method would be to mist your hair with water, wet your hands, then apply a leave in or curl cream and gently detangle, then refresh.

For more help with refreshing very tangly hair, watch this video.

Which detangling method do you plan to try? I use both the dry pre-shampoo oil and the wet pre-shampoo detangler options depending on how my hair feels prior to washing.

Comment/reply and let me know what questions you have about detangling and breakage. Stay tuned for next week’s video which is all about low porosity hair and/or dry, brittle hair.