Ways to Detangle Your Curly hair Without Causing Breakage: 8 Tips

Irrespective of your hair type and texture, tangled hair is a reality most of us need to face on a regular basis. Apart from being extremely annoying, tangles also tend to cause too much breakage and make your hair look limp, frizzy and super unattractive. 

But what if we tell you that no matter what your hair type or how bad the tangles are, it is indeed possible to get rid of them by making a few minor changes to your hair routine? We already know that we should tie our hair while sleeping, wear a scarf or wear a protective hairstyle like braids or buns when we’re out on the go or exercising to prevent tangles. But if even those don’t work, we’ve got you. Scroll down for a list of near-genius tips on how to detangle your hair without breakage to flaunt smooth, shiny hair every day. 

8 Ways to Detangle Your Hair Without Breakage  

Wide-Toothed Comb to the rescue 

Fine and damaged hair are anyway extremely brittle and can tangle quite easily. If you have this hair type, we recommend that you be a little more prudent while choosing your hair tools. Using your regular hair brush will only make matters worse and cause unbelievable breakage. Therefore, use a wooden wide-toothed comb to prevent friction and smoothen tangled hair.

Tangles are a lot easier to deal with wet than dry especially when you have curly hair. We recommend you wash your hair and follow it up with oodles of conditioner. If done right, it is okay to comb your hair in the shower while it’s wet without damaging it. Coat your hair with a gentle conditioner like the Dove Beautiful Curls Detangling Conditioner and let it sit for a few minutes.

It uses the trifecta of hair-loving ingredients like glycerine, coconut oil and shea butter to hydrate your strands and make sure they don’t break when you go to detangle. It is also free of harsh chemicals like sulphates and parabens making it perfect for coloured or frizzy hair. Just use a wide-toothed comb to run the conditioner through your hair from root to tip. This is a great way to loosen knots and distribute conditioner throughout your tresses. 

Always Comb your Hair from the Bottom 

No, we don’t mean run the comb in the opposite direction aka teasing. One of the greatest ways of damaging your hair is to forcefully try to run a comb through your knots. This can lead to a lot of breakage and hair loss. Instead, to gently untangle those knots, start by combing sections of your hair from the bottom and then move on upward, section by section. 

All of us have found ourselves with a really nasty knot that just refuses to untangle no matter how much force you apply. But don’t pull at it forcefully. Spritzing a little bit of water or serum on the tangle in question will loosen it up and salvage the situation. Being as gentle as you can probably be, keep working slowly to avoid breakage. 

Use your Fingers 

When your brushes don't seem to work on your tangle, let your fingers come to your rescue. To remove tangles without causing breakage, gently pull apart the knots and see them come unravelling. Once you think that the knots have come out, go ahead and use a wide-toothed comb to smoothen things out. 

If you haven’t brushed your hair in a while, please don’t start dry brushing as it will only lead to breakage especially if you have curly hair. Always start with washing your hair using a gentle, moisturising shampoo such as the Dove Beautiful Curls Sulphate Free Shampoo to get rid of oil and dirt buildup on the scalp. Like its conditioner counterpart, it is gentle and uses aloe vera to stop your hair from drying when you shampoo it.  

Warm water also causes your hair cuticles to open up, leading to frizz and breakage. Therefore, it’s essential to rinse your hair with cold water post your hair wash routine. This added step will not only enhance the shine but also reduce frizz and keep tangles at bay.

Serums are like magic potions for tangled manes as it works for curly as well as straight and wavy hair. Applying a hair serum like TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Serum helps soften your strands and overcome tangled hair with ease. The additional camellia oil in this serum helps detangle and fight the frizziness in your hair while adding vibrancy and shine to them. After washing and conditioning your hair, apply the serum to damp or dry hair but make sure to avoid the roots. Then simply run a comb or your fingers through them.

To avoid those irritating hair knots in the first place, it is essential to keep your hair hydrated and moisturised. So, make sure you pamper them by treating your locks with a moisturing hair mask like the Dove Beautiful Curls Deep Moisture Miracle Hair Mask. It will hydrate your hair, improve the shape of your curls and make them soft, shiny and smooth with its triple-moisturising formula. It also helps fight frizz and dryness and detangles your hair easily — giving you the hair of your dreams! Use it at least once a week to keep your hair moisturised and tangle-free.

Q1. What can I do to reduce tangles?  

Vigorously towel drying your hair after each wash is the perfect recipe to aggravate hair dryness and tangles. This is because most towels are made of coarse cotton that sucks all the moisture out of your hair. Plus, all that rubbing causes tremendous amounts of knots and breakage. Instead, pat your hair with a microfibre towel or an old cotton t-shirt. 

Looks like cotton being your hair’s enemy also comes to when you sleep. Your pillow creates friction with your hair that can damage your hair follicles and cause tangles. That’s why it’s advised to avoid cotton pillowcases and switch to satin or silk ones. These cases are smoother against your hair as compared to cotton’s rough texture. 

Q2. How can I comb to untangle knots? 

Always start from the very bottom and slowly move upwards using small gentle strokes. Additionally, avoid yanking the comb through your hair as it can pull at your follicles, damage them and cause too much breakage. The key is to be gentle and never rush. 

Q3. What can I use to untangle my hair safely? 

Other than the usual conditioner, mask and serum for your hair, you can also use a leave-in conditioner as it works wonders when it comes to detangling frizzy and stubborn hair. It also helps protect your hair from any damage that may be caused by the brushing.  

If you often skip washing your hair altogether just because of the detangling that comes post it, we’ve got some good news for you. There is a way to properly condition and prep your hair so that you can later detangle it without a lot of effort or damage. We hope our nifty little tips help you with your tangled hair.