How to detangle relaxed hair

[Nix08]

afroette was that your first time finger detangling?

 

[afroette]

Nix08, no it wasn't. I began a few weeks ago. I probably am not doing it correctly.

 

[Nix08]

afroette how many weeks post relaxer are you....it becomes more challenging as we get more ng. Were you successful in the previous weeks?

 

[KiWiStyle]

i detangle on wash days after i condition. i've tried doing it in the shower under running water as many others do but that doesn't work for me. instead, i deep condition, rinse and apply my leave-ins (paul mitchell the conditioner leave in + jane carter nourish and shine) and detangle with a wide tooth comb. hope that is helpful. i'm sure others will chime in.

Yep, this is when and how I detangle as well.

 

[Evolving78]

i finger comb with some oil first to remove some shed hairs before i wash/dc. afterwards, i use Mane and Tail detangler and use a wave/double tooth detangling comb. it takes me 30 mins if i go really slow. i thing i might finger detangle first and then go behind with the comb.

 

[Evolving78]

Even though I finger combed and combed my hair after washing last night, I still had knots and hair stuck together this morning. Le sigh.

afroette
get a detangler like Mane and Tail and always work from the bottom. what shampoo and conditioner are you using that is causing your hair to knot? you may need to finger/dry detangle with oil first and wash in sections.

 

[Evolving78]

afroette, make sure the nape is properly detangled before washing and then be gentle with that area during your wash session. This should help minimize the tangles. The more you agitate the hair with the scrubbing motion, the more you are at risk for tangles.

yep and you should focus on your scalp only. i barely put shampoo on my hair and sometimes i use an applicator bottle. i just focus on my scalp only and when i rinse, i let the shampoo run down. that's how my strands get clean. i rinse for a long time too.

oh and i have a part down the middle (front crown area). i don't wash my hair all going back anymore either. that helps a lot!

 

[afroette]

Nix08, no, I wasn't successful, but I made a better effort last night.

shortdub78, I will try finger combing with oil prior to. I don't comb my hair prior to washing. I use a shampoo by Sizta2Sizta and I DC with MT (no heat) before shampooing and then DC with AOHSR (with heat) after shampooing. If that doesn't work, I'll look into Mane & Tail. I'm trying to control my compulsive shopping habit!

ETA: I am 8 weeks post relaxer, going for 10 weeks due to my schedule.

 

[divachyk]

It takes me a LONG time to finger detangle. I be 'bout to throw in the towel but I think of Nix08 and her great success so I stick with it.

 

[abcd09]

@Nix08, no, I wasn't successful, but I made a better effort last night.

@shortdub78, I will try finger combing with oil prior to. I don't comb my hair prior to washing. I use a shampoo by Sizta2Sizta and I DC with MT (no heat) before shampooing and then DC with AOHSR (with heat) after shampooing. If that doesn't work, I'll look into Mane & Tail. I'm trying to control my compulsive shopping habit!

ETA: I am 8 weeks post relaxer, going for 10 weeks due to my schedule.

Are you saying you're DCing with Megatek??

This may be unpopular, but I used to get a ton of mats and knots (so bad I'd have to cut some out) all throughout my head until I started using the chicoro prepoo and rinsing that out with Borax since January. I could not go past 3 months with a relaxer, but that method helped me stretch to 6 months. I poured in on my new growth and stroked it in one direction. My new growth would loosen, and this never ever happens Always tangle free now. I tried without the boraz one time and my hair tangled again. I love this stuff.

 

[Nix08]

It takes me a LONG time to finger detangle. I be 'bout to throw in the towel but I think of @Nix08 and her great success so I stick with it.

yes divachyk stick with it...I know you can do it Best to start on freshly relaxed hair though....

 

[divachyk]

Great vid on finger combing.

I'm following this method and I'm pleased. I follow up with a comb to knock loose any shed hairs that I've missed. So far this method is working. I get limited breakage. That I do get is due to getting tired and not following proper technique. This has made cowashing and post-cowashing detangling a breeze. *knock on wood*

 

[hillytmj]

I do most of it underneath the faucet. My hair is loaded with condish, and then as I rinse it out I gently "wiggle" a wide-tooth comb through it. The water pressure definitely helps so I don't have to do a lot of pulling. I also do this process in sections.

That takes out the majority of the tangles. Once I'm out the tub, I apply my setting lotion and very gently detangle with the same wide tooth comb. There's not that many tangles at this point, but I do that in preparation for rollersetting.

I used to detangle on dry hair, but it caused excess shedding for me. I smooth may hair into four sections and keep smoothing to eliminate any shed hairs. Then I proceed with the method I described above.

 

[afroette]

Great vid on finger combing.

I'm following this method and I'm pleased. I follow up with a comb to knock loose any shed hairs that I've missed. So far this method is working. I get limited breakage. That I do get is due to getting tired and not following proper technique. This has made cowashing and post-cowashing detangling a breeze. *knock on wood*

thanks for the link. her hair style looks ridiculous...

 

[Evolving78]

i finger detangled yesterday and my hair ended up air drying in the process. it made me not want to roller set. but i think i got one broken hair in the process. i'll just keep a spray bottle on hand.

 

[ThickRoot]

Thank you OP this is a good topic. Far from having this mastered and I think this is my greatest hold back. But for me I think the best method is detangling with my fingers using something like QB's Ghee. So I'm usually detangled before water hits my hair.

 

[sunnieb]

Sanity - This is the thread I was thinking of.