by
Cipriana
By Cipriana of Urbanbushbabes.com
Ah the age-old burning question…how exactly do I finger detangle? Well all jokes aside perhaps not an age-old question but a burning question nevertheless that I have been asked time and time again. So lets get down to it! How exactly do I finger detangle so efficiently that I am able to run a comb through my hair afterwards without any tangles or knots along the way… Trial and Error. Yes my friends, to put it simply, the method I use today was found through trial and error. But the hardships I’ve experienced have lead me to a finger detangling process that reaps the most benefits for my hair.
Initially I had no clue how to finger detangle and I soon learned if not done thoroughly and properly, finger detangling can lead to locing of the strands and breakage. The locing I experienced was so extreme that it eventually lead to another big chop. After that fiasco I came to understand that there is a lot to finger detangling — especially for kinky hair textures — and not taking all the proper precautions can lead to frequent problems.
Today the way I finger detangle my strands has contributed to drastically more length, density and far less split ends. Stay with me as I discuss my 10 step finger detangling process.
The curlier the hair the more fragile it is because at every curling point along the strand is a potential point of breakage. By adding water to the equation tension is increased as your hair absorbs the weight of the water. Now all your potential points of breakage are even more fragile. Now I must say that dry detangling works differently depending on an individual’s porosity LINK, individual strand density and texture, but I have found that my extremely fine and kinky textured hair responds successfully to dry detangling.
When some individuals think of dry finger detangling they think in literal terms of “DRY”. How you define dry finger detangling is of course entirely up to you but my definition means no use of water and heavy use of oils. Oils and butters add slip, which is essential for a successful dry finger detangling experience.
The finer and curlier your hair is the more beneficial it will be for you to stretch you hair beforehand. Stretching will create less shrinkage, enabling you to remove tangles more easily since the strands do not curl right back up on themselves. Curly/unstretched hair makes fishing out knots more difficult and creates further tangles. The night before I plan to dry finger detangle I usually stretch my 150 loose twists with bantu knots or braids. Remember the bantu knot or braid should be firm but not tight especially when you are stretching tangled strands.
25 Responses
Paradise In Home Care is literally one superior residential care supplier. See how these people can aid your partner to exist happier.
Hair Improvement-a blessing!
sounds like you use A LOT of oils. Doesn’t it stain your clothes?
i recently started using finger detangling combined with using a good detangling spray before i wash my hair to loosen all knots and snags. I finger detangle once the detangling spray has sat in my hair for a few minutes and i follow up with a wide tooth comb bc i shed like CRAZY!Its almost scary the amount of hair i shed everytime i finger detangle. I justify not panicking or bursting into teasr by reminding myself i dont comb my hair all week to avoid too much manipulation.On a rare occassion i try mid-week to spray and detangle but so far its usually only duing wash day i comb or touch my hair in any way so i tell myself its natural shedding over 7-8 days and its nothing 2 be overly concerned about…maybe im just fooling myself but even when i had a perm i shed A LOT of hair. I usually had to sweep the bathroom when i was done blowdrying or flat ironing bc it was kinda obvious there was hair ALL over the place.Finger detangling seems to minimize my tendecy to rip thru tangles with a comb…i assume its a good thing so i will continue to use this method. Any advcie would be welcome!
hey, karen so coincidental. i just came back from getnitg a trim (bags included) and was talking with my stylist about maybe coloring my hair. mind you, no dye has touched my hair for at least three years and i don’t have any greys even tho i’m firmly ensconced in my thirties (knock on wood). my stylist said that if anything, i should do highlights, but once i start, i won’t be able to stop. that was enough to convince me to leave my color as is, even tho, like you, i’m tempted to give myself a reason to try the new shampoos, conditioners and other products that sound really great for colored hair. i guess i should just be happy that i’m free of greys and my hair color is actually kinda pretty and save the hair coloring money for more mac or my gym membership. =P
When I saw 10 steps and 150 twists, this method freaked me completely out! How long does this take? I think a video would help explain, as this sounds extremely complicated and tedious. I have many questions, but my first is at Step 1 (dry hair): how do you get to dry hair without detangling? Feels chicken/egg-ish (I need to detangle my hair to dry it but I need it dry in order to detangle???). Help.
“how do you get to dry hair without detangling?”
You detangle before shampooin–Your hair is “dry” (not soaking wet like after a wash).
I love finger-detangling for my medium length (10-11 inches), afro-textured hair. Before shampooing, I section my dry stretched hair into 12 parts, apply conditioner and/or oil to a section, finger-detangle and then two-strand twist it. It takes about 45 minutes to an 1 hour to do my whole head.
Here are some finger-detangling tutorials from YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A63jWC0GYEI
The first video you linked is my go to video when people ask for a video. I had never seen the other two and they are both really good too, great choices!:)
Ditto, I’d love to see a tutorial on how she accomplishes it. Of course not the whole thing because I’m sure it takes hours if not days, but if she could do a small section that’d be greatly appreciated.
Scary. I would not want to deal with that much hair or the dry detangling process.
I always detangle after a DC, I don’t have the patience to dry detangle. I usually apply a conditioner leave it for 30 minutes with or without heat then finger comb in sections then comb through (only time I use a comb and I really miss it) twist my hair into sections and rinse, I only shampoo once a month, then a black tea rinse.
My hair is only 8″ reaching to my bottom lip, I just want shoulder length hair, about 14″ that is more than enough for me.
I saw a tip on this from male style icon on here recently, so I’ve started finger detangling in the shower. Since I moved to Holland, my hair is less pliable and I lose a lot of hair in the shower. So far, with finger detangling, I don’t lose any more hair than I do using a comb. The big advangage is that it’s faster and doesn’t stress my scalp.
I’ll have to try the oil for slippage and detangle from the roots. The oil especially already sounds like it will be effective.
From what I understand… and do: The vertical detangling is holding the strands vertically and raking your fingers in that direction, from the scalp, down in the direction of the shoulder.
The horizontal method is holding and raking the strands with your fingers in the direction of your nose.
Essentially, with both methods, you’re finger-raking your hair in both directions to ensure that all tangles are removed.
I think a video tutorial would be best to describe this method. Especially, because there are many steps!
I am confused about the vertical and horizontal thing, too…
HGHG
video, Video, VIDEO! 🙂
please.
I would like to see a video too.
Your hair looks amazing. I’m so sad that I falied in coming to see you during my break. I still have the cutest present for your princess, but I’m scared it might be too small now due to my failure. We need to get together soon!!!!
Thanks for breakingit down but I would also like to see a video to get a better idea.
I still don’t understand the horizontal and vertical detangling
Great article, I do this too after my hair has been hidden away in any protective style. I do add conditioner and oils after I have done the whole finger detangling thing and glide a comb through before washing. Its good to see that with a little more patience I could actually cut it- comb- out of my routine.
This is pretty cool. I finger detangle all the time. In fact, I never use anything other than my fingers to detangle my hair! Thanks for posting! Check out my blog you might like it! lifeofablackgirl.wordpress.com
Thank you! Finally a real break down. SO often on these sites advice is given but not broken down, which could lead to misunderstandings and dangerous hair care practices. Thanks so much for the thorough explanation.
I would love to see a video of his becasue i cannot phathom this beiing succesful on my EXTREMEly thick. Question though…do you detangle, wash, then detangle again? I am trying to figure out how to wash hair without it tangling again..and yes i do wash in braided/twisted sections.
After two years of trial and error..I detangle before I wash my hair. I do not detangle afterwards (I shower in loose braids)…any tangling that occurs during the wash is minimal (inconsequential) and will be detangled the following week. Natural hair is (almost) never perfectly straight without intertwining hairs. That is what curly hair is…instead we try to prevent really truly knotted hair that will break.
great tip!
Can I just say what a relief to find soeomne who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to read this and understand this side of the story. I cant believe youre not more popular because you definitely have the gift.