detangling magic that’ll change your life! (really!)

Ah, the dreaded comb-out.

It’s necessary if you want a braid – fingers need to be able to run through your hair – but honestly, it sucks if you have any kind of wave or curl or fine hair, or have been out in the elements for more than five minutes.

It’s even harder for the kiddos; they can be a bit more tender headed, and swimming in chlorine makes fine hair more prone to changing texture and meshing together – a phenomenon my fellow braiders and I refer to as “cotton candy hair.” So fun!

I’ve spent countless hours detangling hair for braiding, and countless more watching unsuspecting parents’ faces fall when handed a hair pick and asked to please comb through their sweet child’s snarly locks. (You just know when they set out to visit the fair they did not see this as part of their day!)

We braiders tried many methods and products over the years, and most worked fairly well. (See the “Top Tips” box for the very best comb out tricks.) Pantene spray-in conditioner was (and still is) a favorite, and it’s good for softening hairspray; they change the packaging frequently, so you do have to read a lot of labels to find it. There was a phase of misting hair with water and using hair oil blends for natural hair, which worked alright but I don’t recommend except for curly/coily hair. Silicone based leave-ins and most anti-frizz serums worked, too, but could require a lot of product. A lot of spray-in conditioners would for a few minutes and then, not so well (I’m looking at you, ’No More Tears’.)

And then, last fall … Y’all, I found the MAGIC!

A lovely human with amazing curls approached me at my tent at Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Festival, wanting to get a braid, but she was reluctant (and apologizing!) because of her “impossible, dry, curly” hair. She didn’t want to put me through having to deal with it, she said. I told her I could give it a shot – I had an idea to try – and if it turned out to be too much or too uncomfortable we’d stop. She was game, though still apologizing, and sat down in the chair.

I used two specific products: Wet Brush brand brushes, and Sexy Hair’s Vibrant Sexy Hair Rose Elixir dry oil spray. (*There are substitutions that will do the trick nearly as well, more on that in a minute.) I had previously used a Wet Brush on my own hair, and had some of the Rose Elixir on hand for finishing and shine.

I lightly misted her hair, picked up my brush, set to work… and twenty seconds later her hair was soft, combed out and free of tangles. Done. No discomfort. Twenty seconds. Neither one of us could believe it, she was relieved and overjoyed, and she got the braid she was afraid to ask for but always wanted. Win!

I thought it was a fluke .. until the next day it happened again. Another lovely person – this time with tighter curl/ mixed ethnicity hair – was watching her friend get braided and mentioned she’d all but given up on anyone working with her hair because no one knew how.

She let me try my ”new magic,” and though it took a bit longer (a whole minute!) the result was the same: soft, tangle-free, braidable hair, with no pain. She got teary-eyed after – she thought she’d never be able to have her hair done other than up in a bun – and I’ll confess I got a little teared up, too. (It really is the little things.)

After that, everything changed, and the method worked on everyone’s hair: curly, wavy, knotted, wind-matted, damaged, big kids and little kids. Parents want to know how to recreate this miracle (no more tears for real!) and adults stopped talking mid-sentence to ask “what did you just do to my hair?!?” Hair gets detangled, and more importantly – it STAYS detangled. I’ve seen a big positive difference in my own hair (which is wavy, fine, susceptible to humid weather and always put up) and makes washing quicker and easier, with way less breakage.

* I mentioned substitutions: Yes, I have found that other brands have good detangler brushes (I’ve used Conair and Revlon, and there are others out there) and have so far tried one other dry oil, Kenra Dry Oil Conditioning Mist. Two important tips: the bristles on your brush need to have plenty of “give” and your spray needs to mist on lightly. (If you find other products and combos that do the trick and do it well – by all means use them and share the info with us here, in the comments!)

Ask questions if ya got ‘em in the comments (or on my Instagram or Facebook) – and here’s to your happier, more livable hair!

– Best! Kathleen

Quick links to the products, if you can’t find at a retailer or see me in person; they’re affiliate links, so I get pennies for the penny jar if you click them, and there’s no extra cost to you.