Finger detangling vs Hair Tools

 

When it comes to detangling there are varying opinions on the use of hair tools versus finger detangling.  I have seen a lot of naturals who swear you should avoid tools.  I don’t believe in all or nothing.    In my opinion, it depends on your hair.  I rarely use any tools to detangle my hair.  However, when I part my hair I use a comb.  Additionally, when I unbraid it from a protective style I tend to see more tangles and must use a comb to remove the built-up shed hair.

 

With the use of Hello Hydration Conditioner, I can use my fingers and pull through my curls.  When I find a two-strand knot I use more conditioner and work the knot between two fingers.  I slowly separate the strands that I can free and wiggle them out of out my naturally curly hair.

 

While finger detangling works great for my 4a fine hair It isn’t even an option for my mixed daughter’s 3b and 3c hair.  I have been in situations where their hair has gotten beyond dry and matted and I am nervous that I won’t be able to get it revived.  With time, I learned to positively approach this task with patience and gentleness.

Dry vs Wet Detangling

We have tried dry detangling and it is not for us.  They are more likely to say it hurts, I hear strands pop and break as I move the comb through the dry strands.  Before we get into our toolbox I’ll start by saying we do our best detangling with clean and conditioned hair that is saturated.  For more on our wash routine check out this post.

Top hair tools to manage mixed kid’s hair

After we apply our setting products, we separate the hair into four sections with hair clips.  This makes a labor intense task feel more manageable.  And if your last style had parts involved the hair will naturally fall into those sections again.  That’s when we start with our #1 tool

 

  1. Wide Tooth Comb– look for a quality comb that does not have seams that will grab strands and pull out the hair.

 

After we have used the wide tooth comb and gone from the ends to the roots in each of the sections we go over the hair with our #2 tool the Wet Brush.

 

  1. The Wet Brush–  is amazing for curly hair.  The bristles have this flexible technology that allows them to move through your curls without causing friction or breakage.

 

Although we begin with saturated hair, as we proceed through our detangling process the hair starts to dry.  #3 will come in handy.  We absolutely love, our misting spray bottles.  We have them in every bathroom.

 

  1. Misting Water Bottle–  We add oil and aromatherapy to them; some are just filled with water.  This is a must-have.

 

Now the hair is all detangled and ready to rock your next style.  If you need inspiration for styling here are 4 protective style options.  For all our hairstyles, we use a rat tail comb to part the hair.

 

  1. I’m still perfecting my parts but the rattail comb is essential to attempting a straight part.

After our initial styling, we maintain the look by using a little gel to smooth down the edges of the hair as it frizzes.  Our braided styles can typically last the work week.    Our daily maintenance includes spritzing and laying down the edges in the mornings with #5.

 

  1. Soft Bristle Brush– Good for smoothing and gathering hair into protective styles.

 

These are the tools we use in our toolbox of hair products.  Let us know what your must-have tools are and if we need to add anything to our arsenal.