Finger Detangling - How To Go Comb Free For Natural Or Relaxed Hair

I am the ultimate minimalist. If I could find one product that washed, conditioned and styled my hair all in one I would be a happy girl.

While you may never be able to have just one product in your bathroom cabinet for your entire regimen you could at least work on eliminating a few tools such as the comb and brush.

Finger detangling has been all the craze in recent years because of its proven track record of helping women retain more length and reduce breakage caused by using combs and brushes on fragile strands.

The point of detangling is obviously to remove knots and release shed hair so that you can avoid breaking and snapping caused by your hair strands mixing and mingling each other.

There are two options, dry detangling or wet detangling. Both are equally effective and even though Alma has done an experiment on her own hair to show that wet detangling works better for her, you will have to decide which is best for you.

If you have natural or relaxed hair and you want to transition to finger detangling, here is how:

Dry Detangling Natural Hair

Dry detangling natural hair is time consuming, lets just put that out there from the start, so if you have little time this might not be the best choice. Really the only way to get it done thoroughly and with as little breakage as possible would be to work in very small sections.

The next step is to literally go through the section with your fingers patiently and separate strands removing tangles and releasing the shed hair very slowly.

If you find yourself battling a huge knot or a tangle don’t hesitate to add some oil or conditioner to the section to help provide some slip. Once you have finished the section twist or braid it so that it remains detangled and move on to the next.

I find that doing this with a hot cup of cocoa while watching a good movie instead of in front of a mirror is best.

Wet Detangling Natural Hair

Wet finger detangling is easier because you are using conditioner and water to provide plenty of slip which helps immensely in the detangling process.

The procedure remains the same, section the hair into workable section and using a spray bottle wet the section and add your favorite conditioner for slip and proceed to detangle.

Work the section slowly running your fingers down the length of your hair removing knots and tangles as you go along.

Once you are finished, twist the section to keep it from tangling with the rest of the hair and move on to the next section.

Another way to wet detangle involves a little multitasking; hop in the shower and while you get clean use the shower stream to help you remove tangles and knots by running the water directly on each section of hair. It works like a charm.

Kimmaytube of Luv Naturals shows us in this video how easy it can be to finger detangle natural hair when wet.

Dry detangling relaxed hair

Dry detangling relaxed hair is notably easier because the hair is straight, but if you have some new growth you are not exempt from patience and attention to detail. Again separate the hair into small sections and remove all tangles and knots carefully using your ten digits. If for any reason you have a stubborn snag, use some conditioner or oil to add slip to help with removing it.

Wet detangling relaxed hair 

Relaxed hair tends to be quite weak when wet so comb detangling it when it is soaking is not advisable anyway. Finger detangling straight after a deep condition while the hair is still damp has proved successful for many relaxed ladies. Your hair will have tons of slip from the leave in conditioner* which will make things much easier.

It’s worth noting that much like finger detangling wet natural hair, allowing the shower stream to do the majority of the detangling for you might be the more sensible option. You have to rinse your hair anyway so you may as well get the detangling done at the same time!

In this video we see Sdestra finger detangling her relaxed hair.

If you get the hang of finger detangling you might end up actually never using a comb or brush again and length retention will become a breeze. Not to mention that it leaves you more space in your accessories box for more important things!