Expert Advice on How to Detangle Matted Hair without Cutting

If you have long or fine hair, there are chances you’re going to deal with tangles. Handling tangles can even become more difficult after spending your summer at the pool or at the beach that has got chlorine or saltwater.

Getting patient with your hair is one way to effectively deal with tangles without causing more damage. You also need a daily schedule whereby you professionally apply conditioning products.

a woman touching her hair

If your hair turns out to be miserably tangled, attempt a moisturizing oil or deep conditioner before you surrender to a short hairstyle. Leave the hair treatment for 60 minutes, or overnight, your hair must be able to untangle easily.

Combing alone can become challenging, but it will become substantially less painful and more successful than doing it without hair treatment. Here are the tips on how to detangle matted hair without cutting.

Section 1: Products

1. Select a hair treatment. Standard conditioner merits giving it a try if you haven’t as of now. But if the hair is seriously tangled, you might need to depend on another alternative.

Deep conditioners are incredible at restoring hair moisture and making tangles simpler to untie. On the other hand, detangling conditioners are mainly used to add slip.

For afro-finished hair, you can use coconut oil, Moroccan argan oil, or olive oil. If you don’t like the vibe of these oils on your hair, you can give the hair detangling spray a try.

  • Some people utilize mayonnaise, which may cause an upsetting smell, plus it’s less viable as compared to other alternatives. 

2. Slightly wet your hair. Dampen it with a spray of water bottle or under the shower. Most treatments of hair can moisten your hair; however, don’t allow it to become dripping wet since it will become vulnerable to breakage.

3. Rub a handful of treatment on your hair. You may use two handfuls if your hair grows beyond your shoulders. Thoroughly, apply the treatment to various hair parts, including the ends. Separately, rub it on individual hair segments and not your whole scalp at once. That way, you avert from tangling the hair more.

4. Wait as the treatment operates on your hair. If you’re utilizing a normal conditioner, it will complete moisturizing the hair after some minutes. Coconut oil, among other related oils, ought to be given 30 minutes or more for the optimum effect.

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But don’t exceed 2 hours. As per the packaging instructions, deep conditioners vary, but they’re ordinarily left for one hour or more. For extreme cases, you can leave them overnight.

  • To retain tidy hair, wear a plastic bag or plastic shower cap and fasten it with a hairband. Alternatively, a tight-fitting cap over the plastic can assist in speeding up the procedure. 

5. Unravel the easiest bunches using your fingers. After the hair treatment has become effective, try to pull the tangled segments apart delicately. Loose mats or small knots can, at times, be maneuvered into smaller and separate tangles. Start from the knot’s root side closer to your scalp.

  • Don’t expect to unravel your hair at this stage completely. If you feel pressure, stop, and attempt a different tangled part. 

Section 2: Combing

1. Utilize a wide-toothed brush. A comb with widely spaced, sturdy teeth is essential for brushing out extreme tangles. Fine brushes and combs are probably going to face much resistance, constraining you to either pull the hair clumps or stop brushing.

  • Ensure you pick a comb without extremely wide teeth to prevent smaller tangles from slipping through. 

2. Comb the endings first. For tangled hair, always comb beginning close to the ends. Put the comb some inches or several centimeters from the finishes and comb downwards. Repeat until the hair section is free of tangles, before moving the brush slightly higher. Repeat the steps until you brush the whole hair. For thick or long, severely matted hair, the process can take one hour or more.

3. Hold the hair higher up to avert pain. If you’ve got a delicate scalp, hold an area of your hair while you comb it. Grasp a hair portion approximately the thickness of a glue or marker stick between your fingers. Offer it a half-twist to restrain the brush from pulling straight on the scalp. Brush this part of hair underneath your hand, shifting your hold higher after the beneath hair is effectively untangled.

4. Apply extra conditioner or oil if it’s vital. Apply an oil drop or conditioner to tough knots and rub them using your fingers. This will aid grease up those hair strands more, reducing their clinging to each other.

Professional Hair Stylist Tip

Utilize a moisturizing conditioner or an oil-based serum at the back or nape of your neck. Saturate the roots using the product, and then start delicately pulling knots apart with your fingers. Split your hair parts and utilize a broad-toothed comb to operate your way up, combing and separating the knots as you work around them.

5. Thin the stubborn mats using scissors. If the hair mat doesn’t fall apart despite your efforts, you’ll have to thin them. With a pair of scissors, hold your hair tightly with the other hand. Run the sharp base edge of the scissors along the tangled underside. Gently tug your hair to expel loose strands. 

  • If the last time your hair was combed was several weeks or months, trimming mats out might be your best choice, since you can spend hours of detangling without any outcomes. 

6. Utilize a broad-toothed comb until you straighten the severe tangles and mats. Then employ a fine-toothed brush or comb to finish the task. This should remove all the remaining small knots.

7. Wash your hair and thoroughly rinse any treatments once you’ve unwound it. If your hair is tightly coiled, the severe mats must be separated by now to permit you to part the hair adequately. Clip each section to keep them discrete and rinse one at a go.

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Section 3: Prevention

1. Utilize a leave-in conditioner. You can leave them in your hair for several hours at a time. They’ll sustain moisture and minimize frizzling and fraying that can happen in case your hair dries out.

2. Brush your damp hair and not when it’s soaked. Too dry hair becomes hard and brittle to brush. However, wet hair is weak and can be accidentally pulled out easily.

3. Loosely braid the hair before sleeping. In case you wake up with tangling hair, braid it before you leave for bed. This reduces any tangling that can take place as you sleep. Alternatively, you can put the hair within a bun.

4. Separate the simple tangled hair before you wash it. If you’ve afro-textured hair or another kind of tangled hair, divide it into various segments, and clasp them to keep them separated. Unclip each part in turn when washing your hair, and clasp them back together prior to unclipping another section. This minimizes the forming of larger mats.

  • A mellow, low-sudsing cleanser without sodium lauryl sulfate is prescribed for this kind of hair. 

Summarizing: How to Detangle Matted Hair without Cutting

1. Brush the Tangles before Washing It  

The best method to avert knots and tangles in the shower is by completely brushing your hair before washing it. Segment your hair off by beginning from the base where most tangles and knots are, proceeding to work up. Attempt to abstain from utilizing brushes with plastic balls on the finishes. Such brushes might pull on your strands and cause damage.

2. Use a Pre-Shampoo Conditioner

Work on matted hair or stubborn tangles as you apply conditioner in the shower prior to shampooing. Use a hydrating conditioner initially on the endings and comb through using a broad-toothed brush. Next, apply cleanser only to your hair roots. Wash out the cleanser and conditioner together.

Proceed with a deep conditioner in case your hair needs additional TLC. You can add Marula oil to your conditioner or include a masque for an additional layer of dampness. Besides, it will cause your hair to have a fantastic smell and touchy feeling throughout the day.

3. Set up Your Hair for Chlorine

Does your summer plan incorporate making a beeline for the pool or seashore? Ideally, you get the hair wet before hopping in chlorine or saltwater. Make it a stride further by completely wetting down the hair and sifting the conditioner through it.

This will aid in limiting the measure of salt and chlorine that your hair assimilates. These can cause dryness and breakage. Your hair will initially retain the freshwater, significantly stopping beach or chlorine water from penetrating the hair.

4. Buy a High-Quality Detangler

Profoundly hydrating creams and oils are the most ideal for battling tangled tresses. Before combing or brushing through your hair, ensure you apply a leave-in or detangler conditioner first. One of those recommended is Oribe’s Run-Through Detangling Primer. It will prime your hair for guaranteed glide-through combing, leaving your hair strands sleek delicate. The product is also gluten-free, cruelty-free, and vegan-free. 

how to detangle matted hair without cutting it

5. Invest in the proper Detangling Tools

One of the most crucial steps to handling tangled hair is getting the right tools. The tools will seamlessly work via the knots even with no detangler. Tangle Teezer detangling brush is one of the amazing tools that you should shop.

It can instantly detangle dry or wet hair, making styling easier, pain-free, and quicker. There are numerous varieties for your hair texture and type. Thus, go for the one that suits your necessities.

This guideline must have given you a clear insight into how to detangle matted hair without cutting.