-Whether your hair is relaxed or natural, detangling takes patience and a gentle touch. Water, thick conditioner, and your own fingers will all help you separate knots and tangles without causing damage.
-Using your fingers, divide your hair into convenient sections. If you have long hair, twist it into four or more sections. If you have shorter hair, use hair clips instead. Either way, treat your hair as gently as possible. Wash one section at a time, and clip or twist it again once done. Smooth your hair back until it feels fully wet. Gently apply the shampoo or other washing treatment in a smoothing motion from scalp to tip. Massage the scalp with your fingertips, then wash thoroughly with water. Tilt your head back and wash in the direction your hair falls to reduce tangling. If your hair is very tangled when wet, consider taking a wide tooth comb in the shower to help loosen knots carefully. Being too rough or using a brush may split ends shorter or cause damage.
-Section by section, saturate your hair with a conditioner that has plenty of "slip." A conditioner with good slip makes it easy for your hair strands to slide past each other, practically undoing tangles by themselves. Detangler conditioners, hair mayonnaise, or other creamy conditioners generally work best. You may need to try several to find one that works on your hair type. Whenever applying conditioner, focus on the ends of the hair, the oldest and most easily damaged area.
-Cover your conditioner-coated hair with a plastic cap. Leave on for 10–20 minutes to allow your hair to absorb the oils. Let out one section of your hair. Detangle as much as possible with your fingers. Do not use force If your hair starts to dry out, add more water. The weight of the water pulls your hair downward, lengthening curls and making them less likely to tangle.
-If your fingers can't do the job, move on to a seamless wide-toothed comb or a widely spaced, rubber bristled brush (such as a Denman brush). Start from the ends, gradually combing from higher points as the hair detangles. After detangling each section, the hair should be braided, twisted, or hair clipped in such a way that it won't tangle back up.
