How to Shampoo Relaxed Hair Without Tangles or Breakage

One thing that always made me dread washing my hair was the tangles I would get. Especially when I had two textures on my head - natural and relaxed. When my hair tangled, I would spend a lot of time sectioning my hair and carefully detangling each section, trying to not damage my hair any more than necessary. I wasn't always successful.

The sad thing is that because my hair would tangle after I shampooed it more often than not, I didn't think about it and thought it was normal for my hair. Boy, was I wrong. My hair was telling me something.

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What those tangles were telling me was that my hair was damaged. Especially the outer layer. When the outer layer of the hair strand is damaged, it opens up, allowing it to catch or snap with other strands, causing tangles. And tangles can lead to hair breakage and unwanted haircuts.

Until the damage to my hair was corrected, I needed to find some way to keep my hair from tangling and getting even more damaged. Through trial and error, research, and patience, I was able to find three techniques that would help me avoid the crazy tangles my hair was experiencing.

1. Detangle before I wash my hair

By detangling before I wash my hair, I'm removing the chance of any tangles becoming worse or potential tangles becoming actual tangles. This also allows the water to easily flow through my hair, which helps keep it detangled during the wash and allows all the product to rinse out.

When I detangle, I start by dividing my hair into sections. Usually about four total. I then coat each section with a conditioner or detangler. This allows my fingers and the comb to glide more easily through my hair. First, I finger-detangle section-by-section, starting from the ends. I then follow up by using my wide-tooth comb. My comb of choice is the Hercules Sagemann Seamless Comb.

 

2. Wash hair in braids or twists

This may seem odd, but it really does help. After detangling each section, I loosely braid or twist each section and clip each one to the top of my head. The braids or twists keep my hair in place, so strands aren't rubbing against each other and getting tangled.

The braids and twists also help me to easily wash my hair in sections without the strands rubbing against each other or re-tangling.

3. Use products with slip

Throughout my wash day, I use products that help me glide my fingers and comb through my hair. This applies to the detanglers and conditioners I use throughout the wash. 

What are your techniques for avoiding tangles when you wash your hair?