Tangle Busters!

Tangles, matting and single-strand knots are the bane of my existence and while I've come to accept that it might not be possible to completely eradicate them that hasn't stopped me from trying.

Over the last 2 years I've stumbled upon a few game changers in my war against tangles, knots and ssk's.  I rarely get ssk's and knots anymore and I accredit it to these methods/products.  My hair still tangles but the ones I do get are easy to undo as opposed to the monster matted tangles of yesteryear.

So without further ado, say hello to my little friends:

1.  Washing, Conditioning and Air drying in Sectioned Braids/Twists - If you're not yet sick of me talking about working on hair in sections you will be.  This method has made detangling so easy for me, consequently reducing the time and stress that goes along with it.

2.  Pre-detangling with "Slippy" Products:

Behold the magical slippery awesomeness that is Africas Best Kids Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Shea Butter Detangling Lotion, (Whew! what a mouthful). 

On the rare occasion that I come across a knot or tangle that the aforementioned product can't quite loosen up I use this as back up:

Tangles, knots and ssk's bow down!  No tangle is a match for this stuff.  As soon as this deep treatment hits my hair I can literally pull the tangles apart until they are no more.  I generally do not believe in "magic" products, in fact when it comes to hair I feel technique and handling far outweigh the good that any product could do.  However, there are exceptions to every rule and for my fine, kinky strands this is one of them.  The only catch is it does have cones which some hair enthusiasts are heavily opposed to, (In my defense, I use it to detangle prior to shampooing my hair so I don't suffer any build up from it).  

3.  Oils:

If you are 100% cone free you may want to consider using oils that have a lot of slip.  Sesame, Sunflower, olive and castor oils all give me the best slip, especially when combined.  Surprisingly, coconut oil does not give me enough slip to undo some of the tangles my hair is capable of.  I remedy this by blending it with any or all of the previously mentioned oils. 

Lately, I've implemented heavy oiling into my regimen/routine and it has cut down my ssk's tremendously.  I really have to search far and wide to find those little suckers now.  If you find yourself battling with single-strand knots you may want to give heavy oiling a try.  I will talk a little bit more about it in a future post so keep your ears and eyes peeled.