3 New Ways to Stop Breakage While Shower Detangling…And No We're Not Talking Pre-poo

Everyone has tips for reducing breakage while detangling: using a pre-poo to soften the hair, detangling starting from the ends and working toward the roots, and of course using conditioners and detanglers with tons of slip. Those are old news, but here are more ways to get through your detangling session with even less breakage, regardless of if you opt to use your fingers or a comb.

Smooth your hair before combing

After stepping in the shower, allow your hair to become fully saturated with water under the shower stream. This will help to detangle while elongated your curls. Depending on the density of your hair, this can take time (2-5 min.”> so be patient. Then, part your hair in their respective sections. Before you apply shampoo to the first section, begin to smooth your hair between your palms in a downward motion, encouraging some of the loose hair to be released and moving some of the tangles toward the end of the hair. Doing this shifts most of the tangles toward the ends instead of being throughout the section. This has certainly decreased the amount of breakage that I experience so give it a try.

Read more: The ABC’s of Detangling Knots

Use shampoos that doesn’t cause your hair to retract

Now you’re probably wondering how I was able to shampoo without detangling first. Well, it all depends on the shampoo. Find a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo that does not cause your hair to retract and tangle. This is another way to decrease breakage, because you are not encouraging your hair to retract on top of the tangles and knots that are already there. In addition to reducing breakage, you are also saving time, product, and money because you do not have to detangle, shampoo, and deep condition. Now you can merge your detangling with your deep conditioning process. Here are cleansers that help elongate your curls and coils to reduce tangles.

• SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo
• Elaine Peppermint Lavender Shampoo
• Curluxe Jojoba Mint Cleansing Tea

Squeeze in conditioner before shingling

This is a small, but helpful tip. When I use to apply conditioners, moisturizers, and leave-in conditioners after cleansing, I would take product from the container and finger comb it in my hair. Now, I squeeze down the length of hair and then shingle starting from the ends and working up toward the roots. Applying product down the length of the hair will ensure that the strands are well lubricated before adding tension from manipulation.

Being mindful of the cleanser that you are using and adjusting your technique can make all the difference.

How do you decrease breakage while detangling your curls?

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