How to Beat Hair Tangles

Whether you have long hair or have hair extensions, dealing with unruly hair can be a nightmare, especially if your hair becomes tangled.

A slight bit of tangling in longer hair is completely normal but there are ways to prevent spending hours trying to smoothen any knots out.

If you have hair extensions fitted and tangling occurs, it can be for various reasons, including a buildup of product (i.e not washing your shampoo fully out), frequent use of hot tools, or not using the recommended hair products for your extensions - it should always be sulphate and silicone free.

RECOMMENDED HAIR PRODUCTS AND TOOLS

Products with sulphates or silicon are a big no no if you want to keep your hair healthy. Sulphates will dry your hair out causing it to become brittle, and silicon coats the hair creating a buildup of product causing the hair to feel heavy and eventually look dull.

Make sure that you are using a heat resistant product before applying heat on your hair. This includes using a UV spray especially on warmer days.

DEEP TREATMENT

Dry hair is the usual culprit of tangling hair. It is important to use a deep treatment at least once a week to keep your hair moisturised. With things like heating, air conditioning, pollution, chemicals etc. most people's hair are on the dryer side and therefore need to make sure that you are putting back lost moisture.

Also long hair is essentially dead hair and if your hair is long you need to treat it with respect. The same applies to hair extensions. The strands aren't attached to your scalp and will not be benefiting from the natural oils the scalp produces, and therefore will need extra help by using a deep treatment.

BRUSHING

This is one of the most important steps when you have long hair or hair extensions. The best way to brush is using either a loop brush or tangle teazer, starting at the ends of the hair working your way up. This will help brush out any tangles and also prevent breakage.

It's a good idea to pop a brush into your handbag especially if you are wearing it down.

*Brushing your hair before washing it will also help your hair be more manageable.

WASHING

Always make sure that you are rinsing your hair fully to get all of the shampoo out of the hair. Even a tiny bit left on the scalp will start to irritate and cause itching.

Once ready to be dried, don't ever rub the hair - this will cause fiction and breakage, gently squeeze the hair using a soft towel or t-shirt.

BEDTIME

Never go to bed with wet hair - it is at its most fragile when wet and this will easily cause breakage. Braiding your hair at night in a loose braid will keep your hair from tangling, or a low ponytail will also work. You can also swap your pillow cases for silk ones as they minimise friction.