Why Finger Detangling Your Fine 4c Natural Hair is best

Thorough, meticulous finger detangling is to a large extent the reason my hair is the length that it is!

It takes crazy long, but the returns are incredibly high.

Of all the steps I go through in maintaining my hair, detangling is by far my most dreaded! And I’m pretty sure you, as a natural with 4c hair, can relate!

Thing is, it just takes too long and to be quite honest it is time I’d rather be spending with my family or doing other things!

But it has worked for me and I’ve stuck with it over the years. If you are unsure about how to detangle, or perhaps you think you haven’t been doing it right, then keep reading.

If you are struggling with length retention, you need to read this!

If you are new to this whole natural hair thing and are wondering what the hold-up is, well let me tell you, Sis..!

What does it mean to detangle natural hair?

What is detangling? Google says it is to “remove tangles from (hair)”. What are tangles? Google again says “a confused mass of something twisted together”. So, when we speak of detangling natural hair we speak of removing a confused mass of twists our coily natural hair managed to create!

How to detangle natural hair

There are generally two main approaches to detangling natural hair – detangling with a tool and detangling with fingers.

Detangling with tools

Detangling with with a tool comprises using a wide-tooth comb or some tool specially designed for detangling natural hair e.g. tangle teaser.

A wide-tooth comb is recommended because, unlike a comb with the narrower teeth, it won’t strain your tight coils too much.

Now, I’ve tried the wide-tooth comb method, but it just didn’t work for me. There is just too much resistance from my tight coils that if I were to pull all the way through the comb would definitely break my hair.

I have not tried the tangle teaser and the like – my hair is fragile and those fine bristles scare me. For people with looser textures, tools for detangling work beautifully.

Detangling with fingers

The other approach is finger detangling which I am an advocate for.

There are different techniques within this approach. There’s one where you focus on a section and start detangling from the ends to the roots. This technique has never worked for me, especially for thorough detangling.

The one that has allowed me retain my length is where I meticulously detangle from the roots to the ends.

I work in manageable sections, apply products with slip. Slip is a property in a product that allows hair strands to easily glide away from each other.

I am patient, very careful and take my time. One would swear I’m separating one strand at a time (trust me I’m not)… that’s how thorough I am. Let me share with you some finger detangling tips!

8 Tips for finger detangling

1. Be in the mood.

Don’t handle your hair when you are tired or frustrated or experiencing any other negative emotions.

Not being in the right state of mind will cause you to be impatient with your hair and you will most likely rip out hair when it comes to the more challenging parts of detangling, aka knots!

2. Work in smaller sections.

This helps to make the whole process manageable. Also, I never have a block of time dedicated to detangling my entire head at one go.

So, working in sections helps me break the block of time I would have needed into smaller times. This helps me pace myself and to get on with other things of life.

3. Start from the back of the head.

You can start anywhere really. This is for when you don’t finish in one session (as is often the case for me) and have longer hair, starting from the back allows me to hide the work in progress by tying it at the back.

4. Apply generous amount of conditioner with slip.

Get a conditioner with as much slip as possible. This will make the hair agreeable to being detangled and will help you work easier and faster. My favourite detangle is the one by Creme of Nature, it has tons of slip. Silicones are high up the ingredients list so no wonder. Silicones, we’ll talk about those on a other post.

5. Carefully unravel knots.

Some knots can be completely unravelled without breaking any hair. You’ll find that the knot was caused by a shed hair that trapped all the other hairs involved. Other knots cannot be completely untied but through careful unravelling by pulling hair strands away from the knot, many of those strands can be salvaged.

6. Have your scissors ready.

For the knot that cannot be fully untied, use a pair of hair shears to snip it off. Do not yank the knot off, that will cause more damage.

7. Twist/braid hair after detangling each section.

So as to not have your hair “twisted into a confused mass” again make sure you twist or braid your hair as you finish a section, this will help maintain the untangled state of your hair.

8. When you get tired, stop.

After you’ve made headway and are feeling tired, stop! This is in line with point number 1. You need to be in the right frame of mind, Sis. Take a break and continue later.

Advantages of finger detangling

1. Minimises breakage

It helps save hair that otherwise would have been ripped off by a tool as collateral damage from combing out a knot. Therefore, it helps in retaining length.

2. Promotes thoroughness

It ensures your hair is thoroughly detangled.

3. Gives you insights

It lets you know the state of your hair – because your fingers are intimately involved in the process, you get to know the exact status of your hair on your entire head. This will in turn help you make the necessary decisions about your hair e.g. trimming may be necessary if you notice many single strand knots on your ends.

Disadvantages of finger detangling

3. Time consuming

Takes too long!

I wish I could present to you a quick, easy, and safe way to detangle. Believe me, I wish to discover it too. But for me, so far, this method has proven most successful. Yes, it takes forevs, yet it has yielded favourable results for my thin coily hair – I’ve been able to retain length and know my hair intimately! How do you detangle your hair? What products have aided you in the process? How long does it take? Please comment below.

P.S. I created a video showing how I detangle:

How I finger detangle my fine 4c natural hair in order to retain maximum length

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