Maintaining healthy hair begins with developing a sound regimen. Equally important is the proper handling of your hair during styling sessions [which can often be overlooked]. You must take great care in every aspect of your routine in order to ensure the most length retention coupled with the optimal overall health.
Here are the benefits of detangling prior to shampooing:
- Hair is easier to manage during styling sessions
- Speeds up styling time, as there are minimal to no tangles after shampooing + conditioning
- Ideal method to help transitioners reduce stress, tangles and matting during styling/detangling sessions
- Reduces excess stress and loss of elasticity due to wet combing
To demonstrate, I filmed this video which outlines my detangling & shampoo routine. Here's what's covered in this tutorial:
Lightly spritz hair with water+conditioner mix: Add two cups of water to about 3 heaping tablespoons of conditioner. This preps the hair for detangling by imparting softness and increasing manageability. Spritz the hair just until damp.
Divide hair into four sections: It's best to work with natural and transitioning hair in sections to minimize breakage and decrease chances of splits, tangles, matting, and knots. Shampooing in sections also helps ensure the hair has been cleansed thoroughly and is free from product buildup.
Detangle with a seamless comb: Detangling hair while soaking wet may cause breakage and unnecessary hair loss, as it is important to remember that this is the time your hair is in it's most fragile state. I recommend detangling prior to shampooing on damp hair with a seamless comb as demonstrated in this video. A seamless comb is ideal as there is nothing for the hair to "catch" and "snag" on, which keeps the ends of your hair happy and free of splits [given the rest of your regimen is sound].
Start at the ends of your hair and work your way up to prevent stress and damage from detangling.
Shampoo hair in sections: In short, shampooing hair in sections helps to keep the hair more manageable and free of tangles. It also ensures that your hair will be thoroughly cleansed given that you are working with smaller sections. - Another useful tip is shampooing your hair in front of the mirror since it makes cleansing hard to reach areas a bit easier.
Massage scalp with fingertips: Gently massage your scalp using your fingertips in a circular motion. Using your fingertips instead of your fingernails is important to remember as not to damage the cuticle.
Check hair for buildup: Part sections of hair and check the roots for product buildup. If you notice film and/or residue, apply additional shampoo to the area and cleanse well.
Rinse with cool water: One of the most important steps in shampooing hair is to rinse with cold water to seal the cuticle. If the cuticles are left open, hair may appear dull, and be prone to excess tangles in addition to frizz.
Rinse with cool water: One of the most important steps in shampooing hair is to rinse with cold water to seal the cuticle. If the cuticles are left open, hair may appear dull, and be prone to excess tangles in addition to frizz.
Products Used In This Video:
Conditioner: Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose
Comb: Jilbere Shower Comb [Sally's Beauty]
Bottle: Round Spray Bottle [Sally's Beauty]
Comb: Jilbere Shower Comb [Sally's Beauty]
Bottle: Round Spray Bottle [Sally's Beauty]
This is fantastic! Great tutorial. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this tutorial - it's going to be sooo helpful!
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Why does your URL at the end of all your videos say moptopmaven.com?
I have a quick question: where do you rinse out the shampoo? I am transitioning and have been trying to figure out a way to not jump in a out of the shower (shampoo in shower, add condi, get out and go under dryer, rinse condi. Any advice?
ReplyDeleteSo glad you shared this tutorial. I was wondering how you manage to wash your hair in the mirror. Being the visual person that I am, I get it now.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of hair that I do want to grow a bit longer. I believe this method will help. For me to get to my desired length, retention is a must at this point.
Thanks for posting this!
Thanks for the detangling method. I think this will help a lot with my hair retention and lessen breakage. I really appreciate the time that you put into your posts, thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your tips! I've said it a bunch of times, but finding your blog inspired me to go natural and I've been using all of your tips throughout my transition. Quick question, though. Where does pre-pooing fit into your shampoo regimen if you begin your detangling process on dry, unwashed hair?
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the inspiration!!!
Thanks for this tutorial. I'm doing it right now. And you are right about the amount of hair loss, it was really minimal when I tried it this way.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm off to shampoo!
Okay I just finished up shampooing and this routine is amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of hair shed is so minimal and to only spend one time in the shower instead of jumping in and out is a time saver.
Would you believe my hair after shampooing didn't require detangling at all, if you just hold the hair like you showed in the video while shampooing.
I'm hooked. Instead of dreading it, I think I now love to shampoo my hair.
Thank you for this tutorial. I really needed it and I can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteLive, Love, Peace. ~Sweetsop
P.S. Looking forward to checking out what goodies you have under the WASIJIRU link.
Hi Nikole!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for this information...I had forgotten that tip of detangling before shampooing while my hair is damp and not wet...
One question though: after you rinse out the shampoo with cold water...do you put any conditioner afterwards or any leave-in or styling products? if yes, do you apply it after your hair has dried up partially or do you apply it when your hair is wet?
Thanks for letting me know.
An avid follower :)
My hair is always a mess:) But your tips are quite helpful, so thanks!!
ReplyDeleteAnastasia
http://fashionnews.pipeno.com/
Thanks, MTM! Love that you condition before shampooing. Great tip for helping with detangling.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting. I'm currently transitioning and do a similar method in the shower, but I don't usually detangle first. I think this is a key step that I was missing, especially now that I have several inches of new growth.
ReplyDeleteKendra
http://closetconfections.com
I'm definitely going to try this method!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteI recently cut everything off to start over.
So I am looking forward to trying this very soon. :)
Cheers! I also detangle before shampooing, though I have been doing so on soaking wet hair. not sure if I lost any additional hair that way but will try it your way and see if there is any difference. Always good to experiment!
ReplyDeleteI've seen your scalp exfoliant recipe and will give it a whirl as my scalp is often an enigma.
Do you exfoliate before or after detangling the hair? Thanks
Sorry, another question!
ReplyDeleteI've just seen your quick tip on pre pooing. After the treatment your hair was damp but you said that you start your shampoo regimen on dry hair.
Can you shed some light on this please?
Thanks.
@The Audacity of Color; Thank you very much, glad you found it useful!
ReplyDelete@A Simple Thing; Glad I could help! That is the url of my website. I have www.themoptopmaven.com and www.moptopmaven.blogspot.com
@anonymous; I rinse out the shampoo in the bathroom [generally the tub]. I don't like to shampoo in the shower because I can't see what I am doing.
@ChocolateOrchid; You're welcome, glad I could help!
@Rachel; Thank you very much for the wonderful compliment. Putting in the work is easy when there are people like you who appreciate it :-)
@E; Thank you! I hope you continue to have the motivation, even on those days you may hate your hair [we all have them]. I generally do this on the days I don't pre poo. Pre pooing is more of a luxury for me as of late because I just don't have much time these days. - You can always detangle PRIOR to adding your pre poo treatment. Then continue to do everything in sections as demonstrated in the video.
@Curly Hair TIps; What I like to hear! There is no need for unnecessary hair loss! Glad it worked!
@OrganicallyGrownCurls; Thank you so much! I hope it works as well for you as it does for me!
@S; first, thank you for supporting the blog! I do condition my hair after I rinse out the shampoo [which is done on wet hair]. After I rinse out the conditioner, I then add my leave in and style as usual!
@Anastasia; Thank you, I hope you can get a grip on your beautiful hair soon! Try out some of these tips :-)
@Stella B.; You're welcome!
@Closet Confections; Definitely try it out. The difference in my hair regimen is amazing!
@Shen Dove Style; Thank you! Good Luck!
@Burke Autumn; Congrats on the clean slate!
@Nkeon; Thank you for stopping by! Try doing it on damp hair, it's less stress that way. - Also the scalp exfoliant can be done on freshly shampooed hair!
@Nkeon; I generally do this on the days I don't pre poo. Pre pooing is more of a luxury for me as of late because I just don't have much time these days. - You can always detangle PRIOR to adding your pre poo treatment. Then continue to do everything in sections as demonstrated in the video
I was anonymous but thank you so much for answering my question!! That was helpful
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip Nik!!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, my hair has medium-coarse strands, so I actually prefer to detangle wet. But I do shampoo in the same manner that you do in front of my shower mirror.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the Jibere Shower Comb is most definitely not seamless. If you look in the middle of the teeth you will see a seam and another seam along the edge where the two halves of the comb have been fused together by a machine. In addition, no seamless comb is going to be that cheap as they are handmade. I will say that the seams on the Jibere have been filed down very well. I have the Jibere and use it only when traveling as I don't want to lose my seamless combs. Some seamless brands I have used are Mason Pearson (the best), Kent, and Hurcules Sagemann.
Hi, I appreciate the time you take to share your hair care finds - you save me lots of leg work.
ReplyDeleteI have a question for you - I want to try this regiment but I noticed that the products listed on the video and then "typed" are a bit different. Which do you prefer? KeraCare or Giovanni? V05 or Aubrey?
Just curious
-me