How to Detangle Hair Painlessly

Tangles. Snarls. Knots. No matter what you call them, it hurts when your hair is all tangled up. The worst cases always seem to strike small children and their baby-fine hair, so it's all the more important to be able to detangle those little locks quickly and painlessly.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wide tooth comb
• detangler product
• water in spray bottle

1. Wet down the hair with the detangler spray or water. Be generous with it. The detangler spray works better than water, but simply wetting the hair will help if detangler isn't available. This may also be a good time to give the child a comb and doll so she can detangle her baby's hair while you do hers (or his - all my kids had wild hair).

2. Hold a section of the tangled hair between the head and the tangled ends. Tighten your fist to make sure that the pulling you're about to do on the tangled ends will not be felt at the scalp.

3. Starting at the very end of the hair, applying more detangler spray or water as needed, comb out small sections of the tangles. Do not pull. Rather, put the comb into the hair near the end and comb out, lifting it back up and out again if it gets caught. The motion is like raking in the garden. On the next pass, start even closer to the end, repeating until you can comb the hair out smoothly.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 all over the head, removing all the tangles. Singing, playing face games in the mirror, or having special toys just for this task can all help the child stand patiently and happily. You may need to start, take a break, and return to the task on some particularly bad hair days. Practice being gentle and patient and your child will learn to enjoy this little routine in no time.

Tips & Warnings

• Every now and then, switch roles and see how it feels. You'll learn about trust, patience, and why painless detangling is key.
• Avoid losing your temper or pulling on your child's hair. Just take a break instead. A child who fears or dreads having her hair done will fuss and struggle making it harder every time.

[karileighk]

on 7/9/2009 detangler works for me!