Detangle while conditioning
For a usual wash, rinse out your shampoo, then detangle with rinse-out conditioner or a mask on wet hair. If your hair is very dry or tangled before washing, the American Academy of Dermatology also suggests conditioner before shampoo as an option.
Once your fingers or tool move through a section easily, leave it alone. More brushing is not an extra conditioning step.
Wet your hair and divide it into sections
Let water reach all of the hair before adding conditioner. With dense hair, work past the surface so the hair underneath is wet too. Make each section small enough to hold comfortably.
The AAD recommends working in sections. PATTERN also recommends sectioning dense curls or long hair when using its Medium Conditioner. Divide a section again if you cannot work through it gently.
- Clip or hold the rest of your hair away from the section you are working on.
- Spread the conditioner through the section using the amount and application area on its label.
- Remove loose shed hair as you go, keeping it out of finished sections and the drain.
Keep your conditioner’s rinse time in mind
Curlsmith Essential Moisture Conditioner goes on wet hair after shampoo. Rake it through, detangle with your fingers or a tool, leave it for one to two minutes, then rinse well.
PATTERN Medium Conditioner goes from roots to ends. Its directions suggest sections for dense or long hair and fingers or a shower brush for detangling, followed by a thorough rinse. Other conditioners may go only on mid-lengths and ends, so use the directions for your own bottle.
Loosen the ends first, then work higher
One wet section at a time
Hold here, above the part you comb. Use a wide-tooth comb.
- Start at the ends
and comb down
- Then just above, down again
- Keep moving up in short passes
Hold the hair above the area you are detangling to avoid pulling at the roots. Loosen the ends first. Comb down toward the ends, starting each pass a little higher as the tangles loosen.
If you feel a snag, stop. Loosen it with your fingers, divide the section, or spread the conditioner more evenly. Add water if the hair has begun to dry. Finish when your fingers or tool move through the section without pulling.
Rinse, then choose any styling steps
Keep the finished sections separate and rinse when your conditioner’s directions say to. A one-to-two-minute conditioner is not a long mask; leave time matters even when detangling takes longer.
After rinsing, add leave-in or styler if you want them. You do not need both just because you detangled. If the process was difficult, try smaller sections on your next wash before changing several products at once.
Stop if detangling hurts
Do not push through scalp pain, sores, swelling, sudden shedding or repeated snapping. Stop and get professional advice about the problem. Changing conditioner cannot tell you what is causing it.
Pre-poo: decide whether detangling comes first
Pre-poo means a step before shampoo. The AAD describes using conditioner before washing when hair is very dry or difficult to detangle. This is a reason to plan that step, not a reason to add an oil treatment to every routine.
Follow the conditioner’s directions for applying and rinsing it. None of the rinse-out conditioners we list says to leave it on overnight or to use it with heat before you shampoo. Stop pulling when a knot resists, and work in a smaller section.
Questions before your next wash
What if I am still unsure what to change?
Keep the steps that work, change one choice at a time and follow your exact product’s directions. A guide cannot diagnose scalp or hair conditions.
Updated · The sources for this guide are on our Sources page. Report a changed detail.