The No 1 Key to Retention & Achieving Your Hair Growth Goals

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When most women commence a healthy hair journey, they have several goals in mind mostly related to hair growth, moisture retention and maintaining healthy hair. Sometimes however it doesn’t seem like your hair is moving forward in the direction you want despite doing everything right, and being in healthy shape.

Taking the above into consideration, it’s quite possible you’re missing this number 1 element. It’s very common and something we don’t really think about but you’d be surprised at how much doing it the wrong way can hinder hair growth and especially retention.

Have you figured out by now I’m talking about detangling? Detangling is a very important step in hair care. It helps to remove shed hairs, loosen up single strand knots and matted hair. Additionally, it will make styling your hair after treatment a breeze.

Sometimes this can be a daunting task especially when you have a great amount of hair but improper detangling of hair before washing and deep conditioning will lead to hair breakage and possibly split ends. Imagine trying to do a braid out or twist out on hair that hasn’t been properly detangled? Your fingers will keep getting caught in-between your hair. Over time, it starts to look like your hair isn’t growing.

You don’t have to detangle your hair everyday. Once or twice a week should be enough. While this is really up to you, trying to detangle more than a few times a week falls into the realm of over-handling hair, which also leads to breakage. There are several ways to achieve a thorough and proper detangling session, which I discussed in this earlier article on the best detangling tools.

I recommended the Felicia Leatherwood brush as one of the tools but it’s on the pricey side. I’ve since discovered a similar brush for a fraction of the price and it works wonders too. I also prefer this brush over my bone comb after taking out a protective style – Flexible Detangler Brush. 

Flexible Detangler Brush for Hair

The way the brush is designed allows the rows to give way as you work it through your hair. It loosens knots, smoothens out your curls and doesn’t yank out my hair the way Tangle Teezer does. It also works on all hair types. Below are some important tips to get the best use out of the brush:

• It works best with your hair in small sections. I work with my hair in 8 – 10 sections. Retwist each section after detangling it.
• Always thoroughly detangle with your fingers before using the brush.
• Use the brush on your hair while wet/slightly damp. You may want to include an oil to assist here. I recommend castor oil, grapeseed oil and sweet almond oil. My favourite conditioners for slip are Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner, Kinky Curly Knot Today & Tresemme Naturals Aloe Vera & Avocado Conditioner.
• Be patient and gentle. Take your time to really work out the knots and tangles before you move on to styling.

I have two of these brushes and I expect them to last for years. Have you ever tried this brush? Do you prefer another type of detangling brush or tool? Let’s know your feedback in the comments section :).