Trying to brush tangles out of knotted hair is difficult and often painful. Children in particular are prone to getting their hair tangled as they're not usually too concerned over brushing it to keep it looking tidy. Brushing tangles out of tangled hair is actually quite easy when you know how.

With a little patience and the help of these tips, you'll soon wonder how you ever stressed over unruly tangles.



 While long hair can be very beautiful, it does require a lot of upkeep to ensure it always looks its best. Without regular brushing and combing, hair can become easily tangled and once those tangles are in place, brushing them out is difficult and often very painful.


As hair grows longer, it becomes more fragile and prone to breaking off or splitting. Therefore, brushing tangled hair will take time and patience but with a little care you can detangle with minimal hair loss or breakage.

Step 1:

Brushing dry hair: If you’re trying to detangle hair with a minimal amount of tangles, you should be able to brush them out using a good quality bristle brush. Don’t use a comb as this is likely to snag on the tangles and be painful. First of all, lightly brush over the top layer of hair. If you wish to use a detangle spray or leave in conditioner, you could now lightly spray over the most tangled areas. Don’t use too much as it can make hair look quite greasy.

Step 2:

Working through: Now, divide hair into at least three sections starting at the scalp through to the ends. If you meet resistance against tangles, gently use your fingers to separate and pull the tangles apart. Starting with one section, clip the others out of the way.


Step 3: 

Section by section: Starting with one section of hair, begin at the bottom of the hair and gently start brushing, gradually working your way upwards. When you arrive at a tangle, separate it away from the rest of the hair and concentrate brushing that tangle alone until it is brushed out.


Step 4:

Stubborn tangles: Sometimes brushing alone isn’t enough to remove stubborn tangles. If you come across a particularly large tangle, put the brush down and instead gently pull the tangle apart with your fingers, gradually separating it into smaller, more manageable tangles. Then you’ll be able to carry on brushing as usual. Never pull or tug a tangle with the brush as this only serves to break and damage the hair as well as making it more difficult to remove. Always be a gentle as possible.


Step 5: 

Detangling wet hair: If hair is extremely tangled, it may prove to be less painful removing them if hair is washed and conditioned beforehand. Lightly brush the dry hair as much as possible before washing and then liberally apply lots of conditioner.

Step 6:

Comb through: While the hair is coated with conditioner, take a wide tooth comb and gently start combing through the hair. Make sure you begin combing from the ends of the hair working up towards the scalp and never the other way around. As with dry hair, you may need to pull stubborn tangles apart to make them more manageable. Then rinse hair as usual.

Tips & Warnings: 

• Don’t pull or tug at tangles as this only makes them worse 
• Never use a brush on wet hair. Instead use a wide tooth comb
• If hair is quite static or flyaway when brushing, lightly spray hair with water or a detangle spray 
• Always begin combing or brushing from the ends of the hair 
• Brush and comb hair at least twice a day to help prevent tangles 
• Use conditioner after every shampoo
• Tie up long hair while playing sports or on windy days 
• Braid long hair before going to bed to help keep knots at bay. 

Things Needed: 

• Bristle brush (fine to medium hair) 
• Synthetic or nylon brush (coarser, thicker hair) 
• Wide tooth comb 
• Hair conditioner (optional) 
• Detangle spray (optional) 
• Patience 
• Tangle Teaser (optional)

The brushes below are fantastic for getting rid of tangles. The Tangle Teaser from the UK is a little miracle which works fantastically well on tangled hair that's wet. And the Mason & Pearson hairbrushes are world renowned for their high quality pure bristle brushes which are great for keeping hair in tip top condition.

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