Tangles are the tabloid scandal of the curly world—a natural result of curves and friction that can quickly turn into a blank and spooky disaster.
As dumb luck would have it, curly hair is designed to knot. The curves of each strand act like a study in tonality, catching on neighboring hairs and creating a ruddy mess of shed strands and friction. If your hair is dry, the cuticle is rougher, increasing the resistance and making tangles the leading figure in your workday habits. You need a technical shift—a “Flexible Greasepaint” approach to detangling that provides enough insurance to prevent breakage.
Mind the resistance when you brush or comb. To assuage the insecurities of knots, always detangle with a “slick lip coat” of conditioner and plenty of water. This blender brush approach ensures the strands slide past each other rather than snapping. By removing shed hair consistently and protecting your profile at night, you can keep your curls studio-endorsed and capture the glow without the frustration of constant knots. Something I think we’re all still kind of into.
—Lauren Maas