How to Detangle Matted Hair Without Causing Breakage (The "Slip" Method)
It's the moment every natural-haired person dreads. You’ve taken out a protective style, or maybe you've just been busy, and now you're facing a tangled, matted mess. Your first instinct is to get in the shower and attack it with a comb.
Stop. This is the #1 way to cause massive breakage.
Water can make matted hair shrink and tangle even more. And a comb used on dry, matted hair will just rip and snap the strands.
The secret to safely removing tangles is to do it before you wash, using a powerful tool: "slip." You need a rich, oily medium that will coat your hair, melt the knots, and allow strands to slide past each other without friction.
The Ultimate "Slip" Duo for Detangling
For this job, you need the best of both worlds: a rich moisturizer and a potent strengthener.
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For Slip & Softness: Nubiana's 100% Pure African Shea Butter
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Why: Shea butter is a heavy-duty emollient. When melted, it provides an unmatched, "slippery" coating that helps knots loosen and separate.
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For Strength & Repair: Nubiana's 100% Pure Batana Oil
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Why: Matted hair is weak and at its breaking point. Batana oil penetrates to fortify the hair as you detangle, making it more resilient to snapping.
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The 5-Step Detangling Routine (Do This Before You Wash)
Step 1: Get Your "Slip" Ready In a small bowl, mix one part Batana Oil and two parts Shea Butter. Gently warm it (by placing the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water) until it’s a smooth, melted, warm oil.
Step 2: Work in Small, Dry Sections Start with your hair completely dry. Split your hair into 4-6 manageable sections. Clip the others away.
Step 3: Saturate the Section Take one matted section and apply the warm oil mixture generously. You want the hair to be fully saturated and slippery.
Step 4: Use Your Fingers First (This is Key) Do not use a comb. Start at the ends of your hair and use your oil-coated fingers to gently pull the tangles apart. Work your way up the hair shaft slowly. The "slip" from the oils will do most of the work for you, "melting" the knots.
Step 5: Braid the Section & Move On Once a section is completely detangled, apply a little more oil and twist or braid it. This keeps it from re-tangling. Move on to the next section.
Once your entire head is in braids or twists, you can proceed to wash day (as a pre-poo, or just rinse and co-wash) with 90% of the breakage-inducing work already done.
This is the gentlest, most effective way to save your hair from knots.
