detangling shampoo | Softer Hair

Are you ready to ban the bad breakups? This article won’t address romantic, work, family, or relationship problems, but it’ll target some quick fixes to prevent bad breakups from happening to your beloved mane. Check out our list of best anti-breakage shampoos to let your light and hair shine. Whether you’re into Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” or more of a classic Sedaka fan, we all can agree that “breaking up is hard to do!”

What Causes Your Hair to Break?

First, let’s chat about what causes your hair to break. Hair breakage is a very frustrating but common problem that many of us face. In sum, hair breakage is usually a symptom of damage and lack of moisture. The optimal moisture level allows your strands to swell and contract without snapping. Dry hair cannot be stretched out and breaks off easily. Don’t let your hair become a Gumby twin!

young brunette woman holding hairbrush with broken hair

From Fry to Fly: The most common causes of dry and brittle hair:

1. Lab Rat: Chemical processing: Have you been treating your hair like a mad scientist experiment? Bleaching, repeated coloring, perming, or chemical straightening can break chemical bonds that hold your hair together; in turn, all of this processing can fry your hair and leave weak points in it, making it prone to breakage. Chemical treatments can also loosen the cuticle, thus allowing moisture to evaporate easily. Let’s transform your hair today from “fry to fly!”

2. Hot to Trot: Exposure to high heat: The high heat from blow-dryers, straighteners, and curling irons temporarily break the bonds in your hair to change its shape. Too much heat without appropriate protection will strip moisture from your hair, making it fragile over time. While you want your hair to be “hot to trot” as far as sassy and luxurious, strive not to make it hot as in temperature!

3. Life Strife: Other causes that can make hair brittle include drying shampoos, rough towel drying, over-brushing, tight hairstyles, genetic predisposition, hard water, dry weather, UV exposure, and poor diet. Try to avoid these “life strife” triggers!

In most cases, it’s possible to restore hair strength by using appropriate hair care products. Carefully selected hair shampoo and conditioner can help to improve your hair’s elasticity and give you healthy, luscious locks.

lovely woman with hair washed with anti-breakage shampoo

Best Breakage Banners: Shampoo Brands Formulated to Stop Hair Breakage

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1. Bond Guy or Gal: Olaplex no 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

Olaplex No.4 Shampoo is a part of the Olaplex hair care system that targets broken bonds due to exposure to chemicals and high heat. This nourishing and reparative shampoo relinks damaged bonds to strengthen hair that has been damaged by coloring, heat styling, and everyday stresses. Using this shampoo will also protect the hair from future damage. Grab some Hollywood glam and be “a Bond guy or gal!”

A Dab for Fab: Very concentrated formula: This Olaplex No.4 is thicker than normal shampoo and it lathers up well. It has a light scent of grapefruit. The bottle is small, but the product is super concentrated. In turn, you’ll need to use less of the product than you normally do.

Should you use Olaplex No.4 Shampoo?

YES: This shampoo is excellent for anyone with lightened or chemically treated hair. If you’ve been dying your hair for years, then you’re probably struggling with dry, damaged and overly porous hair that looks frizzy and would easily split. This shampoo will make your locks feel and look much better.

NO: If your hair isn’t processed, this shampoo might not be for you. Low porosity hair, especially fine and thinning hair can look flattened, heavy, and limp if regularly washed by Olaplex No.4. You can still gain some benefits such as more elastic, or less staticky hair if using the product once a week or biweekly; or if you rotate it with your regular shampoo.

Benefits:

Less breakage: If your hair has been seriously damaged from frequent coloring, then this product will relink broken bonds to strengthen the strands from within and save them from breaking. Using this shampoo will boost elasticity, reduce splitting, and help you grow your hair longer. It’s also a godsend product for maintaining blonde dyed hair. Be unbreakable; be bold!
Tress Tamer: Softer, more manageable hair: After shampooing with Olaplex No.4 (paired with No.5 conditioner), any coarse, unmanageable hair feels smooth and manageable, so it takes less time and effort to straighten it with a flat iron. This duo will leave thick coarse hair feeling silky soft, bouncy, and flowing. Does your hair need its own trainer or lamer? Well, let this perk tame your tresses!
Written in the Stars: Shinier, healthier-looking hair: This shampoo leaves dry, brittle hair looking much healthier and more resistant to humidity. It rejuvenates your ends, tames flyaway hair, and leaves your locks with a gorgeous shine. It’s like it’s written in the stars, right?
Stealth Elf: A little goes a long way: You only need to use a small pea-size amount to get a lot of foam and to cover all your hair. The formula is thick, so the bottle can last you for several months. What a “stealth elf” for your hair and wallet, too!

beauty portrait of brunette woman with wavy long hair

2. Glam on the Go: SexyHair Strong Strengthening Shampoo

This shampoo contains a blend of hydrolyzed vegetable proteins and amino acids that improves hair strength, adds a silky feel, and enhances color retention. It lathers quite well for a sulfate-free shampoo. It’s also mild and can be used as your daily shampoo. The yummy mango scent lingers in your hair. Grab some “glam on the go!”

Should you use this shampoo? This shampoo is for you if your hair is color/chemically treated and suffers from split ends, damage, and breakage.

Benefits: SexyHair Strong Strengthening Shampoo leaves hair stronger, softer, and healthier. It minimizes breaking and splitting, so you can grow hair longer. Channel your inner Rapunzel perhaps? It adds body to fine hair, tames frizz, and adds silkiness and shine.

3. Cure and More: amika The Kure Repair Shampoo

This keratin-rich shampoo is formulated to repair and revitalize dry, damaged hair while cleansing it. Hydrolyzed keratin and hydrolyzed wheat protein restore moisture and boost elasticity and luster. This shampoo is free of harsh sulfates and keratin-stripping salt, so it’s safe for color-treated and keratin-treated hair. It has a pleasant scent and cute packaging.

Should you use it? This shampoo can be a great choice if you regularly color your hair or you like to experiment with colors. It helps to preserve the integrity of hair that’s over-stressed by frequent chemical services.

Benefits: amika The Kure Repair Shampoo restores moisture, revitalizes dry and damaged strands, boosts elasticity, and reduces splitting and breakage. It leaves overly dry color-treated hair feeling soft, shiny, and less prone to frizz and static. Talk about a possible “cure and more?”

amika The Kure Bond Repair Shampoo for Damaged Hair is formulated with bond-restoring ingredients to repair damaged strands and reduce breakage.

4. Casablanca Chic: Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo

This reparative moisturizing shampoo is infused with moisturizing oils, keratin, and amino acids to help restore moisture, elasticity, and shine in damaged hair. The formula is concentrated, so you only need a teeny tiny amount to get a good lather and effective cleansing. It has a clean and fresh scent that can be strong for some people. It’s sulfate- and salt-free and is safe for keratin-straightened hair. Are you ready to be “Casablanca chic this week?”

Benefits: Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo repairs damaged and weakened hair to recover its natural strength and elasticity. It helps maintain healthy moisture levels to tame frizz and leave hair feeling silky, manageable, and glossy.

Budget Boosters: Budget-Friendly Brands

These shampoos are meant to combat hair breakage and are all free of sulfates and other drying chemicals. The list of more affordable brands includes Mango Anti-Breakage Shampoo by Okay, Strength & Anti-Breakage + Agave Nectar Shampoo by Maui Moisture, Strengthening Grow Long Super-Fast Strength Shampoo by Marc Anthony, and Anti-Breakage + Keratin Oil Shampoo by OGX.

Tangled hair can be frustrating, especially if you have naturally wavy or curly hair. Long, dry, and fine hair can also get tangled easily. High-porosity hair has a rough surface, so you are more likely to have matted hair if your hair is overly porous due to regular coloring and other chemical treatments. Dry porous strands rub against each other and become intertwined, forming tangles in your hair.

Simply put, detangling is the process of working tangles or knots out of your hair. Untangling matted hair can be a painful and time-consuming task. However, you must resist the urge to use too much pressure or rush through the process as this can lead to breakage, split ends, and damaged hair. When done properly, untangling makes styling easier, reduces the possibility of breakage, and helps to retain hair’s length.

The ideal frequency of hair detangling varies on hair type and texture. A good practice is to untangle your hair on washing days to get rid of shed hair caught within other hairs and also release tangles.

What’s the Best Way to Detangle Your Hair?

First, let me say that there is a good way to detangle your hair and a bad way to detangle your hair. What makes the difference is how much damage or breakage you cause as a result of doing it. If you’re being rough with your hair, and you’re ripping the brush through your hair, then then you’re causing a lot of damage to your hair, especially the ends. This will cause your hair to break off and will make your hair even more prone to tangling.

Finger combing or finger detangling is, by far, the best method since it causes the least breakage and makes it nearly impossible to be rough with your hair. Its biggest downside is it takes the most time to do, but if you’re willing to put in the time, I promise you it’ll be worth it.

A dark-skinned girl combing her matted hair

Here’s how to finger-comb your hair:

Start with wet hair with some conditioner in it. Take out a small section of hair and work from the ends, slowly trying to run your fingers through the length of your hair. When they snag, stop and try to pull apart the individual strands that have combined to form the knot. Try to loosen the hair around the knot and unravel it gently. To avoid putting too much stress on your scalp, hold a section of the hair with one hand while finger-combing your hair with the other hand. Once that section is detangled, twist, braid or pin it away.

Another really helpful way to work tangles out of your hair is to grab right under the tangle with one hand, making sure that you hold your hair taut. Then, use your other hand to split the hair above the tangle into two sections and use your fingers to push the sections in opposite directions. As you feel the tangle start to loosen, move the hand that was gripping the hair further away from the tangle, and hold your hair taut. Use your other hand to keep pushing the sections above the tangle apart.

Detangling Hair Care Products

Make sure to use the best detangling tools and products to manage knots without pulling or breaking off your hair.

Detangling Shampoo and Conditioner

Harsh, sulfate-based shampoos can cause dryness and increase porosity, resulting in tangle-prone hair. So, avoid sulfate-containing shampoo and use a mild, moisturizing shampoo to increase moisture retention and keep your hair feeling soft and silky.

Gently massage the scalp with the pads of your fingers and let the lather run down your hair. Try not to scrub your hair while washing it to prevent post-shower knots.

After rinsing out the shampoo, saturate your hair with conditioner and leave it on for a few minutes. The conditioner will decrease friction between hair strands and make your hair more slippery and easier to comb. Use a conditioner that has lots of slip for easier detangling and to provide silkiness and manageability. Consider products that are specifically designed to untangle knotted hair.

Detangling Leave-in Conditioners

Leave-in detanglers are formulated to moisturize and smooth your strands, unravel the knots, and prevent breakage.

When you apply a leave-in conditioner to towel-dried hair, comb through it again, to ensure that all the knots are out. If you meet resistance, gently work the tangle out. On days that you don’t wash your hair, apply a leave-in detangler before styling to give your hair more manageability. Select a product that will not coat your strands with chemicals or leave your hair feeling greasy. For your convenience choose a detangler that can be used on both wet and dry hair.

Quality leave-in detanglers you should consider include Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-in Conditioner/Detangler, ENJOY Conditioning Spray, ORIBE Priming Lotion Leave-In Conditioning Detangler, Revlon Uniq One All in One Hair Treatment, and Cantu Care for Kids Conditioning Detangler.

Detangling Tools

Even though finger detangling is the preferred method, understandably, you may still want to use combs and brushes to detangle.

2. Wide-tooth combs. Fine-tooth combs, such as rat-tail combs should never be used for detangling. Opt for wide-tooth combs that are a lot gentler on wavy, curly, and coiled hair types. A sandalwood comb is another great tool to make the detangling process easier. It smells pleasant with a hint of sandalwood, so rest assured; it is 100% natural without any synthetic ingredients that could lead to underlying harm. The comb smoothly glides through the hair and tackles tangles, knots, and messes efficiently, reducing hair breakage.

2. Detangling brushes. These are brushes specially designed for women with curly hair to make detangling easier, faster, less damaging, and a lot less painful. Everybody and their mother has heard of the Tangle Teezer, EZ Detangling Brush, or Felicia Leatherwood Brush, and there’s a good reason for that: these brushes do work!

dark-skinned giirl doing finger detangling

Tangle Teezer The Original Detangling Brush is ideal for hair that gets knotted easily. It is suitable for all hair types and can be used either on wet or dry hair. It is conveniently sized to fit comfortably in your hand. Two-tiered bendable teeth allow the brush to glide through your hair and make it knot-free with minimal damage. The longer bristles gently remove tangles and knots while shorter bristles smooth the hair cuticle to provide extra shine.

How to Prevent Tangled Hair

Try pre-shampoo treatments. If your hair is prone to knots and tangles, consider including a pre-poo treatment in your hair care regimen. An oil-based pre-shampoo treatment will create slip that helps reduce friction, minimize tangles, and lessen hair breakage.
Use conditioner regularly. Use conditioner after every shampoo to smooth the cuticle layer of your hair. Properly conditioned hair is silky and pliable and is less likely to get knotted.
Do deep conditioning. Deep condition your hair at least once a week to help restore natural moisture and oils and keep your hair smooth and easy to style.
Consider changing your sleeping habits. Sleeping with your hair down causes it to easily get tangled, especially if you have long hair. To prevent hair strands from knotting while you sleep, loosely braid your hair or tie it up in a ponytail before you go to bed. Also, opt for a silk or satin pillowcase to lessen friction between your hair and the pillow to minimize knots and tangles.
Protect your hair from windy weather. Cover your hair with a satin scarf or a hat on windy days to reduce exposure to wind and prevent your tresses from getting messed up. Braids are a good option during windy weather. You can let your hair down when you arrive at your destination.
Trim your hair regularly. The roughness of dry and split ends contributes to knotty hair. Keep your strands healthy by trimming off split ends every 2-3 months.
Use only quality hair accessories. Wear your hair up using only safe, non-damaging hair accessories. Avoid using uncovered elastic bands, and hair accessories with sharp edges, as they can cause damage, making your hair more prone to matting and knots.

Ban the Bad Breakups: Best Anti-Breakage Shampoos