Regimen Basics;Finger Detangling

Detangling...*play horror movie music here* one of the most time consuming parts of natural hair care. In the beginning we've all heard the basic "slather on tons of conditioner,and grab your wide tooth comb" story,and for many that option still works (so keep on keepin on)but for me,it does not. I like to finger detangle.

Finger detangling is just that,detangling with your fingers. Some have actually ditched their detangling tool all together! I myself have not used a "tool" in about 2 or 3 months (lost track).I found that my fingers do just fine espcially since I wear stretched styles 95% of the time (twists/braids,etc). Wearing those type of styles prevents too many shed hairs or tangles from accumulating since the hair is kept in a stretched state.

Dry detangling seems to work best for me,because once my hair becames swelled with water its so fragile. But I have tried finger detangling with conditioner drenched hair. Now some might be looking at this post crazy right now like "whaaat?!" Because in the natural community 'dry' & 'detangle' shouldn't even be in the same sentence,right?
Wrong!!! (Respectfully of course)

Here's a rough rundown on how I dry detangle;

1-separate hair into workable sections

2-mist the section being worked on with aloe vera/water mixture a few times,it should be not be soaking or even damp.just enough to be flexible.
*note-the section should be the width of two fingers or less,also you may be asking "we'll if you mist your hair,that isn't exactly dry detangling". Technically,no the hair isn't dry anymore after misting. But opposed to a hair full of conditioner and/or water,it is.

3-take favorite oil or butter (I like to use one of my crisco whips) for slip,& apply about a finger tip full to the ends first

4-work out any tangles or knots from the ends by slightly pulling the hair apart.separating the "cobwebs" :) once the ends are clear,start moving up towards the roots repeating the process

5-pinch the hair at the roots with pointer finger & thumb, then lightly slide down the hair shaft applying "pinching pressure" as you go down.this method will remove the sheddies.you can also use your pointer and middle finger the same way,I call this method it "scissor smoothing" :-) because your fingers look look like scissors!! Lol (duh huh?)

6-twist up the finished section and move on to the rest!

This may seem like it will take centuries to do,right? We'll it does. Lol but the best part is the better you become at it (practice,practice,practice!) ,the faster time seems to go by.
I've been doing this for about 2 years now,so I know my hair.I can actually finger comb my hair without using a mirror.I find doing this is actually better,because I litterly have to feel around depending solely on my fingers instead of my eyes first & fingers second. Its as if I'm more patient with my hair doing it that way,my senses are sharper making me more aware of how much tension I'm actually using.

Do you finger detangle? Why or why not? What are some of your techniques?

Nessa*