Looking for detangling tips or the best detanglers for kids? You’ve come to the right place.
If you have curly hair or are blessed with a curly-headed toddler, you understand the bath time struggle: tender heads, soap in eyes and endless tangles lead to tantrums and, often, tears. But guess what? It doesn’t have to be that way.
I am blessed with thick, wavy locks, and I have been fighting frizz and tangles my whole life. My three-year-old, Annabelle, inherited the curly gene from me – my husband and his family all have super straight hair – and in managing her hair I’ve learned a lot.
Today I’m going to share my best seven detangling tips for taming an unruly toddler mane, plus a bonus eighth tip which explains how I use the Capital One Shopping browser extension to help make sure I’m getting the very best savings on online purchases I make for Annie’s hair care needs.
Note: Capital One Shopping compensates me when you get the browser extension using the links provided.
Tip 1: Ditch the baby shampoo, add conditioner to detangle
I learned this detangling tip from my best friend, and boy was it worth it. While tear-free formulas are great for little ones, they don’t do you any favors when it comes to detangling or fighting frizz. When Annabelle was two we switched her from baby shampoo to an adult shampoo and conditioner specially formulated for curly hair.
The difference was incredible.
Annabelle’s hair went from frizzy and easily tangled to sleek, more defined curls.
Our two favorite shampoo/conditioner combos are Pantene Pro-V Curl Perfection Shampoo and Conditioner and OGX Coconut Curls Shampoo and Conditioner.
If tear-free shampoo is a must, find a kids formula that has a conditioner companion. I recently tried out Johson’s Kids Ultra-Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner and it’s actually pretty good. The conditioner definitely works for detangling, but her curls don’t look as defined or shiny as when I use the adult formulas.
Tip 2: Buy a bath visor
They may look silly, but darn if they don’t work.
The one downside to ditching the kids/baby shampoo is that most adult shampoos and conditioners are not formulated to be tear-free. To combat the soap-in-my-eyes conundrum my mom bought us these foam baby bath visors. They don’t get great reviews on Amazon, but we’ve had a lot of success with them.
Annabelle resisted them at first, but once she learned they’d keep the water (and soap) out of her eyes, she welcomed them.
Now that Callahan is getting a little older, he also enjoys wearing a bath visor so he can keep playing while I wash his hair.
Tip 3: Drop what you’re doing and buy this detangling brush
I had heard about – and even used – wet brushes before but this detangling version is a must-have. I don’t know how it does it, but Wet Brush’s Go Detangling Brush makes hair brushing better for even the most tender-headed toddlers.
Detangling Tip: I like to brush Annie’s hair while the conditioner is still in her hair in the bath. It makes it much easier to comb.
This is all I will use for Annabelle’s hair. Hair brushing used to be a fight every night, now it’s so much easier. I loved this brush so much, I bought one for myself!
This brush is so popular it sells out often. Keep reading for how I use Capital One Shopping to identify where it’s on stock and make sure I’m getting the best available deal.
Tip 4: Try these ponytail holders
It is a truth universally acknowledged that taking a ponytail holder out of a curly-headed toddler’s hair is a nightmare.
I have tested dozens of ponytail holders on Annabelle’s hair, and the Hanmei brand from Amazon is the only one we now keep in our house. (Buyer be warned. Some other brands on Amazon look very close but these are the only ones that I find truly work.)
Here are some issues with other brands:
- Ponytail holders get stuck when you’re pulling them out, causing tangles and tears.
- Most stretch out when you use them so they’re only good for one use
- They only come in crazy colorful options, which makes it difficult for outfit matching.
These ponytail holders solve all those problems. I love that they offer neutral colors and all black, but if you’re up for colorful, they have those too! Throw all the others you have away, trust me!
Tip 5: Brush from the bottom to the top to detangle gently
While most women already know this, it’s a good reminder for the men in your kids’ lives of this detangling tip. Brushing from the bottom to the top allows you to work out tangles slowly and gently. It also prevents the creation of a big rat’s nest halfway down the hair.
Tip 6: Skip traditional detanglers
The first summer after Annabelle got real curls I tried like four different detanglers. Honest, Johnson’s, Suave, and even the popular Fairy Tales formula were all a bust.
Then one day after a swim at the pool I sprayed on a bit of my It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-in Conditioner + Keratin. The tangles brushed right out. It was amazing.
Yes, it’s expensive compared to kids detanglers, but the sanity it saves me is worth the price. Plus, with the Capital One Shopping browser extension, you can make sure you’re leveraging any coupons that might be available.
Tip 7: Don’t wash hair every day
As most adults know, it’s not great for your hair to wash it every day. The same is true for toddlers. In our house, we wash hair every 2-3 days.
On days you don’t wash hair, simply wet it, spray in It’s at 10 (see #6). Comb gently with the magic brush (see #3) from bottom to top (see #5).
Tip 8: Add Capital One Shopping extension to your browser to find the best available deal and earn rewards
For things like shampoo, conditioner, hairbrushes, etc. that are sold at multiple retailers, I rely on the Capital One Shopping tool to make sure I’m finding a great price and applying the best available coupon code across tens of thousands of retailer sites.
When shopping on Amazon a little button will pop up showing you if products are available on other sites for a better deal. Click and their friendly, little pop-up window will let you know where a better bargain is if one is available.
I use mine on Google Chrome, but the Capital One Shopping button is available for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, & Safari. Click this link to add the extension. The extension cannot be installed on a mobile device, but an app is available for iOS and Android.
Capital One Shopping is totally legit. It has millions of customers and it found customers more than $160 million in savings in the last year. It hasn’t saved me $160 million yet, but I’m well on my way!
Get started with Capital One Shopping by adding the extension and let me know if you have more curly hair detangling tips in the comments below.
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