8 Homemade Detanglers That Will Make Wash Day a Breeze

While there are many detangling hair products on the market, hair care isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ situation. Many Black Americans find themselves switching from one product to another or mixing different ones to get exactly what they’re looking for. If you’re one of them, the answer may be to make your own detanglers at home so they’re tailored for you. Here are eight recipes you can make your own. 

8 Detanglers You Can Make at Home

1. Coconut Oil Based

Ingredients

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup distilled water

2-3 drops of an essential oil like tea tree, peppermint, or rosemary

Method:

1. Pour all the ingredients into a spray bottle.
2. Shake well.
3. Use as desired.

2. Aloe Vera Based

Ingredients

1 cup of aloe vera juice*

2-3 drops of an essential oil like tea tree, peppermint, rosemary, or fenugreek.

*You may use natural aloe vera juice that’s available in stores or make your own by peeling and blending aloe vera leaves. 

Method:

1. Place all ingredients into a spray bottle.
2. Shake well.
3. Use as desired.

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3. Apple Cider Vinegar Based

Ingredients

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup distilled water

1-2 teaspoons of olive or coconut oil

2-3 drops of an essential oil like peppermint, fenugreek, or rosemary

Method: 

1. Place the ingredients in a spray bottle
2. Shake well.
3. Use as desired. 

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4. Apple Cider Vinegar Based (Option 2)

Ingredients

7 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar

25 drops lavender essential oil

Distilled water

Method:

1. Combine apple cider vinegar and lavender essential oil in a spray bottle.
2. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. 
3. Fill the bottle with distilled water.
4. Shake well.
5. Use as desired.

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5. Jojoba Oil Based

Ingredients

1 tablespoon jojoba oil

10 drops geranium essential oil

Distilled water

Method:

1. Combine oils in a 4 ounce spray bottle. 
2. Fill up with distilled water.
3. Shake well.
4. Use as desired.

6. Essential Oil Based

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable glycerin

6 ounces distilled water

1 teaspoon vitamin E oil

1 teaspoon argan oil

10 drops rosemary oil

10 drops peppermint oil

Method:

1. Combine vegetable glycerin, water, vitamin E oil, argan oil, rosemary oil, and peppermint oil in an 8-ounce glass spray bottle.
2. Shake well.
3. Use as desired.

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7. Aloe Vera Based (Option 2)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon aloe vera gel*

1 tablespoon vegetable glycerin

5 tablespoons distilled water

10 drops orange essential oil

*You can get this from natural food stores or get your own by peeling an aloe vera leaf. 

Method:

1. Combine aloe vera gel, vegetable glycerin, water, and orange essential oil in a small glass bottle.
2. Shake well.
3. Use as desired.

8. Flaxseed Based

Ingredients

1 tablespoon flaxseed

1 ½ cups distilled water

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Method:

1. Add flaxseed and water to a small saucepan. 
2. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. 
3. Strain out the seeds using a fine mesh colander.
4. Add olive oil to the remaining liquid and stir. 
5. Add apple cider vinegar.
6. Allow the mixture to cool before transferring to a small glass spray bottle.
7. Shake well.
8. Use as desired.

When to Use a Detangler

Detanglers are meant to remove knots and tangles from your hair to prevent breakage and damage. Stylists recommend that you detangle your hair weekly – especially if you wash your hair every week. For persons who have thicker curls, it may be useful to detangle your hair every three to four days. Some detanglers need to be washed out while others act as leave-in conditioners.

If you’re going to detangle during your wash day routine, you may use the detangler before shampooing or after. What you do depends on how tangled your hair is. For example, if you style your hair regularly before your wash day, your hair shouldn’t be so tangled that you can’t wash it well. That means you can detangle it after washing so you can easily comb through it when you’ve applied the conditioner. 

However, if you’ve been using a protective style, it’s best to apply the detangler before shampooing. Detangling your hair after removing a protective style will protect your hair from damage because you won’t tear out healthy hair to remove what you’ve shed while wearing a protective style. You also won’t lose the new growth you gained during the time you wore the style. 

Additionally, detangling loosens dirt and debris which can make shampooing less strenuous. Without a detangler, you may have to shampoo your hair longer or repeat the step more often than you normally would to remove the buildup. Some people opt for harsher shampoos as well which don’t do your hair any good. When you don’t have to shampoo your hair more than necessary, you won’t dry out your hair while cleaning it. 

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Why You Should Make Your Own

Apart from making sure you have the right product for your hair, there’s the benefit of making a natural detangler. Even if you find hair products on the market that work for you, you don’t have any control over their ingredients. Sometimes, a product that started as safe changes over time and you don’t like the results anymore. Homemade products give you more control.

You can also incorporate different ingredients depending on the issue you want to address. For example, while detangling your hair, you can also include or increase the quantity of a moisturizer that will help with dry hair. 

Finally, natural products are much gentler on your hair and scalp. While this is beneficial for Black people in general, it can be life-changing for those who are dealing with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. Many Black Americans who deal with these conditions struggle to find effective hair care products that don’t irritate their skin and scalp. When working with something homemade, you can make natural products that nourish your hair and skin at the same time. 

Natural detanglers should be a part of your regular hair care routine because they can make a positive impact on your hair’s health. It’s also easy to look into each ingredient to see which ones will be best to combine and use in your hair.