The Pain Free way to remove Tangles 

Following some simple steps will help you remove tangles from your child’s hair without causing them pain or anxiety.

Getting Started:

Check the whole head for tangles before you start so you know where they all are.

Talk to your child during the process to distract them and give confidence.

Tackle the tangles when the hair is dry. Wet hair is much more “stretchy, so extra care should be taken when working on wet hair to prevent it breaking.

When you find a tangle gently tease the hair apart to loosen the knot with your fingers; pulling it width ways  to splay it apart, this makes it weaker and easier to remove.  Always lift the hair towards the scalp while you are working on it.

If the tangle is caused by sticky residue from food or sweets, wet the tangle with a few drops of water from your fingers and work the water in to loosen the debris, For excessive residue you may need to do this twice or massage a few drips of shampoo into the tangle then rinse and blot.

The pain is caused when pulling the hair away from the scalp, so to prevent this, If the hair is long enough, isolate the  hair with the tangle, hold firmly between the tangle and the scalp . If the hair is short or the tangle is close to the scalp, use your finger and thumb to firmly hold the hair above the tangle and make some slack between the scalp and your fingers –  to prevent  hair pulling at the roots.

With your free hand gently comb or brush hair -start at the very bottom of the tangle  working your way up  to the top of the tangle until it has been combed/brushed away.

Prevention is better than cure!

‘Leave in’ Conditioner after shampooing is a good way to keep hair soft and shining and helps to remove tangles.

Tie up or clip back hair at meal times and tie longer hair up at night using a soft “scrunchy.” We have these for sale at reception!.

Brush the hair including the underneath every day – morning and night using a ‘bristle’ brush.

Once your child knows you will not cause them pain they will be more willing to let you tackle this task. As soon as they are able to, show them how to do it by themselves and encourage them to brush their hair each night and morning.

Good luck.

How to tackle Tangles the pain free way