Seeing your child crying is so frustrating. The screams during combing time are heartbreaking.
Yet, both you and your kids love their adorable hair. It makes them beautiful.
You’ve probably filled your bathroom with products, tried cartoons and all that, but it’s so hard to make washing and detangling time enjoyable.
With the creation of child-friendly detanglers, you don’t have to feel helpless anymore. A good detangler will help make your child’s hair soft and remove knots and tangles.
The daunting task is to find the best detangler for your kid. From there, take it a day at a time. It will get better with time.
Find a list below of the best detanglers for kids. Plus, buyers guide for a detangler for your kid and tips for detangling a child’s hair.
The 5 Best Detanglers for Kids:
1. Honest Sweet Orange Vanilla Conditioning Detangler
Best overall detangler for kids
If you’re struggling between what’s good for your kid and what works, this product solves the dilemma. You don’t have to compromise on your kid’s safety over detangling their hair.
This product is not only effective at removing knots but is also gentle and safe. The detangler doesn’t have chemicals and irritants like parabens, silicone, synthetic fragrances, sulfates, dyes, or formaldehyde.
Besides untangling your kid’s hair, the detangler controls frizzes, makes hair soft, and brings out a radiant sheen. It has a sweet orange vanilla scent that your kid will love.
Blended with argan oil, jojoba protein, shea butter, and quinoa extract, this detangler softens and nourishes your child’s hair. It works on all hair types.
2. Cantu Care for Kids Conditioning Detangler
Best detangler for kid’s curly hair
This coconut-scented hair detangler is popular for making curls pop. If your kid has curly hair, you might want to try this detangler because curly hair works well with a conditioning detangler.
It’s extracted from shea butter, coconut oil, and honey, enhancing curls, waves, and coils. The ingredients also nourish
and softens your kid’s hair that you brush through without pain or effort.
The detangler is gentle because it contains no mineral oil, sulfates, silicone, parabens, phthalates, gluten, propylene, paraffin, DEA, or PABA, which irritate the skin. However, it contains non-water soluble silicones (dimethicone) and polyester.
3. Sheamoisture Extra Moisturizing Kids Detangler
Best moisturizing detangler for kid’s hair
Formulated with coconut oil and herbal extracts like Hibiscus flower and Slippery Elm, this detangler makes combing easy and tear-free. It removes tangles and knots, leaving your kid’s hair soft.
If your kid’s hair is dull or dry, this detangler will pump moisture from roots to ends thanks to the hydrating Shea Butter. It also controls frizzes and helps define curls, making them bouncy. The conditioner adds volume, so you’ll love it if your kid has thin hair.
The best part is that you can use it on wet or dry hair. Plus, it doesn’t have irritants like sulfates, silicon, parabens, petrolatum, mineral oil, or phthalates.
4. Suave Kids Detangler Spray Tear-Free
Best sweet smelling detangler for kids
If you love good smelling hair, you’ll be sold out with this detangler. It has a sweet scent of berries that’s not overwhelming.
The detangler is specifically formulated for kids with sensitive skin types. It’s alcohol-free and dermatologist tested to ensure it’s easy on your kid’s skin and tear-free.
Plus, this detangler spray is also ophthalmologist-tested to ensure it’s gentle on your little one’s eyes.
The detangler makes your kid’s hair soft and easy to comb while protecting it against damage from heat and environmental pollutants.
It removes all knots and tames frizzy hair without leaving any residues in the hair. Used on both wet and dry hair, this spray makes your lovely one’s hair shine.
5. SoCozy Curl Spray LeaveIn Conditioner Kids Detangles
Best nourishing detangler spray for
Created by an experienced salon owner, you can rest easy that this is a professional quality hair detangler for kids. It’s formulated with your little one in mind to prevent tears.
The spray is a conditioner and detangler in one bottle. It hydrates your little one’s hair and tames fly-away hair.
Infused with plum seed, keratin, olive oil, jojoba oil, and vitamin B5, the formula works to make hair soft and silky. It reduces breakage while brushing hair.
The biggest win of this gentle detangler is that it provides the nutrients your hair needs, and it’s free of chemicals and irritants. In turn, it helps to repair the damage, restore curls or waves and make your hair elastic.
Benefits of Detangler
A detangler makes your child’s hair soft, elastic, and strong to withstand combing. It removes knots, making your untangling process easy, fast and painless.
It may also help to prevent breakage, frizzes, and future tangles. A good detangler will nourish your kid’s hair with nutrients for healthy growth and radiant sheen.
What to look for in a Detangler for Kids
Wet or Dry Hair Detangler?
Some detanglers are meant for use on wet hair only. It might pose a challenge when you’re late and need to make your kid’s hair in a hurry.
Read the product description first to confirm using the detanglers on both wet and dry hair. But it’s hard to find a product that has everything you need in one bottle.
Fragrance Sensitivity
A detangler with a yummy scent might be attractive to your kid, but a very strong smell might be overwhelming for both you and your kid.
You might want to exercise caution with the kind of fragrance you expose to your child. Synthetic fragrances can irritate your kid, and it can be harmful if it gets their face.
If you choose a scented detangler, it’s best to buy one that uses essential oils for its scent.
Moisturizing Detangler
You can never overemphasize the importance of hydration when it comes to hair. The right moisture balance makes your kid’s hair easy to detangle because well-moisturized hair is strong and elastic.
Kid Safe Detangler
It’s best to ensure the detangler is child-friendly. Your kid is growing and not fully developed; hence their hair and body may not handle harsh chemicals.
Gentle products are certified by an authorized body like EWG as environmentally friendly and that the ingredients are natural and safe. If a detangler has that verification mark EWG VERIFIED™, it’s a thumbs up.
Some ingredients can damage hair in the long run or irritate your sensitive kid. Be wary of ingredients like silicon, alcohol, sulfates, parabens, artificial fragrance, dye, petrolatum, and mineral oils. If it’s labeled hypoallergenic, the better for you.
Your kid’s Hair Type
When you understand your child’s hair and handle it accordingly, you’ll have a less painful experience detangling it. Before ordering that detangler, ensure it’s suitable for your child’s hair type.
Fine and straight hair
Fine light hair might be underestimated in terms of forming knots. The truth is, it tangles a lot, and you need a specific detangler for fine hair that will condition and not feel heavy on the hair. A light conditioning detangler will do the job.
Wavy hair
It doesn’t tangle a lot; hence, you need a light detangler spray so that it doesn’t weigh the hair down.
Thick curly hair
This kind of hair requires patience because it’s not easy to manage. If it’s coarse and dry, it’s even more difficult.
Look for a detangler that will deeply moisturize. A heavy spray will work well with this type of hair. Getting the hair damp before applying the detangler will help a lot.
If your kid’s hair is oily
It’s best to avoid detanglers that have a lot of oil because they will leave oil residues in your kid’s hair. Read the label on the bottle to know if the spray is suitable for your kid’s hair.
FAQs
How do I untangle my kid’s knotty hair?
It’s best to gently comb your kid’s hair before washing it using a wide-tooth comb or untangle it with your fingers. After cleaning your kid’s hair, apply some detangler while the hair is damp.
Then give it two or five minutes for the strands to absorb the conditioner and soften before combing. Using a good brush, detangle the hair by gently brushing it from the end of hair strands, then gradually progress to the roots.
If your kid has thick hair, it’s easier to work on it in sections.
How do I prevent my kid’s hair from tangling?
As long as your kid has long hair, tangles are there to stay. The sooner you accept and learn how to manage them better.
The best way to deal with tangles is to prevent them from forming in the first place. You may not contain it entirely, like when your child plays at school.
But most knots form when asleep. Turning causes friction, which in turn causes hair strands to tangle.
The remedy? Tie your kid’s hair into a ponytail, but it should be loose enough not to get in their way.
A silk pillowcase and a piece of cloth instead of an elastic band will be helpful too.
Should I detangle my kid’s hair when the hair is dry or wet?
It’s best to detangle hair when it’s damp. You can untangle dry hair using your fingers, but it’s painful for your kid and time-consuming.
Wet hair is bouncy and easy to stretch, making it less painful. Plus, most conditioners are designed for damp hair. So you will find a whole range of products that you can use.
However, it would help to be gentle because wet hair is also weak; you can easily break it. But with a conditioning detangler, the brush or comb will slide through without damaging hair.
If you choose to detangle hair when dry, have a spritz bottle to apply some little water to moisturize your child’s hair.
Bottom Line
Naturally, you want the best for your kid’s hair. The above detanglers can help you make the detangling process easy and pain-free for your kid.
For added nourishment, soft hair, and hydration, you can try the above detanglers. Your kid will love the delicious fresh fruity scent of the detanglers.
This article was last updated on February 4, 2022 .