Q&A for How to Untangle Severely Matted Hair

Use an oil-based serum or moisturizing conditioner at the nape or back of your neck. Saturate your roots with the product and then begin gently pulling apart knots with your fingers. Section off parts of your hair and use a wide-toothed comb to work your way up your head, combing and separating as you go.

Try deep conditioner and follow the instructions in the article. Or, you could use vegetable oil.

Judging by experience, probably a few hours. If I have a really bad knot, it can take that long or even longer.

Use olive, almond or coconut oil and rub it in your hair. This will make the knots ease down and will make your hair smooth. Brush your hair afterwards, then when you wake up wash it thoroughly with shampoo and conditioner.

Follow the same steps and remember to deep condition. Try deep conditioners from DevaCurl, they are a bit pricey, but they leave your hair super soft and melt tangles. Just make sure to entirely pre-wet hair before any process.

Use a leave-on conditioner or hair moisturizer. Massage it into your hair and leave for 15 minutes. You can then bend over and brush the tangles out of your hair.

From my experience, though it's more difficult, wait until your hair is nearly dry to brush it. When there's a lot of water, the hair is heavier and will fling about if you brush/comb It aggressively. So be calm, and take your time. Detanglers help, and leave-in conditioner can help with any dryness after it's all said and done.

There's something called the Wet Brush you might want to try -- you can get it from Bed, Bath and Beyond or online.

I suggest soaking your hair in a bucket of warm water and using shampoo that is good for greasy hair. Next time you use honey I recommend mixing it well with the coconut oil and adding yogurt.

It's not a heavy enough conditioner to work well for this. I recommend coconut oil or any similar oil or intense conditioner.

Brush your hair out carefully using tanning oil. Use one with coconut oil in it and conditioner and follow the steps above.

Try brushing with detangler. If you have severe matted hair try applying coconut oil.

You cannot. This takes time. I have been working on mine for the past 4 months.

Try to use a wet brush, with a detangler. The combination should work well.

Keep brushing out the matted areas and apply some conditioner or/and coconut oil, then rinse it thoroughly. It will be easier if you have someone help you. It requires time and patience.

Apply some peanut butter to the gum and leave it in for a few minutes. You should be able to pull the gum right out afterwards. Then just wash your hair to get the peanut butter out.

Yes. It easily moistens your hair, making it easy to untangle.

Soak your hair in warm water. That's happened to me before and soaking it worked.

Use a comb and brush to start off. Moisten your hair, then continue combing out the tangles until there is a less severe matted version of your hair than you had before. Pour olive oil onto your hair, and comb it through the damaged areas. Then take a shower as you normally would with shampoo and conditioner, and wash and comb through hair thoroughly. After you get out of the shower, blow dry it and comb through with your fingers.

Just cut it. I had to do that. If trying to loosen it up doesn't work, it's not going to come apart.

Yes, it will help, depending on how severely matted your hair is.

Yes, use maybe a cup of vegetable oil and lather it into the tangled parts. Depending on how many tangles there are, you should leave it in for about an hour and rinse it out thoroughly.

Sleep with braids in your hair and try not to wear your hair down when out and about.

No, but if your hair is really matted, a wet brush simply won't do the job. Start with the wet brush to loosen up knots, but then go in with a harder and more stable brush to finish the job.

Try putting some conditioner on the hair and letting it soak through for about 30 minutes or so. Any conditioner you have around the house will do. Once you get the hair combed through, wash, condition and comb it through again.

Ask a parent or a friend who is good with hair to detangle it for you.

No, because that will make your hair oily and hard to grip as you untangle.

Brush it a lot, and don't wash your hair every day, or use small amounts of shampoo.

Follow the instructions listed in the article above.

My daughter had this problem, and I kid you not - it took me a year before I finally found the answer, so I want to share it! The secret is to pick it apart with a seam ripper! It's slow going, but at least there is progress, where before, I could not make any progress on the main mat with my fingers, combs/brushes, or any conditioning products (I tried so many). I had to split it into multiple sessions over the course of a few days, so I put her hair in 6 small braids to prevent backsliding, and I would take one braid out, work on that section, and braid it back at the end of the detangling session. I was determined to save my daughter's long hair!