It’s one of those mornings. You wake up, start getting ready for the day, pack lunches for school, and your kid walks in sleepy-eyed with huge rat nests in their hair. Brushing knotted hair is without a doubt a huge pain for everyone – your kid is whimpering as you gently try to untangle their gnarled mess and you’re both stuck sitting there for at least half an hour until the deed is done.
Luckily for you, there is a much better way to combat the problem. And that’s why we’ve made it our mission to bring you the 5 best natural detanglers for kids that are healthy for their hair, free of toxins, and do wonders to loosen even the knottiest of knots.
(Pst! If these options aren’t your cup of tea, you can check out our other detanglers list!)
In a Hurry? Here’s Our Top Picks…
Contents
Our Pick
1. Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Daily Kid Conditioning Spray
With the Fairy Tales Kid Conditioning Spray, you’ll be tackling two problems at once. Not only will this detangler effectively soften the knots in your child’s hair for easy brushing, but it will also protect them from lice.
This detangler uses natural ingredients, like organic oils and is clinically proven to keep your child safe from pesky critters. It also won’t expose your kids to harmful chemicals, dyes, and various allergy triggers!
With 4.5 stars and over 600 reviews on Amazon, we can confidently say that this is one of the best detangler options for kids! Hundreds of parents have reported that brushing has become easier and lice outbreaks in school are no problem for their Fairy Tales children.
What We Like Best:
- Uses natural, safe ingredients to prevent children from being exposed to toxins
- Prevents lice from making your child’s hair their home
- Gently softens knots for easy removal
- Designed with allergies in mind. This detangler is gluten, soy, dairy, and nut-free
- Even with school lice outbreaks, hundreds of users have reported avoiding lice with this detangler
Other Great Detanglers for Kids
2. TotLogic Kids Detangler Spray and Leave-In Conditioner
The TotLogic Kids Detangler is a lightweight, non-greasy spray perfect for children of all hair types. This spray is great for detangling stubborn knots and taming frizz and leaves behind a slight, natural rosy scent.
This detangler is made with safe, plant-based ingredients to moisturize and soften your child’s hair – without all those nasty chemicals! It can be sprayed on both wet and dry hair for detangling and used as a leave-in conditioner.
With this detangler for kids, you can expect your child’s hair to be soft, smooth, and smelling clean!
What We Like Best:
- Light rosy fragrance, achieved using non-toxic essential oils
- Non-greasy formula to keep your child’s hair from appearing weighed down
- Ingredients are plant-based, safe, and natural to avoid exposing children to nasty chemicals
- Tames frizz and does a great job at untangling knots
- Great for all hair types
3. Shea Moisture Kids Extra-Moisturizer Detangler
Made with Shea Butter and natural oils, the Shea Moisture Kids Detangler is a wonderful moisturizer. It’s great for softening the hair to make detangling less of a chore and keeps the hair smooth, preventing flyaways and frizziness.
This detangler also promotes a healthy scalp and hair growth with organic coconut and Hibiscus flower oils, leaving a subtle shine behind. All of the ingredients are natural and organically crafted to protect the most vulnerable among us from harmful chemicals that are commonly found in conventional hair products.
It can be used on both dry and wet hair and works well on any type of hair, whether it be thicker and more corse or thinner and straight. The Shea Moisture Kids Detangler also acts as a leave-in moisturizer – so there’s no need to worry about washing the product out!
What We Like Best:
- Made with organic, safe, natural ingredients as to not expose your children to toxic chemicals
- Affordable for those who may be on a budget
- Can be used on wet or dry hair
- Can be used on any type of hair
- Moisturizes dry hair without being too greasy or heavy
- Protects the hair’s natural oils and promotes hair growth
- Light scent achieved by an essential oil blend
4. Little Twig All Natural, Hypoallergenic Conditioning Detangler
The Little Twig Conditioning Detangler for kids is hypoallergenic and approved by pediatricians for safety and effectiveness. This detangler won’t disrupt the pH balance on your child’s scalp and will help to lock in moisture without making the hair appear heavy.
It’s best used on wet hair and brushed through, and while this can be used on all hair types, thinner hair may require rinsing or lighter application. Like all of the options on our list, this detangler for kids is crafted with safe, natural ingredients such as Lavender, Chamomile, and Aloe extracts.
This detangler will bring moisture to the hair, making it simple for a comb or brush to glide through. The natural scent is sweet and citrusy without being too overwhelming.
It’s also a ‘no tears’ detangler, which makes it perfect for very small children or children who are just learning to brush their own hair!
What We Like Best:
- ‘No tears’ product made without irritating ingredients
- All-natural and safe ingredients without harsh chemicals
- Moisturizes without making the hair look greasy
- Can be used on all hair types, but may need to be rinsed out of finer hair
- Has a natural citrusy scent achieved by the essential oil blend
- Softens tangles to make brushing effortless
- Won’t disrupt the pH balance of the scalp
- Pediatrician approved and recommended
5. Clean Kids Naturally Detangler
This is actually a two-in-one product! It’s used like (and acts like) a conditioner while also destroying tangles during your child’s after-shower hair brushing.
It’s an all-natural formula with a wonderful child-like and fun banana scent (created with banana fruit extract). Seaweed and Kiwi extracts act as a strengthener and protector against the damaging effects of the sun rays and other damaging and drying elements.
The detangler can be either used as a conditioner in the shower or applied to dry hair. Both methods effectively moisturize the hair without making it appear too greasy or weighed down.
Clean Kids Naturally is little on the pricey side, but if your child has particularly unruly hair, it could definitely be a worthwhile investment!
What We Like Best:
- The super cute and fun banana scent created with real banana fruit extract
- All natural and safe formula to protect delicate children from irritating chemicals
- Wonderfully detangles and conditions hair
- Can be used in the shower or on dry hair without being overly moisturizing
- Kiwi and seaweed extracts protect hair from sun damage
Considerations Before Purchasing
Now that we’ve gone over our top picks for the best detanglers for kids, let’s take a look at some considerations before you purchase:
Ingredients
Each of our top picks for the best detanglers for kids is crafted with safe, non-toxic, natural and organic ingredients. When considering purchasing a detangler for your child, we feel it’s important to review the list of ingredients.
Mothers today are turning more and more to natural products – and for good reason. Often, conventional hair care products are loaded with chemicals, synthetic fragrances, and dyes that likely aren’t healthy for children to be exposed to. Natural detanglers are a healthier alternative and work just as great (if not better!) than conventional detanglers.
The general rule of thumb is, “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t buy it”!
Your Child’s Haircare Needs
You know your child better than anyone and it’s important to keep their unique needs in mind as you search for a detangler. Not all detanglers are created equal – some work better for thin, straight hair; and others work best on thick, curly hair.
Remembering to keep in mind the texture of your child’s hair will save you lots of time, whines, and money in the long run!
With that said, we made sure that all of the detanglers on our list are suitable for a vast range of hair types, and we feel any of our picks would work wonders for the tangles in every child’s hair!
Scents
Most detanglers for kids, conventional or natural, are scented. It may be worthwhile to determine if your child is sensitive to stronger scents before purchasing a new detangler.
Because the products on our list are naturally crafted, the scents are most likely less irritating than that of their conventional counterparts. Fragrances made from essential oils are less likely to aggravate a child who is sensitive to smell because they are natural aromas – rather than perfumey chemicals.
Best Detangler for Kids Brands
In this section, we’ll be taking a closer look at the brands behind our favorite detanglers for kids:
- Little Twig: Little Twig is a company that dedicates itself to sourcing the cleanest, most natural ingredients for their family care products. From plant-based laundry products and baby care to safer cleaning and bathing products, Little Twig really does it all.
- Tot Logic: Jill Taft founded TotLogic after her first child was born. Since then, she and her team have been creating household and body care products that are designed to keep your family clean and safe from harmful chemicals. Their promise is just as honest as their products, “pure, simple, and authentic”.
- Fairy Tales Hair Care: Since 1999, Fairy Tales Hair Care has been an innovative force in natural hair care for children. They are dedicated to bringing families products made with high-quality, safe ingredients for a price that can’t be beaten!
FAQ
Q: Are all-natural ingredients necessary?
A: Whether or not you purchase a natural or synthetic detangler for your child is solely based on your preferences. However, it’s generally better for the overall health of children if chemicals aren’t sprayed on their hair and skin. Organic and natural hair care products often work just as well as conventional products to improve hair.
We always recommend the safest, cleanest care products possible to be used on children.
Q: Can I leave the detangler for kids in my child’s hair?
A: Yes. All of the products we reviewed are beneficial when left in the child’s hair. Although, if a detangler is too heavy for your child’s hair type, washing the product out likely won’t lessen the detangling effect.
Q: Will natural detanglers cost me more money?
A: Not at all! Most of the time, natural, effective detanglers for kids cost just as much as synthetic detanglers. And even if they are a few dollars more, it’s a worthwhile purchase if it keeps your child away from nasty chemicals!
Q: Am I supposed to use the detangler on my child’s hair every day?
A: We recommend that you use detangler at least once when brushing your child’s hair each day. This will give you the best results and keep your child’s hair tame, less frizzy, easy to control, and less knotty.
Q: Do detanglers leave the hair oily?
A: No. The products we reviewed, when used as directed, moisturize the hair and leave a slight shine without weighing it down or making it appear greasy. Although, if your child’s hair is incredibly thin, you may need to rinse out thicker detanglers.
Q: What age should I use detanglers on my kids?
A: Detanglers are also wonderful conditioners and natural detanglers are especially good for the scalp. However, you never want to apply too many products – natural or synthetic – on to a child that is too young. We recommend that the youngest age that you use detanglers on is 10-12 months.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to your child’s hair, you want it to be healthy, soft, shiny, and free of painful tangles. With so many options on the market today, it’s difficult to know which detanglers would work best. That’s why we covered 5 of our top best detanglers for kids that are sure to keep your child’s brushing routine knot-free and safe from chemicals and toxins.