I’ll let you in on a secret. The real trick to keeping your hair detangled is by using conditioner every day. The best shampoo for permed hair and tangled hair works a supporting role, cleaning up your roots and keeping them fresh for the conditioner to step in and detangle.
Table of Contents
Tea Tree Special Shampoo (Our Top Pick)
Tea tree oil is one of the best ingredients, hands down, for your hair and scalp. It washes away oil and bacteria, while strengthening your hair follicles and smelling goddamn good. The protective coat it leaves on your hair prevents hair loss, giving you a thick glossy look (and minimizing tangles). It’ll even treat dandruff and dermatitis.
Tea Tree Special stands back and lets the tea tree oil do the work for them, making this a brilliantly versatile shampoo. It’ll leave your scalp squeaky clean, ready for a conditioner or hair oil to detangle without making you feel greasy.
Pros:
• Tea tree oil is a miracle ingredient. Great for hair loss, dandruff, tangles, and more.
• Lots of hydrating ingredients to prevent dryness that would lead to tangled hair.
• Rich, sharp planty smell.
Cons:
• Not all-natural.
Brickell Men’s Shampoo
Brickell Men’s is another brand that knows how to let tea tree oil do the heavy lifting, but to top it off, they add some manly scents to make this a true men’s shampoo. Just using it is a confidence-booster.
Their tea tree shampoo is mainly meant to soothe itchy scalp, but it also has a lot of hair-repairing ingredients. If your tangles come from heat damage and split ends, Brickell Men’s is the way to go. My one complaint is that it doesn’t have as many hydrating ingredients as I’d like to see in a detangling shampoo. Still, they’re all-natural, and they skip out on drying synthetic ingredients.
Brickell Men’s even made our list of best shampoos for smelly scalp, if you’re hoping to solve two problems at once.
Pros:
• All-natural and gentle. No drying synthetic ingredients.
• Good for dandruff and itchy scalp.
• Makes hair look fuller.
Cons:
• Not enough oily ingredients to fully detangle hair, but that’s the job of conditioner anyway.
Dr. Squatch Shampoo
Dr. Squatch has a good reputation among granola guys, but they’re an awesome brand for any man who wants outdoorsy scents, healthy ingredients, clear skin, and shiny hair. Their shampoo has a crisp ocean scent with cypress, and the all-natural ingredients keep your roots and strands properly hydrated.
If you’ve never used a truly all-natural shampoo before, just know that the texture and consistency of Dr. Squatch is going to be a shock at first. It feels like a gooey gel in your hair, and it won’t lather or foam. But that doesn’t mean it’s not working. You’ll see thicker, healthier hair after several uses.
Pros:
• All-natural ingredients.
• Crisp cypress scent.
• Hydrates roots and strands of hair.
• Promotes thick, healthy hair.
Cons:
• Thin lather, which is unsatisfying for many guys. That’s what you need to expect with all-natural products.
Billy Jealousy Shampoo
Fun fact: Billy Jealousy is named for all the “Billy” celebrities who made their industries great – think Billy Joel, Billy Idol, and Billy the Kid. Though they’re not as iconic (not yet at least), Billy Jealousy certainly has a head-turning lineup of their own.
Their monsoon mist energizing shampoo has a sharp minty smell that lingers in your hair. They use all-natural ingredients, and you’ll notice the classic cooling sensation of the tea tree oil as you scrub. It’s a feel-good shampoo, and it’ll set the perfect stage for a detangling conditioner. That’s the small catch: don’t use the shampoo alone. Get a conditioner or hair oil in there with it.
Pros:
• Only healthy ingredients. No drying sulfates.
• Insanely strong and long-lasting scent. Great for guys who don’t shampoo every day.
• Has that tingly, cool tea tree oil sensation. Fun to wash with.
Cons:
• Small bottle doesn’t last long.
Rocky Mountain Shampoo
Rocky Mountain Barber Company was founded in 2015, and they’re best known for their shaving kits. Though, they do have a solid hair care line. Their shampoo smells great and is best on dandruff and eczema. I recommend it highly for picky scalp.
Aside from that, they have a tried and tested formula here. Tea tree oil, eucalyptus, and peppermint are the power triplets of natural men’s shampoos. You won’t go wrong here, simply on the basis that Rocky Mountain is using a classic satisfying formula.
Here’s the funny thing. Rocky Mountain consistently gets higher praise for their sandalwood shaving cream and pomade. They’re not well-known for their shampoo. I wouldn’t count them out of the game, but try one of their more popular products first.
Pros:
• Nice minty smell. Tried and tested ingredients.
• Great for dandruff, eczema, and dermatitis.
Cons:
• Small bottle doesn’t last long.
• Better known for shaving products.
Why Is My Hair Tangling So Much?
Dry hair is more prone to tangling. For some guys it’s genetic. Others use shampoo too frequently (guys with thick, coarse hair don’t need to shampoo every day). And some guys forget that conditioner exists.
But lots of guys find themselves with tangled hair because they’re using low-quality shampoos that encourage dryness and knots.
Some of the synthetic shampoo ingredients like sulfates, manufactured “fragrances,” parabens, petroleum, and more all dry out your hair and leave you with knots. Simply switching to a high-quality, moisturizing shampoo does the trick for plenty of guys, like many of the option on this list of best shampoo for tangled hair.
You don’t even necessarily need a detangling shampoo. Just start investing more in all-natural shampoos with moisturizing ingredients.
Why Does My Hair Get So Tangled After Shampoo?
Shampoo strips your hair of its natural oils. That’s how you get that clean smell and fresh look. But those natural oils are also what keep your hair slick enough to drag a comb through. That’s why it’s important to use conditioner after you shampoo.
I had someone once tell me, “So it’s a scam! The shampoo takes away your oils, and the conditioner makes your hair oily again. It’s a money scheme. You don’t need to use either.”
Not quite. If you let your natural oils run rampant, they can trap bad smells and irritate your scalp. Plus, conditions like dandruff, dermatitis, and other scalp conditions require shampoo for treatment (try the best shampoos for dandruff). It’s cleaner and more socially acceptable to use a shampoo and conditioner frequently.
What Helps Extremely Knotty Hair?
For extremely knotty hair that no shampoo or conditioner can tackle alone, you can try a combination of at-home remedies and store-bought items.
While you’re styling your hair, you can try a detangling spray to target small knots. Add apple cider vinegar to your shower routine, soaking your hair in it after you’ve shampooed. Apply hair oil to dry hair, following the directions on the bottle you choose.
And choose an all-natural shampoo from this list of “best shampoo for tangled hair”, which will minimize your tangles in the first place. Alternatively, use a coconut oil shampoo for a product that will clean and detangle as you lather with it.
Frank Edwards
Frank Edwards is a men's grooming & style expert who is "internet famous" for being able to simplify complicated grooming routines into easy, yet effective rituals any man can do. As a professional analyst, he has spent years researching the biggest brands, products, experts, best practices, and breaking news in the space. He takes this analysis, tests it out on himself, and then documents everything in his writing. As a result, his experience-based articles are considered by some to be the gold standard in men's grooming and men's style.
