Ah! My hair is a rats nest when I wake up. If you’ve found yourself saying this recently, you may feel at a loss about what to do about the huge knotted and tangled mess in your hair. Having a rats nest is not only annoying, but it can also be painful and unattractive. Keep reading to learn how to get rats nest out of hair and get your hair back to looking like you want it to.
Table of Contents
- What Causes Rat Nest in Hair?
- How Do I Get Rid of a Rats Nest in My Hair?
- How to Prevent Rats Nest in Hair
- How to Get Rats Nest Out of Hair – Stay Calm and Remove It!

What Causes Rat Nest in Hair?
A rat’s nest in your hair can be caused by a few different things. These include:
- Leaving your hair tangled for too long without brushing it
- Not moisturizing or conditioning your hair
- Using alcohol or sulfate products in your hair that are too drying
- Back-combing hair to style it
- Not shampooing your hair properly
- Using bleach in your hair
- Using too many heated styling tools
How Do I Get Rid of a Rats Nest in My Hair?
Ready to learn how to get rats nest out your hair? Below are a few different techniques you can try. You may find that you need to try different techniques, or even combine some of them, to find what works best for your hair.
Detangler Spray
When you’re wondering how to get really bad knots out of hair, try a detangler spray. Hair detanglers are specifically formulated to help loosen knots and make it easier for a comb to pass through your hair.
Baby Powder
Believe it or not, baby powder could also help remove knots from the hair. Sprinkling baby powder over the rats next can make their hair smoother and silkier, allowing the comb to pass through it more easily.
Wet Hair with Conditioner
Want to know the answer to how do you get a rats nest out of curly hair? Go to the shower and get your hair wet. Then, apply a generous amount of conditioner. Let the conditioner sit over the rats nest for about 3 to 5 minutes. Then, gently brush through the knots.
Wide-Tooth Comb
When working to remove knots from your hair, always use a wide-tooth comb and work at detangling the bottom of the knot first. Wide-tooth combs make it easier to get through the knots in the hair, prevent breakage, and are more gentle on your scalp than a standard comb.
How to Prevent Rats Nest in Hair
Now that you know how to get a rats nest out of your hair, the next step is learning how to prevent your hair from getting so tangled and messy again. Here are a few tips to help you achieve this goal:
- Oil your hair once every week or every other week
- Apply a hair mask to your hair at least once a week
- Use a leave-in conditioner
How to Get Rats Nest Out of Hair – Stay Calm and Remove It!
While having rats nest hair is certainly not ideal, it doesn’t have to be the end of the world, either. Using the tips above can help you learn how to get rats nest out of long hair, curly hair, or other hair types. Now, do you feel ready to tackle that biggest hair knot in the world? It won’t be as bad as you’re thinking!
Check out these related posts on our blog: