At our salons, we hear a lot of great stories about odd things that get stuck in kids’ hair. (Our counterpart is probably Emergency Room workers who hear/see a lot of odd things stuck up kids’ noses.) Kids have come a long way since chewing gum in the hair and are exploring all sorts of new ways to get tangled.

That’s why I had to laugh and cringe when heard about the newest item to get hair (and parents) into a tizzy. Have you seen Bunchem Balls? These colorful little orbs easily cling to each other (sort of ultra-velcro-style) to build all sorts of shapes and objects. The problem is, they seem to easily cling to hair too. Womp, womp.

Welcome, Bunchem Balls, to the Hair Snag Hall of Fame! Here you’ll find other classics like:

• Chewing gum
• Burs
• Wind-up toy cars
• Kitchen beaters
• Fly paper
• Slinky toys
• Round brushes

So, what’s the key to un-snagging the worst snags?

Keep your fingers close to the snag site, it’s important to work in very small pieces. Working as closely as you can to the stuck object and the hair will prevent more tangles and tears. Instead of focusing on extracting the object, which often results in tugging, pulling, and breaking hair, think of the hair shaft like a road. The goal is to un-block the road and “drive” the object down the shaft and off into the sunset. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Saturation is key. Dispense a generous amount of SoCozy Cinch Conditioner onto your hand and gently work it onto the hair that’s surrounded by the Bunchems. Next, lightly mist the hair with SoCozy Cinch Detangler, or water to help activate the conditioner. The goal is to get individual hairs coated, so that the object can slip on by. Don’t be afraid to add more as needed.
2. Use your fingers to start “combing” out the conditioner under where the Bunchem is stuck. The hair should be nice and slippery at this point.
3. For severe snags, a heavier oil like olive oil or vegetable oil may be necessary to pour right onto the Bunchems. (You may have heard about using peanut butter for situations like these, but it’s not very effective. Save it for your sandwiches.)
4. Using a wide tooth comb or SoCozy Detangling Brush, comb hair under the Bunchem until you can easily slide the toy out.
5. Continuously spray hair with SoCozy Cinch Detangler, as well as using the vegetable oil until all Bunchems are removed from the hair.

Finally, patience is key. Go slow and remain calm. Allow time for the hair to get fully saturated. If something seems completely stuck, relax, add some more conditioner or oil, and give it a couple of minutes. Traffic jams seem impossible, but they do eventually clear!

Photo source: The Wall Street Journal