Techniques for Dematting
Dematting skill is something that is developed with practice over time, much like scissoring and styling. The following techniques are offered as a means of developing your skill. The more you utilize these techniques, the greater speed you will develop at achieving your result — with the least possible discomfort to the pet.
Divide and conquer — mat splitting
Splitting matted fur into smaller pieces is to dematting as holding the shears properly is to scissoring — your fundamental key to success. By slicing the matted area lengthwise into smaller pieces you have a much better chance of untangling the hair, and there is less discomfort to the animal in working small pieces rather than a large mass. One of the best tools for splitting mats is a plastic letter opener that looks like a business card, with a single tooth and a blade in the corner.
Mat splitting requires care and attention. Because you need a very sharp tool there is always danger of slicing something besides hair. Watch out for edges of ears, folds of skin, and the tips of tails. Scissors can be used with great caution — ALWAYS working away from the skin. Never cut into mats with scissors pointing inward toward the dog.
Another way of dividing and conquering is to shorten the matted coat first. Using your rough-out shears (an older, less valuable pair) roughly scissor off some of the length — especially effective on poodle or poodle-mix coats. Oftentimes scissored-off mats will brush apart after bathing on these coats. Just try it!
Pick, don’t pull
Most matted hair will break apart more easily with a picking action, rather than trying to pull a comb or rake through a hunk of hair. Correct picking technique is very similar to combing up hair in preparation for scissoring: lift the tool in and out of the hair — don’t pull through. Pick from the ends of the hair toward the skin, not from the skin out. Relax your wrist and get a sort of whipping action going. The objective of picking is to loosen the hair; later you will get more separation with a comb.
Attack from the side
Once an area is divided by splitting and loosened by picking, finish by combing through. Use a coarse comb and work from one side of the matted piece rather than a front-and-center approach. If possible, hold the piece of hair in one hand and comb with the other; holding the hair with your fingers between the part being combed and the skin reduces discomfort to the animal. Release your hold for the last bit of combing to the skin — hopefully your picking loosened the hair from the skin.
Slipping ’n sliding
Products which make the hair slippery ease the detangling effort. There are plenty to try: Cowboy Magic Detangler and Shine is one of the most slippery; remoisturizers and thick conditioners work well used full strength; less-bad mats can be teased apart with diluted spray-in conditioners. Some groomers do much of their dematting in the tub on a wet pet.
Grooming powders — even corn starch — can lubricate the hair shaft for easier tangle removal. Wear a paper mask if you choose this route so you don’t inhale powder as you work. Silicone products such as The Stuff, Quicker Slicker, AbraCaDaBra and Best Shot coat each hair shaft with slick silicones; silicone works best when it is dried onto the coat. It requires a leap of faith to trust that dematting will be easier after the coat is bathed and dried.
Blow it out — the use of air
Air flow can aid untangling, from a high-velocity dryer or a traditional stand/arm dryer. The action of the air shakes loose some of the hair woven together to form a tangle. On more coarsely textured hair, much detangling can be done with air flow and splitting. On finer coats, air flow from an arm dryer while fluff drying speeds up dematting.
Bathing — the use of water
Many groomers were trained never to bathe a matted coat — bathing was said to make the matted fur tighten its grip. This is true if the matted fur is not combed out after the coat is dried. Cleaning and conditioning a matted coat can often help release the grip of tangles, and some products (like the silicones above) actually work best when dried into the coat. Avoid rubbing products into tangled hair — rubbing can worsen the situation. Squeeze products through the coat and pat dry with towels. Do some mat splitting before the bath so bathing is thorough, products distribute well, and hair is thoroughly saturated — big clumps are difficult to penetrate.
Tools and products
Find the tools and products that work best for you. For splitting large matted areas, look for tools with replacement blades — they are only as effective as they are sharp. Find out whether you prefer rake-style or comb-style mat tools. A V-shaped comb is designed for the picking technique — try one. Look for a wide-tooth or coarse comb: a Teflon-coated coarse-medium comb is great on small dogs such as Bichon, and a larger wooden-handled poodle comb is good for larger dogs. Many tools now come with ergonomic handles so dematting need not stress the hands and wrists.
A pair of blending shears also helps: one notched-tooth blade and one straight blade. They can break up mats or cut out stubborn knots with less danger of slicing the dog or leaving a huge hole in the coat.
Detangling products are a personal choice. Basically they do two things: remove static electricity that causes hair to cling, and make the hair more slippery so it slides apart with less breakage. Experiment with small quantities of several products until you find what you like. When trying new products, always follow manufacturers’ instructions explicitly to give the product its best trial.
Go for it!
By practicing these techniques and finding tools and products that work for you, you can gradually expand your ability and speed in dealing with a matted coat — without harming yourself or the pet. You will be surprised how much more dematting is possible than you thought on many pets.
Dematting can become a lucrative specialty service, similar to cat grooming or special-needs grooming. As such you can market yourself as a specialist. You are also in control of determining on which animals and for which clients you apply your skills — you are not required to demat a screaming, hysterical dog who can’t take it, or bail out a chronically neglectful client on an annual basis. By becoming a dematting specialist you distinguish yourself from the competition. Your willingness to assess a pet for possible dematting, plus expanded skills in this area, will win you clients and loyalty.
About the author
BBird began grooming on the family Lhasa Apsos in the days before teddy bear trims or shorter cuts were acceptable. “Barbara!” her mother would call, “come help me untangle this mess!” For over 30 years she has advertised professional skills in dematting, gaining many devoted clients.