5 Methods That Make Untangling Necklaces A Breeze

Although some Hollywood stylists are indicating the decline of necklaces, many style-savvy people still enjoy using these accessories to elevate their outfits every day. After all, a beautiful necklace can add just the right touch of sparkle to a minimalistic ensemble, making the look appear more stylish. Plus, there are many different necklaces to explore, from luxurious gold pieces for dressier events to the chic Y2K choker necklace for edgy ensembles to ultra-long statement necklaces for bold, dramatic looks. The necklace options are endless, so it's a lot of fun to experiment with this type of jewelry!

But as much as we enjoy wearing necklaces and styling them with our favorite outfits, it's not so enjoyable when our necklaces get all tangled up. Tangling is an annoyingly common issue for people who like to layer necklaces. But tangles can also happen if you have many necklaces that tangle together after you put them away in your jewelry box, or even if you just have that one thin necklace that gets knotted frequently. Next time your necklaces get tangled, and you need to untangle them, try following these tips to untangle necklaces instead of panicking.

Believe it or not, using baby powder might save the day if your delicate necklace gets tangled. According to Occasions Fine Jewelry, adding a bunch of baby powder to your necklace can make it significantly easier for you to remove tangles from the piece of jewelry. Just remember that you should never be too rough on your necklace, as not being careful with it would damage or even break the chain. Plus, you must diligently remove your baby powder from the necklace once you've successfully taken care of the knots to avoid letting the powder affect the jewelry in the long term.

A How To YouTube video highlighted this method of using baby powder to untangle a necklace. First, they put their necklace in a small dish and poured baby powder on the piece of jewelry, using their finger to spread the powder over the necklace and get the jewelry immersed in the powder. Next, the YouTuber picked up the necklace and carefully removed the tangles, increasingly spreading it in the powder as needed. The necklace was successfully untangled at the end of the video!

If you have toothpicks or other pointy, slim objects in your home, you might be able to use them to remove tangles from your necklaces. "Use two small, pointed items such as sewing needles, straight pins, toothpicks, or even push pins to pull the two sides apart, open the knot, and untangle the chain. If that still isn't working, soak the necklace (be very careful of stones, pearls, or beads) in warm soapy water to help work the knot if it is very tight, and then proceed to use the pins to open up the knot," celebrity fashion stylist KJ Moody told InStyle. 

A TikTok by @franklymydearbts showed viewers that it's easy to remove frustrating knots in necklace chains by using two tiny needles to unravel the tangles, as long as you don't rush the process. Just remember to be super careful when using this method, as handling any sharp objects can be dangerous. Don't become so obsessed with untangling your necklace that you accidentally poke or hurt yourself during the process.

You read that right; olive oil can help you untangle necklaces. A TikTok by @handmadebycaoimhe explained that you can remove those aggravating tangles by placing the necklace in a bowl that has a little olive oil in it. Then, you can use your hands to make sure that the piece of jewelry is fully immersed in the oil — let it get soaked. This process works because olive oil has the power to lubricate metal jewelry, making your jewelry-loving life easier, so keep gently rubbing the necklace in the olive oil for an eventually tangle-free accessory.

You can even use olive oil and tiny needles for ultra-difficult tangles. Of course, have dry hands before handling the sharp items to avoid hurting yourself and don't forget to clean up when you're done untangling your necklace. "Once untangled, rinse in warm water and pat dry before storing away," HEYMAEVE founder Alicia Sandve told InStyle. No one wants to wear a necklace with leftover olive oil all over it!

This suggestion should be a last resort, but if all else fails, you should get help from someone who truly knows what they're doing. For instance, if you've tried baby powder, tiny needles, and olive oil, and those frustrating tangles still refuse to budge, your best bet is typically to talk to a professional in the jewelry industry at that point. One way to get help with this issue is to visit a jeweler, ideally from the store where you initially bought the necklace, so that the professional will know exactly what they're working with when untangling the piece of jewelry.

Another way to get rid of those knots in your necklace is to go to a jewelry repair company. Keep in mind that you'll probably have to pay for the service. For example, Quick Jewelry Repairs charges $15 to untangle a necklace for you. But wouldn't you rather pay a professional to work on it than break, damage, or ruin the jewelry by trying to fix it yourself? Think of it like this: A piece of jewelry is an investment to begin with, so you should treat it as valuably as you'd treat any other investment by taking care of it with any maintenance it might need.

While everyone who wears jewelry frequently has likely had to deal with a tangled necklace at some point, how you store your jewelry can help prevent the issue from happening too often. If you always toss your necklaces into a jewelry box or container, they're likely to experience tangles. However, when you invest in a hanger specifically for jewelry, this object can help you keep your necklaces separated and in place.

Anyone hoping to purchase a product to prevent tangles and keep their necklaces in place should look into the Boxy Concepts Necklace Organizer. This Amazon's Choice item is available for less than $15 (at the time of writing) and is made of plastic. You can mount the product to your wall and hang various necklaces on the hooks to keep them where you want them while preventing tangles. The jewelry organizer has an impressive rating of 4.7 out of five stars with over 2,000 reviews. Moreover, if you're looking for a super-affordable jewelry holder, the 1pc Clear Jewelry Storage Rack sells for less than $10 at Shein and has 4.9 stars.