What detangler should I use on African American hair before applying relaxer?

I have had braids for 3 months and I am removing them tomorrow. The hair is extremely knotted and twisted. I would like to relax my hair 3 days after that. My salonist says that I should not wash my hair before coming in for a relaxer but I should show up with untangled hair . In the past I have used a tooth pick to separate the strands but this time I have no time at all for that painstaking process. Do you know of a detangler that can be applied without having to wash the hair first and most importantly is also safe enough to be applied right before a relaxer