This study explores the mechanisms that determine detrainment in deep cumulus convection. A set of 90 high‐resolution Large Eddy Simulations is used to systematically explore the sensitivity of continental deep convection to the relative humidity and stability of the free troposphere. It appears that variations in the mass‐flux profiles are determined by detrainment, rather than entrainment. The detrainment shows a strong dependence on the critical mixing ratio, a dimensionless parameter which describes which mixtures of cloud core and environmental air are positively buoyant. A conceptual approach to the parameterization of detrainment is proposed on the basis of these results.