Tangles! Ugh.

[endlessly]

I completely understand wanting to wear your hair down because you're right, what is the point of growing it if no one is ever going to see it? However, there isn't any way that I know of to avoid tangles by only wearing it down. I used to use tons of conditioner and a wide-toothed comb in the shower, but the tangles always came back as soon as my hair would start to dry, so honestly...I just stopped trying to fight them. I only wash my hair a maximum of twice per week depending on my activities during the week, and I only use shampoo, conditioner, then a leave-in once I'm out of the shower. It normally takes me a good ten minutes to detangle, and then I braid it and leave it overnight. I tend to wear my hair up or in braids probably 95% of the time and that's honestly the only way I know of to avoid the mess of tangles. Best of luck!

[jeanniet]

Try using more leave in. If your hair is dry, it will tangle more. I have to use a gel on top of leave in, although at this point I use more leave in and less gel. Everything stays clumped together. My hair isn't as long as yours (SL, but almost APL stretched), but I have no tangles and don't ever wear it up. I use a Denman to detangle (such as it is, since I don't really have tangles) in the shower. Wide-toothed combs don't work as well for me.

[MagicalMystery]

Know what? I braided it last night and it made a huge difference! I also slathered coconut oil in the shower and before my leave-in, and it's like silk for the first time in a while! I think I just need to hydrate it way more than usual because of the dry, cold weather.

[MagicalMystery]

Try using more leave in. If your hair is dry, it will tangle more. I have to use a gel on top of leave in, although at this point I use more leave in and less gel. Everything stays clumped together. My hair isn't as long as yours (SL, but almost APL stretched), but I have no tangles and don't ever wear it up. I use a Denman to detangle (such as it is, since I don't really have tangles) in the shower. Wide-toothed combs don't work as well for me.

I just invested in heavier leave-ins, and have a bunch of samples on the way too. My hair hasn't been long since I was a teen, so I just need to adjust my maintenance and TLC schedule to keep it hydrated.

Up until now, I've been loving Giovanni Direct Leave-In, but I feel like I need something heavier now.

[MJ1972]

MagicalMystery, you say you use coconut oil. How often do you use it? I'm asking because you may well be over-oiling your hair. I never had tangles until I began to oil my hair once a week. After a few weeks of that, I suddenly got tangles so bad I had to cut them out of my hair. I reduced my oilings from once every week to once every two or three weeks, and voila, my tangles are gone. Completely.

I also believe that frequent use of a conditioner containing keratin can make your hair more prone to tangling. I've reduced my use of that, too (despite the fact that it makes my hair gloriously soft and thick), and I haven't seen a tangle for weeks.

[yahirwaO.o]

This is probably not going to be of your liking, but trimming a bit of hair makes a huge impact of the amount of tangles. Maybe a micro trim could help a bit???