Question for the LHC collective mind ;).. what causes tangles?

[Fractalsofhair]

I'd guess it has to do with how damage the hair actually is, as opposed to how damaged it might look/feel(Ie, how close it is to breaking). Some people have hair that can take a lot of damage. (That doesn't mean you should do damaging things, because when hair gets longer, weird things can happen!) When my hair was fried, it tangled easily. Since it's "virgin"(henna gloss/manic panic only), I can go a good week without combing it and it still looks fine.

[Irishred]

dirt, loose hairs (shedding naturally), oils, movement, wind, manipulation, splits, twists, funky waves from a previous style... hmmm, what else causes tangles?

[Feline]

My hair is also fine, and I get the most tangles from wind, lint and cat hair. I just gently detangle a couple times a day, and try to not get caught in strong winds. I had a terrible mess a few years ago when we took the boat ride to the Statue of Liberty on what turned out to be a very blustery day (as in whitecaps on the water). Took me over a hour to detangle later. Not fun.

[talervo]

Definitely fine hair tangles more. I've finally gotten to the length where I get more tangles, about BSL. I wear my hair down mostly and have noticed that my few split ends are just in the hairs at the nape of my neck. My hair is very healthy (haven't done anything bad to it, except maybe not moisturize it enough).
Also, I've started to braid or bun my hair when I go to bed. You would think I would get less tangles this way, but my hair stays wavy and gets more tangly now. I've also noticed that the ends of my hair are bent since doing this. I may go back to just leaving my hair loose at bedtime.

[Cholera]

Have you ever started a braid up near your scalp, to have the ends of the hair start braiding up toward you? This happens to me, and if I run my finger through this mock-braid, it gets stuck because the hairs lock up. This is what happens when I'm experiencing tangles, whether I'm combing my hair or finger-combing it. It wasn't a tangle before the hair got compressed, I suppose. It doesn't happen if my hair is just washed, but usually before a wash day. I think fibers from clothes and things contribute, too.

[Boudicca]

Wind, definitely. The difference in tangles when I've had my hair down is unbelievable.

[teela1978]

Wind. My hair is similar to the OP's in that I can go a day or two without combing, sleep with it down, and have few tangles... as long as its been up most of the time inbetween. If its windy all bets are off though.

I also think fineness has something to do with it. When I was little my hair was cobwebby fine and my mother would torture me every day with the hairbrush!!!! It was horrible. Those little bendy hairs just sneak around each other and get caught. My hairs are slightly coarser now... I occasionally get a tangle towards the end, usually around one bent hair. No clue how the first one gets bent. Stretched from combing and snapped perhaps? That'll make a material do strange things.

[Fiferstone]

I too think fine-hair is more tangle prone owing to its texture. My hair is pretty much stick-straight at this length. I have nasty snarls at the nape of my neck when I wear my hair loose, and I must detangle periodically during the day on "loose hair" days or face having to pick incipient mats apart at the end of the day (not fun). The major culprits for me are friction (rubbing against anything = instant snarl/fairy knot), wind, and yes, lint.

[Smokering]

Hmm. I've always had really knotty hair, whether using expensive salon products, regular el cheapo shampoo and conditioner, BS/ACV, WO, Indian herbs or various combination natural haircare regimes.

Looking back, it tangles *somewhat* less when well moisturised, and cleanish. Once bits of fluff have stuck to it, either from over-oiling or stretching washes out too far (resulting in sebumy roots) it gets really tangly and unpleasant. I could detangle it all day and still not be able to run my hand through it at the end without snagging.

And wind, yeah. I rode on the back of DH's motorbike once with my hair blowing loose in the wind. It's not as liberating as you might think.

DD, who's two, gets "friction locs" VERY quickly at the back of her head from rubbing her head against the sheets. I think it's largely because her hair's still baby-fine.

[bigeyedgirl829]

I have really fine hair and I think that's what causes my tangles... along with the split ends. I wonder if fine hair just tends to split more too? hmmm...