question for fine haired, tanglies, past waist :)

[joyinc]

For all you fine hair's, what helps to stop tangling?

I have been debating cutting my hair for ages now because I simply cannot wear it down anymore without having massive tangles in 5 minutes... I'm a frizzball lol

I've used different conditioners, ACV rinses, no poo, only poo, CO, leave-in's, you name it.

Am I missing something? I see other women with what I am guessing is more medium-coarse hair who can wear it down and it just falls into place... me i have one big glob of hair :(

I wont use any product that is tested on animals, and I know that limits me, but thought I would ask anyhow :)

[harpgal]

joyinc, before you do anything drastic, I would try two things:

1. put coconut oil on the lower part of your hair, while it is still damp, after washing.

2. a very small (1/4-1/2 inch) trim.

[danacc]

I have mostly Medium texture hair, with a few Fine thrown in for good measure. I'll add a third item to harpgal's list of things to try before doing anything drastic:

3. Try a clarifying wash (followed by a moisturizing conditioner)

Also, my waist-length mostly Medium hair will develop some tangles if I leave it down all day, although it won't usually look tangled.

[FrannyG]

I agree with all of the above, including the small trim. When is the last time you had a trim?

[Arctic]

I agree with Danacc, sounds like you might have build-up. My hair was very tangly at the beginning of this summer, and I managed to pinpoint the culprit, it was one of my deep conditioners that had protein. It took a while, clarifying, lots of moisturizing, a small trim and S&D missions, gentle handling, oiling... Now I'm in love with my hair again, it's not tangly anymore. (I'm at APL, not waist yet)

[Bloodflower]

I'm at classic and have fine to medium hair. While I do all the things mentioned above (oiling, trims and so on) my hair is always a bit tangly. It has improved quite a lot, but I have accepted that with my hair type it is always going to be somewhat tangly.

[joyinc]

hmmmm... well it's probably a good time for a little trim, its been a couple months at least... my hair sometimes likes oil and sometimes doesnt, so it's hit and miss... definitely likes the solid oils like coconut moreso in the summer, so i will dig it out and give that a try!

i clarify lots, so i'll start with the others and see what i can do! thanks everyone!

I really want to get to classic, so sometimes i just forget about it :)

[AlleyKitten]

I use a vinegar rinse, a lot of conditioner, and a little bit of oil after washing. Really, what keeps my hair from tangling is putting it up :) but that stuff helps if I'm going to leave it down. I think, at least for me, it got to a point where it was just too much hassle to leave it down all the time, and I started putting it up more to keep it from tangling and being in the way.

[amiaow]

When I had hair between waist and tailbone, I found that really the only thing that stopped it from tangling was wearing it up or combing it frequently. I think it's just one of the problems we fine-haired people have!

I do remember having some really really good hair days when using Mastey products, which seem to have disappeared under the radar on this board since I last visited. The products are all vegan and not tested on animals.

HTH!

[dor3girl]

When mine seems out of control & super tangly it's either because:

1. I forgot to use ACV after a protein treatment
2. My daughter has touched my hair with something edible on her hands *not fun*
3. Too many split ends *time for S & D*
4. I haven't used a clarifying shampoo for a while & there is too much build-up in my hair
5. Beach & Camping are murder on my locks!

I could go on. . .but maybe you have something similar going on. . .

[GoldLady]

I agree with the comments in the thread so far. I have also found a conditioner on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/SOY-SILK-SHEA-BUTTER-THICK-HAIR-CONDITIONER-9oz_W0QQitemZ150285097568QQihZ005QQcategoryZ11857Q QtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) that has really helped to make my hair knot-free when applied from the ears down. I don't have any personal association with this seller, but have found her products to be made fresh and her to be very nice.

Off topic:
Bloodflower: your hair looks stunning in that Flexi 8. I bet if you sent them that picture, they would SO use it on their site to show how fabulous they can look!
:cheese:

[heidihug]

I'm at classic and have fine to medium hair. While I do all the things mentioned above (oiling, trims and so on) my hair is always a bit tangly. It has improved quite a lot, but I have accepted that with my hair type it is always going to be somewhat tangly.

What Bloodflower said. I seldom wear my hair down - as in once or twice a year. I have found that using a really good thick coney conditioner on the bottom half of my hair (I am using Dove Intense Therapy right now) helps quite a bit in keeping it relatively untangled while it dries.

[heidi w.]

I am fine haired and if I wear it down, I end up with a ball behind the back of my neck. For me, this is just the way it is. Nothing I do will limit that potential. I like having long hair and do wear it down on occasion, but on those occasions escape frequently to the ladies' room and detangle.

I condition, sometimes I oil, I trim occasionally. Nothing makes a difference for the back of the neck ball.

You could consider using a children's detangler spray.

Just the motion of my head moving and my body creates S waves down the length -- it doesn't matter what I wear either. Collar/no collar, soft silky fabric, cotton. It IS worse with knits and that kind of texture, so I do take care what I wear when wearing it down.

HOWEVER, I know of some long haired women who have super heavy hair and it just falls into place. You can lift the whole thing up, muss it around if you want, and it falls down into place. Amazing! (Leona's hair is like this. She doesn't visit LHC.)

heidi w.

[MeMyselfandI]

I find that a build up of conditioner causes tangles. Clarify then use conditioner sparingly (Depends on health of hair.) I like glycerin in hair products, I find it makes hair easier to manage without as much stickiness.

I find using a fine comb, helps keep tangles away, at least on my daughters hair. We are in the middle of figuring out a new routine for her hair.

[magicatt]

I know you said you tried a bunch of different things, but I found that using 'cones helped make my hair have more slip than oil or any of the other things I tried. It hasn't stopped all the tangles, but I do also bring a comb with me and occasionally detangle if I have my hair down.

[Isilme]

you say you clarify lots? Could it be that you clarify too much? If you don't have success with other things, try the good old coney conditioner or leave in (I use cones solely as a leave in because I break out on my back if I use coney conditioners, just a word of caution) Do you wear your hair down a lot? My hair gets dry and velcro like if I have it down too much.

[heidi w.]

hmmmm... well it's probably a good time for a little trim, its been a couple months at least... my hair sometimes likes oil and sometimes doesnt, so it's hit and miss... definitely likes the solid oils like coconut moreso in the summer, so i will dig it out and give that a try!

i clarify lots, so i'll start with the others and see what i can do! thanks everyone!

I really want to get to classic, so sometimes i just forget about it :)


Why are you clarifying LOTS? There's no need to do it on a schedule. It should be performed as needed, and for most it's not needed more than probably 4-8 times/yr, depending on hair wash method.

When you clarify, are you conditioning well? If not, or worse -- not at all -- then this is your problem.

ONE MUST REPLACE WHAT'S BEEN REMOVED.

heidi w.

[Mebo]

Yes, what they said!

And rinse, rinse, rinse - if I have the slightest bit of shampoo left, it tangles.

HTH!

[jojo]

I agree with the others that you may be clarifying too often. I went through a spell of doing this too much and my hair was really tangly.

Maybe a few conditioner washes, leaving them on for 30 minutes or so may help.

When my hair gets like this I love Tigi moisture manic it works wonders on my hair.

[sipnsun]

I have very fine hair and the only thing that works for me is to run a soft bbb through it. It will look great for an hour or so, then it tangle again. It is the reason for cutting my hair off last time it got to bsl, so I know I'm just going to have to live with it if I want long hair.

Btw, I trim every couple of months, use a good deep conditioner, oil everyday, only use diluted shampoo (no cones in any products I use), and a leave in conditioner, so my hair is not dry. It has to tangle because it is so fine. If you find a remedy that works, please let me know!:)

[Anje]

I've got no suggestions that haven't been given already, but I'll just weigh in as another finey who just has some tangles. If I'm wearing it down, a little oil helps and makes the tangles come out more easily, but it's going to tangle a bit.

If it's tangling unusually after having been oiled or having another leave-in, check for lint. My BBB is the best thing for removing lint and in that instance (and only in that instance) is ideal for detangling.

[darkwaves]

For all you fine hair's, what helps to stop tangling?

I have been debating cutting my hair for ages now because I simply cannot wear it down anymore without having massive tangles in 5 minutes... I'm a frizzball lol

I've used different conditioners, ACV rinses, no poo, only poo, CO, leave-in's, you name it.

Am I missing something? I see other women with what I am guessing is more medium-coarse hair who can wear it down and it just falls into place... me i have one big glob of hair :( I've been watching this thread with interest, hoping the solution I'm seeking, too, would appear!

But it hasn't.

My hair is just barely at waist, and it tangles constantly. My washing method is mainly CO, with (sometimes diluted) shampoo about once every week, 10 days, or two weeks -- as needed. I do deep conditioning. I use oils at times (jojoba, coconut, and most recently, camelia -- but none are much help for anything, as they make the ends crunchy and -- wet or dry -- weigh my very fine hair down).

BBBs won't work -- my hair is way too thick for even my mixed fibre MP brush to get through.

Clarifying is not the answer for me. My normal (Aveda Be Curly) shampoo does a fine job, without being overly stripping.

I've tried cones and no cones, but neither make a difference.

It's not build-up, though I realize tangling may happen to some people because of that.

This happens to me because... well, my hair is fine, and it tangles. The individual hairs just want to knot -- they don't slip, or fall, or clump. And the longer my hair gets, the bigger the knots they create. I've blamed it on my curls, but I think it's more because of its fineness...

And so I understand joyinc's issue - and the only suggestion offered here that I think might even slightly help me is to get a trim, so that I at least cut the fairy knots off the ends of the hairs. (I get dozens of these every time I wear my hair down.)

I don't want to cut much, but I've booked an appointment for the day after tomorrow. (My daughter tells me to go for it -- cut off the last layers!!! But that's 3 to 6 inches! I'm thinking more like a centimetre, or maybe an inch.)

Good luck working this out, joyinc!

I'm with you on it. And it's frustrating to know our hair type is not one that, if you just follow the hair care "rules", will swing and fall tangle free.

[joyinc]

hmmm... i guess i should have clarified lol... wow, lousy pun there

i dont clarify really ever like others do at LHC. clarifying shampoos are too harsh for me, so i dont use them... i dont really belive in it. someone posted something once that explained chemically how cones are broken down and washed off, and the simplest gentlest surfectent was capable of getting rid of cone residue... so when i said i clarify lots, i really just meant that i shampoo lots. i've never had a problem with buildup... sorry for the confusion!

that seems to work better for me then just a CO which tends to cause tangles as well...

however, i've followed some advice and since had a minor trim, and did an acv rinse today. the trim i think made a big difference at least in softness... i *think* the acv tangled me up, but i also used a crappy conditioner afterwards, so i'm going to try that one a few more times before i write it off....

i think i just might need to come to the realization that if I want to keep long hair, i'm going to just get tangly! it was nice to hear that i am not the only one that gets a big knot in the back of my head when i wear it down... so maybe thats just the way it's gonna be?

I appreciate all your suggestions, and I'm going to keep trying them all!

[longhairedfairy]

Your hair looks beautiful in your avatar and sig :)

I use camellia oil, mostly on the ends and length. I do it while my hair is still damp because it seems to spread better that way instead of sticking into one place and making it look greasy.

[Lisa-Maria]

Tangles also depend on what type of fabric you have in your shirt/jacket etc, at least for me it does

[Fia]

I had in the back of my head that I'd written something about this ages ago on the old boards - I was right. This thread (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=39555) contains a few of the things that I discovered for my own hair in terms of tangling, updos and lots of other things. The post is written when my hair was around hip-length just before I took it back to short hair a bit more than 2 years ago.

[joyinc]

those are great tips!

[ChloeDharma]

Anything after bra-strap is just a nightmare of tangles for me if i wear it down. I did find it less tangly after cutting from hip to waist, but i think it's just the nature of fine hair to be tangle prone, so i wear mine up nearly all the time, and DEFINATELY if there's any breeze about!
Keeping a light layer of oil on my hair does help make the tangles easier to remove for me though, and when i use cones i find that helps too. Have you tried broccoli seed oil? It isn't very pleasant smelling, but does do wonders for smoothness as a leave in.
I agree with the other suggestions....and do find if i don't trim for more than about 3 months then the tangling gets worse and worse.