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meteor
June 4th, 2013, 10:22 AM
I haven't found one place or a detailed, comprehensive list of products and ingredients for detangling hair.

So I hope we can share our detangling tips here. What works and what doesn't work as hair detanglers for you?

I am surprised that after babying, oiling and wearing my hair up for over a year, detangling isn't getting any easier! Detangling is when I get most of my damage and lose more hair than ever. And detangling is getting harder and harder the longer and thicker my hair gets.

The best detangling tools / products I've used so far:
- wide-tooth wooden comb,
- mineral oil, oils rich in ceramides (safflower, grapeseed, etc),
- lots of cones (MoroccanOil works well).
Haven't found any good conditioners or leave-ins for detangling yet, but I'd love to know what products work for you.

And I'm confused about acidic rinses - ACV and white vinegar (10% dilution) seem to make my hair more tangly. Is that normal?

truepeacenik
June 4th, 2013, 11:25 AM
Honestly? Loads of conditioner and detangle in the shower with a wide tooth plastic comb. (I've somehow had mine since 1988)
Once semi dry to dry, the tangle tamer, a tangle teaser knock off, does well. It is basically a curry comb.
On the run, I keep a medium toothed wood comb in my bag.

I try to braid at night, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. Prevention really is a pound of cure.

on your acidic rinses, is it still tangly after drying? Mine seems to suddenly let go. (That is, of course, relative to the baby dred of a tangle)

Angelica
June 4th, 2013, 11:37 AM
I use a leave-in conditioner to help with tangles and have recently purchased a Tangle Teezer after reading this forum. Too early yet to tell whether the Tangle Teezer works for my hair. So far okay, it does make my hair on the fluffy side though and sounds like it is ripping through the hair, but have only just purchased it. Prior to that I just used a wide tooth comb.

Phalaenopsis
June 4th, 2013, 11:56 AM
Smooth as silk shampoo from Giovanni makes my hair so much easier to detangle. Cones make my hair very crispy and more difficult to detangle.

torrilin
June 4th, 2013, 12:16 PM
A gram of prevention is worth a kilo of cure for me. Units changed advisedly. I have seriously had 8 hour detangling sessions from leaving my hair loose (at barely BSL!). It makes me really miserable and inclined to chop all my hair off.

Prevention #1: no heat. I have fine, dry, split prone type 1c hair. My hair will seriously get splits at pixie length. For me blow drying or heat curling or really much of anything else is going to lead to extra splitting. More splits means more tangles. And tangles make me cry.

Prevention #2: keep my damn hair up. I left the house without my hair up yesterday and I seriously felt like I was walking around nekkid. I maybe do that 3 times a year, tops. My hair is in that nebulous "past waist" zone where it's starting to look really long, but there aren't any milestones that are nice and clear and that I'd want to admit to in public... and now that it's that long, it's much less inclined to float into tangles because I made the mistake of wanting to breathe. Still... wearing my hair up is a good habit.

Prevention #3: finger combing. I pretty much don't use anything on my hair anymore but my hands. I've got combs and such, but I use 'em every couple months at most. I'm gentler with my fingers. I usually stick to curly style detangling, where I do it wet, in the shower and with LOTS of conditioner too. I don't really mess with it much beyond that since it's up pretty well 24/7.

Your mileage will pretty much always vary.

jacqueline101
June 4th, 2013, 12:25 PM
I use my knock off hair tangle teaser and spray in detangler I make out of conditioner.

DarkSunny
June 4th, 2013, 12:32 PM
Smooth as silk shampoo from Giovanni makes my hair so much easier to detangle. Cones make my hair very crispy and more difficult to detangle.

Ooh, I definitely second the Smooth as silk shampoo (and conditioner). I keep switching products because I get bored of the same thing all of the time, but it really is the only one that leaves my hair shiny, moisturized, and easier to detangle.

Anybody else have the kind of hair that, when dry, loves to form new tangles at the ends just seconds after you've brushed/combed them out? I only stick to detangling wet/half-dry hair because the whole dry hair retangling thing makes it seem like I'm doing much more damage by brushing/combing it when dry.

Elenna
June 4th, 2013, 12:50 PM
Tangles & faerie knots (single strand knots) are the bane of my long hair existence. It may be the hard water here, I've noticed that the water has become harder. Budget cuts maybe? So I may re-try citric acid or vinegar rinses. Anti-residue & chelation shampoos are really harsh and in the long run (I think) don't solve the daily tangle problem.

But smooth, wide-toothed wooden combs, mineral oil (otherwise known as baby oil as a detangler), & almond oil seem to help a lot. Some light oils may adhere to the hair causing a buildup of residues which is why I like almond oil. It is light & doesn't build up residues. So light oils with ceramides may be good or bad depending on your hair. Everyone's hair is different and takes to oils differently.

A couple of days ago, I COed with Giovanni SAS conditioner, & used John Master's conditioner with added almond oil. Boy, was my hair ever smooth & easy to comb!

So far, I'm having better luck with mild shampoos for wash days, light conditioners for COing, & thick conditioners.

Personally, the plastic combs, even the really good quality ones, don't work as well as good wooden combs. The plastic combs seem to worsen my tangle problem. I am so jealous of people who can run a normal comb through their tangle-free, luxurious locks.

Other than baby oil, I don't put in any other leave-ins, since my hair is really fine, wavy & gets weighed down easily.

Kittney
June 4th, 2013, 01:22 PM
My hair is kinda lightweight some days and that makes it get really tangled so I found that weighing it down with a bit of coconut oil helps me. I also have just started using a tangle teezer, I still brush from bottom to top though and that really works well.

jeanniet
June 4th, 2013, 02:01 PM
Kinky Curly Knot Today. Apply in the shower and use a wide-toothed comb or Tangle Teezer, then rinse out or leave in as you wish. Seriously, it's the best detangler ever, and it doesn't take a whole lot. Don't let it sit on your hair for too long or it doesn't seem to work as well. It's not all that cheap, but if you really need a good detangler, KCKT is it.

HollyG
June 4th, 2013, 02:03 PM
Aussie leave in conditioner (reconstructor? the one for very damaged hair)
Tangle teezer (haven't used in a while as my fingers are doing the job)
Comb (only use when hair's wet)

swearnsue
June 4th, 2013, 03:01 PM
I cheat and use a Pantene detangler spray after I wash my hair. It's full of silicones and works great. Once my hair is dry I keep it up or braided most of the time.

HintOfMint
June 4th, 2013, 03:17 PM
As people have said, prevention prevention prevention.

Wearing hair up at night and when walking about outside, and fingercombing are two big ones. Of course, I should follow my own advice. :p

Delila
June 4th, 2013, 05:42 PM
The George Michael/Madora line was perfect for me, shampoo, conditioner, then creme rinse, but since I've developed some psoriasis on my scalp I haven't found a routine to match it. (I've strictly limited the products I put on my scalp, and yeah, I need detangling help all the way to the scalp. Sigh.)

I think the thing that I like is the somewhat old fashioned step of using a separate creme rinse after conditioning. For my hair, conditioning in itself isn't enough, I need a special product dedicated to detangling.

Paul Mitchell makes something similar to the GM one, and it's fine too.

Herb-wise, I seem to remember being happy with catnip as a rinse, but for my hair, the detangling effect it gives is more subtle, especially once my hair dries.

ETA: In terms of basic routine, I detangle with my fingers twice a day, and try to avoid any sort of mechanical damage. S&D helps keep some of the tangles at bay, but so does keeping my hair free of any sort of lint, since for me, most tangles get started because there's a rough spot or bit of lint in the hair.

Most of the time in recent years, I've been wearing my hair simply braided, without any sort of tie, since that seems to help keep my hair from breaking at the hemline. (I do have to be gentle with my braid.) If it's not braided, I wear it up in a bun with a wooden, three tined fork, they seem most secure to me.

McFearless
June 4th, 2013, 07:12 PM
Use your fingers to detangle! I can feel every single knot with my fingers and that saves a lot of hairs that would otherwise snap with combs. I'd start with and complete one lock before moving to another. As water is running through the section, I place my pointer and middle fingers in a pinching position on each hand, and slowly move my fingers downwards while they're pinched as I pull the hairs away from eachother. Then I begin again a little higher up and repeat until the entire lock of hair is detangled. I hope that makes sense. Maybe someone can elaborate and better explain that method, but it saved so much hair when I had it long. And that was without conditioner as I was WO. I can imagine with a moisturizing conditioner the process would move quicker. People here tend to love Aubrey Organics for that purpose. Shea Moisture is even more effective I think.

Wildcat Diva
June 4th, 2013, 07:19 PM
Herbal treatments? I have heard marshmallow root infusion is fantastic for detangling. I only just got some, and tried it once. I'm not sure I'm making/ using it correctly. I'm going to keep trying.

Basically, before this week I have been washing, using mineral oil or nightblooming panacea as a leave in. Then, once dry (and wavy) finger coming some here and there while it's down for a day or two, never really finishing the job. Then I give in and start using my tangle teezer very patiently, until I get it all detangled, then I'm pretty much ready to wear it up most of the time the next few days, until it's wash day again.

leslissocool
June 4th, 2013, 07:30 PM
I use suave kids detangling spray :lol:.

I have kids, my daughter likes her hair down so I use it often and she loves it. So when my hair is tangled, I use it too.

I also make my own that smells like tea tree oil.

starlamelissa
June 4th, 2013, 07:57 PM
I do quite a few successful things. I wash with gentle sles based moisturizing shampoo. I wash the scalp and length. I detangle in the shower with lots of conditioner and a wide tooth comb. I prefer conditioners with cyclopentasiloxane in the top 5, it's a cone that disappears after drying, leaving my waves light, it also eases wet combing.

I apply baby oil (currently Johnson's shea cocoa butter scent... So chocolatey smelling) to my nape and lengths on sopping wet hair. I do this just before I exit the tub.

When my hair is still damp
I apply a little more baby oil to my ends, or even some vaseline (like a pea size amount). Vaseline and other petroleum products hold moisture in for days (ymmv) on my hair. I know it's a "bad product" but the results say different. (I also have olive oil, and a water based moisturizer I alternate with)

Between washes in if I am wearing my hair straight I brush as needed, and wear it up in a bun at night.

Between washes if I am wearing my hair wavy (2b wavy over here!) I wear my hair braided in a high pony. In the morning I mist with water to reactivate my gel from wash day. Before night braiding I separate my tangled nape hair from the rest of my hair, spray with an amodimethicone heavy kids detangler (breck for kids from dollar tree, in watermelon smile scent.) and work the knot out with the smooth tail of a rat tail comb. Any non nape tangles gotta wait till the next wash day, for a good slathering of conditioner and my shower comb.

Products I like-

tresseme luxurious moisture shampoo and conditioner. The conditioner is a super detangler. truly in a class of its own. The same formula is marketed as "flawless curls" conditioner.

Breck for kids detangling spray in watermelon smile scent (only at dollar tree)

Wet look shower comb (Sally's)

Baby oil

Petroleum jelly (hair grease like vo5 hairdress or pomade probably works too) ((WARNING stay away from these products if you have fine, thin hair!!!))

starlamelissa
June 4th, 2013, 08:13 PM
Lesisocool, when i was in middle school thru highschool we had that suave detangler, the apple one in the house consecutively for yeaaaars. My mom never let it fully empty before she bought a new one. We had 4 thick wavy curly girls in the house, so it was a must have product. We even packed it with us when we went swimming and after trips to the beach.

It works! I'd use it now but its strongly green apple, and it clashes with my shampoo. I think the suave swirl berry might be ok though.

sycamoreboutiqu
June 5th, 2013, 08:39 PM
I have found that CO washing exclusively has helped a LOT. That followed by a richer conditioner rinsed most of the way out (not all the way) then some used as a leave-in
on the ends. The next day when it is dry I use just a dot of 76o Coconut Oil on my palms and smooth across the lower 10 inches or so and finger comb with it to help ease any tangles. This has completely transformed my hair from a rats nest (which it was ever since shoulder length ) to a pretty manageable classic length wavy ( 2b or so).
Granted, I never leave my hair down, one soft breeze would completely undo everything... lol

spirals
June 5th, 2013, 09:59 PM
Catnip with a little oil in a spray bottle works pretty well if I'm generous with it. I spray it on my comb or brush, and directly on especially tanglesd sections of hair. Putting a little oil on the brush bristles or comb tines helps too.

spirals
June 5th, 2013, 10:05 PM
Herbal treatments? I have heard marshmallow root infusion is fantastic for detangling. I only just got some, and tried it once. I'm not sure I'm making/ using it correctly. I'm going to keep trying.
Some recipes say to steep like a tea, but to really get all the mucilage out you should simmer it for 20 minutes. I usually have the stove set to medium-low. And then you have to really squeeze the goo out of the roots. The easiest way is to strain through a muslin bag and then squeeze the bag itself to get the last of the goo out. It's gross, but necessary. Maybe I should put gloves on first.

gonzobird
June 6th, 2013, 11:33 AM
http://www.justnaturalskincare.com/hair-products/daily-spray-detangler.html
THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BEST EVER!!!!!!!!!

PolarCathy
June 6th, 2013, 11:34 AM
Here, EQyss Survivor, the bestestest. The only thing I'll ever use.

Vivalagina
June 6th, 2013, 11:53 AM
I second Kinky Curly Knot Today. That stuff makes my tangles melt away.

jeanniet
June 6th, 2013, 12:48 PM
I second Kinky Curly Knot Today. That stuff makes my tangles melt away.

BTW, two of the main ingredients are slippery elm and marshmallow root. If you were willing to do some experimenting, you could probably come up with a similar detangler.

Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture conditioner is also a good in-shower detangler. Not quite in the same league as KCKT, but close.

leslissocool
June 6th, 2013, 12:53 PM
Lesisocool, when i was in middle school thru highschool we had that suave detangler, the apple one in the house consecutively for yeaaaars. My mom never let it fully empty before she bought a new one. We had 4 thick wavy curly girls in the house, so it was a must have product. We even packed it with us when we went swimming and after trips to the beach.

It works! I'd use it now but its strongly green apple, and it clashes with my shampoo. I think the suave swirl berry might be ok though.

That's the one I use too! I love that smell, and it's really cheap IMO. My kids CO wash only so that also helps a lot also with the suave conditioner (fruit smell). It goes good with my shampoo scent.


I should try the Kinky curly one.

spirals
June 6th, 2013, 02:58 PM
BTW, two of the main ingredients are slippery elm and marshmallow root. If you were willing to do some experimenting, you could probably come up with a similar detangler.
.
http://www.herbco.com/c-292-marshmallow.aspx

Wildcat Diva
June 6th, 2013, 03:57 PM
Here, EQyss Survivor, the bestestest. The only thing I'll ever use.

You always enable me to go to the tractor supply store. It's more horsey stuff, correct?

PolarCathy
June 6th, 2013, 03:58 PM
Buy me some too pleaseeeeee :flowers:


You always enable me to go to the tractor supply store. It's more horsey stuff, correct?

jeanniet
June 6th, 2013, 05:10 PM
http://www.herbco.com/c-292-marshmallow.aspx

Lol, I'm not cooking any up! At least not now. Just finished busting my butt for my parents, so I want a little lazy time. ;) I live in the middle of Hippieville, so I can get herbs locally if I do decide to play around with them. Oddly enough, I seem to have less tangling since I went CG. I already had the KCKT, but I'm not in dire need of it.

spirals
June 6th, 2013, 05:30 PM
I only wish I could find marshmallow locally. :(

jeanniet
June 6th, 2013, 11:26 PM
I only wish I could find marshmallow locally. :(

There's a little shop downtown that has shelves full of all kinds of bulk herbs--marshmallow and slippery elm for sure, nettle, horsetail, hibiscus, all kinds of good hair stuff. Bulk henna, too, although I don't think it's the best quality. Buying just an ounce of something is cheap, so it doesn't cost much to experiment. I used to buy all my herbs there back when I was doing herb-only washes, but when we had a drought winter my hair just got too dry and I needed more than just herbs.

moxamoll
June 7th, 2013, 04:43 PM
You can buy herbs online - the prices at The Bulk Herb Store (www.bulkherbstore.com) are pretty good if you're shipping to the US. And living in Canada, I've done pretty well at Dewsberry Herbal (http://www.etsy.com/shop/DewberrysHerbal?ref=pr_faveshops) on Etsy.

LoveAngelBeauty
June 7th, 2013, 08:38 PM
My hair dreaded because I kept braids in too long--4 months. Aloe vera juice (fresh) and/or flax seed gel. Those two are what saved me from having to chop off my hair. super slippery and great conditioners.

meteor
June 8th, 2013, 10:17 AM
Thank you so much for great information, guys! :blossom:
I'll need to experiment so much until I get to a place where I can pass a comb through my hair.

For those of you who only finger-comb: how do you guys make sure you don't leave some knots behind? I'd love to finger-comb but in the past it left me with major tangles because I was leaving so many knots behind.

Also, the more detangling product (natural or not) I use, the more slippery but also more coated, weighed down and greasy my hair gets. So I often have to choose between super-tangly but light hair or slippery but greasy hair. Argh!:mad: I guess it means I need to keep searching for lighter products.

Delila
June 8th, 2013, 05:34 PM
... For those of you who only finger-comb: how do you guys make sure you don't leave some knots behind? I'd love to finger-comb but in the past it left me with major tangles because I was leaving so many knots behind.
...

Well, I'm definitely not a iii in thickness, which probably helps, LOL! Do you massage your scalp at all? What I mean by asking that is that I've gotten pretty good at knowing which parts of my hair I have worked on, and which I haven't gotten to yet. I guess it just took practice and determination? Also, being careful not to let products build up on my hair (Mostly by not using the ones that build up) and being regular in my detangling efforts. For me it really is a twice a day routine thing. Otherwise, my hair gets tangly and hard to manage.

As for products weighing hair down? It took me a lot of experimentation to find a routine (and products) that helped. Part of it for me was keeping a journal (my blog here) of how my hair behaved while using whichever products when wet or damp, how it responded and looked once dry, etc. The last bit, about how it looks once dry really did get my attention and help me change which products I used.

Another issue for me was length. For a long time, I'd simply have to adapt my routine as my hair got longer and longer. Products that worked well at shorter lengths just didn't cut it at longer lengths, particularly beyond waist.

meteor
June 9th, 2013, 12:16 PM
Well, I'm definitely not a iii in thickness, which probably helps, LOL! Do you massage your scalp at all? What I mean by asking that is that I've gotten pretty good at knowing which parts of my hair I have worked on, and which I haven't gotten to yet. I guess it just took practice and determination? Also, being careful not to let products build up on my hair (Mostly by not using the ones that build up) and being regular in my detangling efforts. For me it really is a twice a day routine thing. Otherwise, my hair gets tangly and hard to manage.

As for products weighing hair down? It took me a lot of experimentation to find a routine (and products) that helped. Part of it for me was keeping a journal (my blog here) of how my hair behaved while using whichever products when wet or damp, how it responded and looked once dry, etc. The last bit, about how it looks once dry really did get my attention and help me change which products I used.

Another issue for me was length. For a long time, I'd simply have to adapt my routine as my hair got longer and longer. Products that worked well at shorter lengths just didn't cut it at longer lengths, particularly beyond waist.

Thank you so much, Delila!:blossom: This is very useful and informative! :)
I've always had tangly hair, but of course bleached highlights elevated tangles to a whole new level! LOL
I think I'll try detangling with a comb only after I wash my hair and then I'll just try finger-combing on non-wash days. My hair tends to tangle even immediately after I've carefully combed it, even if I don't move, just like someone else mentioned earlier in this thread.
Yes, I also notice that as my hair grew longer, specifically after waist, it demanded something much more effective for detangling. I'll be experimenting with new products... I already rotate a bunch of different conditioners (the conier, the more effective, sadly), to avoid buildup, but I'll definitely try some new detangling products that were mentioned here.

Delila
June 9th, 2013, 04:53 PM
Thank you so much, Delila!:blossom: This is very useful and informative! :)
...

You're welcome!

My memory of products that I didn't keep using (and why) is kind of fuzzy, but I think both the Johnson and Johnson spray and the Aussie Knot Forgotten were among them. I think that they both left a residue on my hair that seemed to cause problems.
The ones that are still okay? (Searching bad memory here ... ) Biolage Detangling Solution, Paul Mitchell Detangling conditioner and George Michael/Madora's creme rinse and Detangling spray. (Fekkai made a creme rinse type conditioner that worked fine, smell FABULOUS, but they've long since discontinued it. Don't know the line at all anymore to advise. ) Once I found this many good ones that seemed likely to remain available, I quit experimenting.

I remember from my earliest days at LHC that I had the best results overall from searching by member's hairtype and seeing what people who had a similar hair type to mine were happy with. Not a universally perfect solution, but very, very useful, and great for avoiding things that weigh my hair down. (Does the new software let you search that way?)

Since your hair type is so different than mine in terms of thickness, you may well be totally happy with products that didn't work for me. Just be patient with yourself and your hair and keep some notes as you experiment. (My own memory is NOT good enough to keep track.)

lapushka
June 9th, 2013, 05:04 PM
What helps with detangling is using extremely moisturizing conditioners (yes, with cones), and using them *twice* after shampooing - that in and of itself is 90% of your detangling right there. The other 10% is a good leave-in and some serum (or a few drops of oil). The comb just glides through and I have *0* breakage from detangling.

jeanniet
June 9th, 2013, 09:28 PM
Something I've realized recently has been a bit of an epiphany for me, and may be helpful to other wavy/wurlies out there. Most of my life I've treated my hair as wavy, rather than actually curly--I thought it really was wavy. Anyway, it's always been very tangly, and I always thought that was because my fine hairs were wrapping around the M/C hairs. I finally caught a clue as to how wurly/curly my hair really is, and since going full curly girl I only detangle in the shower, about every three days...and my hair isn't any more tangled than when I was treating it as wavy and combing it all out twice a day. The reason? Because my hair has a set curl pattern. What I thought was fine hairs wrapping around other hairs was really just hairs trying to get into their curl pattern. The more I combed, the more I upset the pattern, and the more the hairs would try to resettle themselves. No more combing, no more misplaced hairs trying to find their way back to their group, so no more tangles. I've been thinking about going CG for probably two years or more, and all this time I was afraid to because I thought my hair would be an impossible tangled mess--when in fact I was creating the tangles! Lesson learned.

meteor
June 11th, 2013, 11:47 AM
Something I've realized recently has been a bit of an epiphany for me, and may be helpful to other wavy/wurlies out there. Most of my life I've treated my hair as wavy, rather than actually curly--I thought it really was wavy. Anyway, it's always been very tangly, and I always thought that was because my fine hairs were wrapping around the M/C hairs. I finally caught a clue as to how wurly/curly my hair really is, and since going full curly girl I only detangle in the shower, about every three days...and my hair isn't any more tangled than when I was treating it as wavy and combing it all out twice a day. The reason? Because my hair has a set curl pattern. What I thought was fine hairs wrapping around other hairs was really just hairs trying to get into their curl pattern. The more I combed, the more I upset the pattern, and the more the hairs would try to resettle themselves. No more combing, no more misplaced hairs trying to find their way back to their group, so no more tangles. I've been thinking about going CG for probably two years or more, and all this time I was afraid to because I thought my hair would be an impossible tangled mess--when in fact I was creating the tangles! Lesson learned.

I absolutely agree! And I should definitely try Curly Girl method, I'm just afraid of using cone-free conditioners (as required for CG method), because I might cut it all off in anger while detangling without cones! :))
My hair is at least wavy (very definitive S-waves from nape down, looking like braid-waves), but the highlighted hair has this broken-up pattern that gets lots of frizz, requiring some protein and lots of cones. It's inevitable result of chemical damage, of course... I think I should go soak my highlighted ends in coconut oil right now! :) This always helps with detangling! :)

alexis917
June 11th, 2013, 01:10 PM
What works for me on my thick 1c hair- or at least I say it's 1c now, since the parts that aren't layered are straight:

When out of the shower, I wrap my hair in a towel and relax for a few minutes.
Once my hair is damp, but not dry-

1. Spritz Aussie's Hair Insurance into palms, and run through hair,
concentrating most of the product on the ends.
It's supposed to be a heat protectant, but also a leave in conditioner.
I love the smell, and it helps my tangles come out much more easily!

2. Brush hair out from ends to roots with my Wet Brush.
It's like the tangle teezer with a handle, supposedly. I haven't tried the teezer, but this goes through tangles so well!

3. Take a pea sized amount of It's a 10's Miracle Leave In Potion Plus Keratin and run it through my hair.

4. Brush through hair again with the Wet Brush to distribute the product evenly.

5. Put hair up in a bun to dry!
Spin Pins are my personal favorite, using hair ties on damp hair seems to give me kinks on the ends.

OR

Apply an SMT straight out of the shower and rinse out after one-two hours.

OR,

Apply olive oil to hair after brushing, but without any other products.
Bun hair and rinse, or keep it until the next wash if it's not a super heavy oiling.

I've always had pretty awful tangles, but lately, they're greatly reduced.
I'm not scared to have my boyfriend touch my hair anymore,
I was always worried his hand would get stuck!

meteor
June 11th, 2013, 01:27 PM
I'm not scared to have my boyfriend touch my hair anymore,
I was always worried his hand would get stuck!

LOL! Same here! :)
And I could never understand how people can just pass a brush through long hair in one stroke! That's awesome and something that I don't think I'll be able to experience for at least a few years, until all my dyed ends are cut.
Soaking hair in olive oil really helps me, but I notice that the result post-wash is either oil slick but super-easy detangling or all the oil gets washed out ... to bring tangles again.:rolleyes:

Oksana
June 11th, 2013, 01:36 PM
I have baby fine hair and since hitting waist I have been suffering terribly with tangles, especially at the nape of the neck. The only product I have tried that works for me is Avon's Damage Repair 3D Rescue Leave In. I'm sure its full of cones but if I did not have this product I would have ended up cutting out some of the tangles.

I'm a fan of using oil to prevent tangles but unfortunately oil is useless in my hair once the tangles are set in :(

alexis917
June 11th, 2013, 01:37 PM
LOL! Same here! :)
And I could never understand how people can just pass a brush through long hair in one stroke! That's awesome and something that I don't think I'll be able to experience for at least a few years, until all my dyed ends are cut.
Soaking hair in olive oil really helps me, but I notice that the result post-wash is either oil slick but super-easy detangling or all the oil gets washed out ... to bring tangles again.:rolleyes:

Those commercials for the Michel Mercier brush where they just glide through their hair...
I'm dumbstruck!

alexis917
June 11th, 2013, 01:44 PM
LOL! Same here! :)
And I could never understand how people can just pass a brush through long hair in one stroke! That's awesome and something that I don't think I'll be able to experience for at least a few years, until all my dyed ends are cut.
Soaking hair in olive oil really helps me, but I notice that the result post-wash is either oil slick but super-easy detangling or all the oil gets washed out ... to bring tangles again.:rolleyes:

Those commercials for the Michel Mercier brush where they just glide through their hair...
I'm dumbstruck! I'm positive they detangled beforehand!

Sharysa
June 11th, 2013, 02:41 PM
My detangling methods are:

1) Fingercombing unless on wash day (which is twice a week), and then I use my horn comb for in-depth detangling. Using my horn comb EVERY day just leads to breakage and my waves losing their shape.
2) Half-strength Dr. Bronner's shampoo on the scalp, then Tressemme Naturals conditioner on the length.
3) Damp/wet oiling with a mix of sweet-almond oil and sweetgrass essential oil after my shower.
4) Braids as often as possible. Buns pull at my scalp no matter where they are.

Vintagecoilylocks
June 11th, 2013, 04:40 PM
Thank you so much for great information, guys! :blossom:
I'll need to experiment so much until I get to a place where I can pass a comb through my hair.

For those of you who only finger-comb: how do you guys make sure you don't leave some knots behind? I'd love to finger-comb but in the past it left me with major tangles because I was leaving so many knots behind.

Also, the more detangling product (natural or not) I use, the more slippery but also more coated, weighed down and greasy my hair gets. So I often have to choose between super-tangly but light hair or slippery but greasy hair. Argh!:mad: I guess it means I need to keep searching for lighter products.

Well I use my hands to detangle. I don't comb with my hands per say I separate so there is no leaving knots.

I wash in braids and then apply my products then detangle when dry. Coconut oil works well as a good product on dry hair to detangle.

Priska
May 19th, 2022, 08:47 PM
The simplest imaginable diy detangler worked very well for me, and I really thought I was in a great trouble. I accidently had my hair open for a few days and nights. I was so busy and tired, and then I easily forget my hair. Yesterday I saw scary tangles in my hair. This morning I decided to try mixing together LOTS of olive oil and conditioner. I also added some vinegar into it. I let it sit maybe 10 minutes in my hair, and then I ribbed tangles open and brushed my hair through head downwards under running water, and didn't feel any breakage happening.

I'm not afraid of greasy hair for one day if I have horrible tangles, I'm much more afraid of them, but usually my hair is not greasy after oil treatments, maybe they are so dry. (And of course I don't put oil on top of my head.) I was surprised how easy detangling was this time.

Priska
May 31st, 2022, 01:18 PM
I don't understand why I haven't realised to mix honey and oil together before. I mixed both with a good market conditioner this evening and that worked with tangles so good. Better than just oil, I'd say. Maybe this is not absolutely the best one (probably aloe vera would be, or it should be a big part of a diy detangler), but you get this pretty cheaply from most of the markets.

I guess I've thought before that I can't combine a humectant and oil, because oil is so hard to get out of hair and I lose all the effects of honey if I wash it away with shampoo. But now I've learned that the upper part of my hair doesn't need conditioner and that helps a bit already, and oil is not hard to rinse away anymore to me. Maybe because I rinse it so long time while I brush my tangles open under running water.

Kelp
November 10th, 2023, 06:07 PM
So I finally discovered the magic of wide-toothed combs for detangling!

I think I decided I didn't like them earlier in my hair journey because I wasn't using cones, which caused my hair to be extremely frizzy and prone to tangles. Using a wide-toothed comb back then didn't feel good at all so I would use a wooden brush.

I picked it back up again tonight because I'm desperate to ease a shed I'm going through, and there were maybe two shed hairs in the tines by the time I was done as opposed to a whole hairbrush full I would get with the wooden brush. It was so gentle on my hair and got out every tangle! I'm going to try to use it exclusively this week to see how it continues to work, but I think I found a game-changer.

I also felt very pretty and dainty using it :o

gghh
November 28th, 2023, 10:41 PM
I don't understand why I haven't realised to mix honey and oil together before. I mixed both with a good market conditioner this evening and that worked with tangles so good. Better than just oil, I'd say. Maybe this is not absolutely the best one (probably aloe vera would be, or it should be a big part of a diy detangler), but you get this pretty cheaply from most of the markets.

I guess I've thought before that I can't combine a humectant and oil, because oil is so hard to get out of hair and I lose all the effects of honey if I wash it away with shampoo. But now I've learned that the upper part of my hair doesn't need conditioner and that helps a bit already, and oil is not hard to rinse away anymore to me. Maybe because I rinse it so long time while I brush my tangles open under running water.

Was scrolling through before bed when i found this thread. As a classic length curly, may i live here :3? But no I was wondering that maybe the oil and honey combined so well because conditioner was a part of the recipe? I want to try this on days where the tangles are particularly tough.

ETJ CURLS
November 29th, 2023, 06:14 AM
I've found what works for me is:

1. Mindset shift. I stopped trying to "detangle" my hair when it's curly years ago. I focus on deshedding instead. I will get everything throughly combed through in the shower and then just leave it be until the next week. The curls clump together, and I could spend hours upon hours unclumping them. As long as the shed hair is gone so it doesn't mat up or dread, I'm happy.

2. I detangle BEFORE I shampoo. This step has made such a huge difference in my routine. I tend to have a fair bit of product on my hair before washday, from what I added last time, plus anything I incorporated over week, and all that generally gives my hair nice slip when it's time to comb through it. If I find I don't have enough slip, I'll liberally add a cheap conditioner to my hair.

3. Using a long-tooth comb. I personally use the "wright comb" available on the revair website. It's aces at getting tangles out, and does so well, I could run a fine tooth comb or wet brush through afterward and encounter no tangles.

4. If I feel the tangles are excessive due to a particular style I've done (such as a wash and go - I don't have too many issues with braids or twists) I will go in and separate out the hair first while lightly finger combing.

5. When detangling in the shower, with water pouring over my hair, I start from the roots. This releases the shed hair trapped there, and then I gently work it down. If it gets stuck, then I'll go from the bottom up, but this method is SO much more gentle on my ends, and very quick once you've got the technique down.

Those are my five main tips for detangling when my hair is curly. When it's straight I just comb it everyday with a little serum and don't leave it loose too much and it's fine.

lapis_lazuli
November 29th, 2023, 07:01 PM
I've found what works for me is:

1. Mindset shift. I stopped trying to "detangle" my hair when it's curly years ago. I focus on deshedding instead. I will get everything throughly combed through in the shower and then just leave it be until the next week. The curls clump together, and I could spend hours upon hours unclumping them. As long as the shed hair is gone so it doesn't mat up or dread, I'm happy.

This is such a great way to put it! I think I unconsciously do the same. I let my hair "clump" together as much as it wants as long as it doesn't form a knot, and then it's usually sheds at the centre of it :)

Priska
December 1st, 2023, 04:57 PM
Was scrolling through before bed when i found this thread. As a classic length curly, may i live here :3? But no I was wondering that maybe the oil and honey combined so well because conditioner was a part of the recipe? I want to try this on days where the tangles are particularly tough.

Maybe your point about conditioner is right. :) Funny but I had totally forgotten that treatment... I make so many different experiments all the time. ;) Must try with GOOD honey some time again (the cheapest honeys don't work well with me).

But now I still am happy how using plenty of cornstarch helps me solve nightmarish tangles in a reasonable time with dry hair. :) (I know, I shouldn't let that happen and oh how I wish this was the last time...)

https://img.aijaa.com/m/00429/15201954.jpg (https://aijaa.com/hYwqUy)
https://img.aijaa.com/m/00452/15201955.jpg (https://aijaa.com/Ky9Bt6)

gghh
December 2nd, 2023, 10:53 AM
Keeping my hair braided actually reduces tangles for me better than putting my hair in a bun does imo. And I like to finger detangle with oil before washing it and it gets the job done very nicely. I agree with what ETJ Curls is saying about it mostly just being sheds to get out. I did start using a wide tooth comb as a last step to make sure the hair lays in a uniform way and i really do think it helps with tangles for the rest of the week.

sarana
December 4th, 2023, 05:15 AM
I've been wondering if detangling really bad matts would be easiest in a mermaid bath with tons of conditioner in the water. Like having the hair float freely in conditioner water and then go in with a comb or fingers. Might work for dreadlock removal? But the key would be to have the hair not just wet but freely floating.

longmane
December 9th, 2023, 06:59 PM
I've found what works for me is:

1. Mindset shift. I stopped trying to "detangle" my hair when it's curly years ago. I focus on deshedding instead. I will get everything throughly combed through in the shower and then just leave it be until the next week. The curls clump together, and I could spend hours upon hours unclumping them. As long as the shed hair is gone so it doesn't mat up or dread, I'm happy.

2. I detangle BEFORE I shampoo. This step has made such a huge difference in my routine. I tend to have a fair bit of product on my hair before washday, from what I added last time, plus anything I incorporated over week, and all that generally gives my hair nice slip when it's time to comb through it. If I find I don't have enough slip, I'll liberally add a cheap conditioner to my hair.

3. Using a long-tooth comb. I personally use the "wright comb" available on the revair website. It's aces at getting tangles out, and does so well, I could run a fine tooth comb or wet brush through afterward and encounter no tangles.

4. If I feel the tangles are excessive due to a particular style I've done (such as a wash and go - I don't have too many issues with braids or twists) I will go in and separate out the hair first while lightly finger combing.

5. When detangling in the shower, with water pouring over my hair, I start from the roots. This releases the shed hair trapped there, and then I gently work it down. If it gets stuck, then I'll go from the bottom up, but this method is SO much more gentle on my ends, and very quick once you've got the technique down.

Those are my five main tips for detangling when my hair is curly. When it's straight I just comb it everyday with a little serum and don't leave it loose too much and it's fine.

Really great tips!
I also start from the detangling from the roots. Never had issues because of that. The tangles get worse if I start from the tips.

longmane
December 9th, 2023, 07:08 PM
1) I only detangle my hair before i am about to shampoo it
2) I start the detangling process with dry hair. I gently part my hair (No hair tools) into small sections with olive oil on my hands.
3) i apply tons of olive oil while lightly finger detangling and removing shed hair
4) I soak my hair in the shower with water then apply I apply conditioner. I then start detangling sections using a wide-tooth comb from roots to tips
5) I shampoo after I am done detangling with the wide tooth comb

Priska
December 29th, 2023, 09:21 AM
This method is great help in avoiding tangles: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=67634

I've been using it consistently lately but last time in shower i forgot it and got one monstrous tangle that I finally had to tear apart (I did get it smaller first though). Overall I had more challenges to get my hair brushed through.

Reyn127
December 29th, 2023, 10:52 AM
I've found what works for me is:

2. I detangle BEFORE I shampoo. This step has made such a huge difference in my routine. I tend to have a fair bit of product on my hair before washday, from what I added last time, plus anything I incorporated over week, and all that generally gives my hair nice slip when it's time to comb through it. If I find I don't have enough slip, I'll liberally add a cheap conditioner to my hair.

3. Using a long-tooth comb. I personally use the "wright comb" available on the revair website. It's aces at getting tangles out, and does so well, I could run a fine tooth comb or wet brush through afterward and encounter no tangles.

4. If I feel the tangles are excessive due to a particular style I've done (such as a wash and go - I don't have too many issues with braids or twists) I will go in and separate out the hair first while lightly finger combing.


These few things you mentioned are things that I've also found to be key with detangling my hair. I always, always, ALWAYS detangle my hair before washing it, as personally my hair is too fragile to detangle it while wet, and it will actually make the tangles worse if I try to wash my hair without combing through it first. And my first step in removing tangles is usually to separate out big sections with my hands/fingers before I go in with a wide tooth comb. Also, having a wide tooth comb with long teeth does really help to make sure I'm getting ALL the tangles out and not just the ones on the surface.

A few other things I like to do is, if I do run into a tangle with my comb, I'll pull the comb out and separate the tangle with my fingers instead of trying to push through it with the comb. It takes longer but prevents damage. I actually try to do as much finger combing and pulling apart tangles with my hands as I have patience for, before using any sort of comb or brush. Lastly, things like oils and silicone sprays help me out a ton. I like liquid oils - you can use things like olive oil, argan oil, etc, or one formulated for hair. One of my favorites is the Hollywood Beauty Carrot Oil (no silicones). Two of my other favorite products for helping with tangles are the Hask Monooi Coconut Oil 5 in 1 Leave In Spray (no silicone) (yeah it's a leave in but it's very slippery, and I've found that the effects dont last long enough to make sense to use after washing, but it's very good for short-term effects), and the OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Dry Oil Mist (with silicones).

Hairy-Fairy
February 6th, 2024, 12:32 PM
Has anyone tried oils high in eruric acid (broccoli seed, mustard and rapeseed, I think) for detangling? I've read/heard that oils with it could be good for slip and for sealing moisture (and shine) because it's a very long chain monounsaturated fatty acid. That it's almost like a silicone.