Why doesn't my curly hair tangle? And other newbie questions

[LanaBanana]

Hello! I'm new here but I have been lurking for a while and soaking up the great wealth of knowledge on this site. I have a few questions that I haven't found answers to, but please forgive me if the answers are somewhere obvious and I missed them.

First, it seems that 80% of long hair advice has to do with detangling, preventing tangling, etc. Am I the only person who's hair doesn't tangle... ever? I have spiral curls, but you could hand me a brush at any time of the day and I could brush right through smoothly. I'm starting to feel like I'm not a true curly since I don't seem to face the same challenges! Anyways, what does that mean? Is it just not long enough to tangle? I'm almost to APL and this is the longest it's ever been. I'm trying to follow a lot of the advice here but some of it (like sleeping in a braid, not brushing when wet) seems pointless without tangles.

Speaking of brushing, is there a reason why some people warn against the typical brushes with the plastic balls at the end of the plastic bristles? (I don't know how else to describe those! Just regular brushes.) I love the way this kind of brush feels against my scalp, and since I don't have tangles I don't think it does any damage, but I don't want to do something that will ruin my hair. I don't imagine that brushing with a bbb would have the same scalp-massage effect that I like. What exactly makes bbbs special?

And lastly, where can I find information on hair elasticity/porosity and how to determine these things? I haven't been able to find a "starting point" on this subject but I would like to educate myself!

Thank you in advance lovely ladies! (and gents!)

[sumidha]

I would suggest this as a good place to start: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/

[LanaBanana]

I would suggest this as a good place to start: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/

Wow, so much information there. Thank you!!

[Kina]

I dunno, but I'm jealous!

[Johannah]

About the tangles: nothing wrong, be happy about it!!

I'll give you some other advice you need to learn when you scroll through the information on this forum. There are a lot of great things you'll learn inhere, but everything is personally. Everything. What does work for me, doesn't work for you. What causes damage for me, doesn't necessarily causes damage to your hair. You like plastic brushes? Use them.

Information you may like you asked for:
Porosity: http://www.naturallycurly.com/texture-typing/hair-porosity
Porosity: part 1, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTQ91na1G10) part 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb2c5pfyd98), part 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25i8S7ZF_Fw)
Elasticity: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/wavy-hair-type-2/elasticity-and-healthy-hair

[Madora]

Hello! I'm new here but I have been lurking for a while and soaking up the great wealth of knowledge on this site. I have a few questions that I haven't found answers to, but please forgive me if the answers are somewhere obvious and I missed them.

First, it seems that 80% of long hair advice has to do with detangling, preventing tangling, etc. Am I the only person who's hair doesn't tangle... ever? I have spiral curls, but you could hand me a brush at any time of the day and I could brush right through smoothly. I'm starting to feel like I'm not a true curly since I don't seem to face the same challenges! Anyways, what does that mean? Is it just not long enough to tangle? I'm almost to APL and this is the longest it's ever been. I'm trying to follow a lot of the advice here but some of it (like sleeping in a braid, not brushing when wet) seems pointless without tangles.

Speaking of brushing, is there a reason why some people warn against the typical brushes with the plastic balls at the end of the plastic bristles? (I don't know how else to describe those! Just regular brushes.) I love the way this kind of brush feels against my scalp, and since I don't have tangles I don't think it does any damage, but I don't want to do something that will ruin my hair. I don't imagine that brushing with a bbb would have the same scalp-massage effect that I like. What exactly makes bbbs special?

And lastly, where can I find information on hair elasticity/porosity and how to determine these things? I haven't been able to find a "starting point" on this subject but I would like to educate myself!

Thank you in advance lovely ladies! (and gents!)

Brushes with those tips on the end are murder if you have longer hair. Yes, they massage well, but the fine hairs have a tendency to get caught under those tips..and voila, you end up with ripped hair.

Speaking as a person who has used pure boar bristle brushes for more than 50 years, they are the closest brush that mimics your hair structure because they use the "hair" of boars, which is a natural product.

A boar bristle brush (no nylon!) helps keep your hair looking beautiful because it helps remove dead skin cells, distributes the hair's natural sebum, removes lint and stuff in your hair, exercises your hair follicles, and over time, leaving your hair soft and shiny. No need of product to achieve those results!

A good boar bristle brush need not cost a fortune. Finding one is sometimes problematic because the bristles vary from maker to maker. You want to find a brush that compliments your hair's thickness. Some brushes are too soft, some too stiff. Some brushes don't work because the bristle tufts are placed too closely together. Some don't have enough rows to be really effective.

Plastic brushes might be able to reach your scalp but many of them have sharp edges which can hurt your tresses. Also, since they are plastic, they can cause friction, which is not good for your hair (I learned that from Dr. Michael, famed long hair guru).

Naturally, your hair benefits from using your bbb only if you use it daily, and in the proper manner. Bbbs are not meant for curlies.

[SimplyViki]

I wouldn't worry about the balls on the ends if you're not getting tangles. Mainly they can get caught in a mass of tangles and you end up ripping hair when you pull it out of the tangles. Like Madora said, there can be spaces under the balls that catch hairs, but I think you can generally avoid that if you inspect it every now and then to make sure there aren't sharp edges or gaps between the balls and the bristles.

Also, if you happen across a brush that has ball-shaped ends molded/carved/whatever directly on its bristles, but not actual little beads of plastic separate from the bristles themselves, that's even better, because then there's no way for gaps and edges to develop. The Body Shop bamboo pin hairbrush is like that. I have the older style that doesn't have the balls on the end, but the ends are rounded anyway so it feels basically the same.

[walterSCAN]

My knee-jerk response to your thread title was, "Because you're a jerk!!" but I don't really mean that... ;) I just have SUCH tangly hair that I am incredibly envious of people who don't!

I'd say if you aren't having problems with tangles, then you don't need to worry about them. :shrug: You may find that your hair does start to tangle more as it gets longer though-- I think the only people I've ever seen saying that they don't get tangles have SL hair or shorter, so if you plan to grow to 34" it might be a good idea to get in the habit of doing what you can to prevent tangles before they happen.

Good luck growing, and welcome to LHC! :waving:

[lapushka]

I wouldn't recommend a BBB for curly hair, unless you use it right before you wash. It will pull all of your curls out, just like any brush would for that matter. Never brush when dry, in the shower with loads of conditioner is fine. Also, I would like to recommend a Tangle Teezer. You will need it once your hair gets longer. APL is far too short to get real tangles.

I'm not sure if you're familiar yet with the "curly girl" method (http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair)?

[LanaBanana]

About the tangles: nothing wrong, be happy about it!!

I'll give you some other advice you need to learn when you scroll through the information on this forum. There are a lot of great things you'll learn inhere, but everything is personally. Everything. What does work for me, doesn't work for you. What causes damage for me, doesn't necessarily causes damage to your hair. You like plastic brushes? Use them.

Information you may like you asked for:
Porosity: http://www.naturallycurly.com/texture-typing/hair-porosity
Porosity: part 1, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTQ91na1G10) part 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb2c5pfyd98), part 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25i8S7ZF_Fw)
Elasticity: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/wavy-hair-type-2/elasticity-and-healthy-hair

Thanks! I will keep in mind that even advice for curlies isn't all applicable to me. I love experimenting, so it's been really fun figuring out what works for me and what doesn't. Thank you for the links as well!


I wouldn't recommend a BBB for curly hair, unless you use it right before you wash. It will pull all of your curls out, just like any brush would for that matter. Never brush when dry, in the shower with loads of conditioner is fine. Also, I would like to recommend a Tangle Teezer. You will need it once your hair gets longer. APL is far too short to get real tangles.

I'm not sure if you're familiar yet with the "curly girl" method (http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair)?

Thank you Lapushka! I have heard of the curly girl method, but for some reason I thought it required washing with bs/acv and my hair doesn't like that. After reading through the link I realized I've been doing a slightly modified curly girl method this whole time. Awesome!


My knee-jerk response to your thread title was, "Because you're a jerk!!" but I don't really mean that... ;) I just have SUCH tangly hair that I am incredibly envious of people who don't!

I'd say if you aren't having problems with tangles, then you don't need to worry about them. :shrug: You may find that your hair does start to tangle more as it gets longer though-- I think the only people I've ever seen saying that they don't get tangles have SL hair or shorter, so if you plan to grow to 34" it might be a good idea to get in the habit of doing what you can to prevent tangles before they happen.

Good luck growing, and welcome to LHC! :waving:

Haha, I realized after I posted that it may sound like I was bragging. Oops! I always thought my friends were weirdos when they had to detangle, it wasn't until I started reading here that I found out it's pretty common. I've only had to brush through tangles once that I can remember. It was years ago, I had straightened my hair, put a bunch of hairspray in, and gone on a three hour car ride with the windows down. It hurt so bad to even finger brush, and I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to deal with on a daily basis! But I will keep all the info here in mind for when my hair does get longer and starts tangling. Thanks for the welcome!


I wouldn't worry about the balls on the ends if you're not getting tangles. Mainly they can get caught in a mass of tangles and you end up ripping hair when you pull it out of the tangles. Like Madora said, there can be spaces under the balls that catch hairs, but I think you can generally avoid that if you inspect it every now and then to make sure there aren't sharp edges or gaps between the balls and the bristles.

Also, if you happen across a brush that has ball-shaped ends molded/carved/whatever directly on its bristles, but not actual little beads of plastic separate from the bristles themselves, that's even better, because then there's no way for gaps and edges to develop. The Body Shop bamboo pin hairbrush is like that. I have the older style that doesn't have the balls on the end, but the ends are rounded anyway so it feels basically the same.

I just checked my brush, and the ball shapes are connected to the bristles, not separate. Woo! Now I don't feel bad about using it. Thanks for the explanation!


Brushes with those tips on the end are murder if you have longer hair. Yes, they massage well, but the fine hairs have a tendency to get caught under those tips..and voila, you end up with ripped hair.

Speaking as a person who has used pure boar bristle brushes for more than 50 years, they are the closest brush that mimics your hair structure because they use the "hair" of boars, which is a natural product.

A boar bristle brush (no nylon!) helps keep your hair looking beautiful because it helps remove dead skin cells, distributes the hair's natural sebum, removes lint and stuff in your hair, exercises your hair follicles, and over time, leaving your hair soft and shiny. No need of product to achieve those results!

A good boar bristle brush need not cost a fortune. Finding one is sometimes problematic because the bristles vary from maker to maker. You want to find a brush that compliments your hair's thickness. Some brushes are too soft, some too stiff. Some brushes don't work because the bristle tufts are placed too closely together. Some don't have enough rows to be really effective.

Plastic brushes might be able to reach your scalp but many of them have sharp edges which can hurt your tresses. Also, since they are plastic, they can cause friction, which is not good for your hair (I learned that from Dr. Michael, famed long hair guru).

Naturally, your hair benefits from using your bbb only if you use it daily, and in the proper manner. Bbbs are not meant for curlies.

Thank you for the information, Madora!

[TrapperCreekD]

3b/c hair that doesn't tangle... can I haz? Welcome to LHC! :hifive:

[LanaBanana]

3b/c hair that doesn't tangle... can I haz? Welcome to LHC! :hifive:

Lol, thank you!

[Sharysa]

Well, I consider you incredibly lucky on the no-tangles front. Just remember that while long hair or wavy/curly hair TENDS to tangle more than short hair or straight hair, it's not an absolute rule. I had horrible tangling when my hair was short because my hair is ridiculously thick. All I could do at slightly-past shoulder to bra-strap-length was ponytail it.

Sure, I knew how to braid, but my AVERAGE ponytail was almost three inches. At hip-length straight and waist-length wavy, my ponytail is now four inches. So yeah, trying to do anything with thick hair that's too short to braid or bun is usually an exercise in hating the world. :pins:

Keep in mind that the various ways of securing your hair (buns, braids, updos) are not only for hair protection, but personal safety. Just because your hair doesn't tangle doesn't mean it won't get caught in things when it's longer; I'm a theater student, and there's NO GORRAM WAY I'd have my hair loose on a stage with lots of people, props, and set pieces moving around.