Extremely tangled hair

[MiamiPineapple]

Hi guys,

so it's been about three years since joining starting at shoulder and I am now dusting hip length. For some unknown reason my hair has been horribly tangled for the past 2 weeks. No matter how much conditioner I use, it still takes forever to comb and it hurts! I did use sun in to lighten my hair. Could I possibly need more protein? I only co wash and use coconut oil so it's not lack of moisture. Maybe just a trim? Anyone else had this problem Help! I will try anything! Thank you!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Have you tried a clarifying shampoo, possibly it could be product build-up?

[ravenreed]

I would think that either you need to clarify or that you are getting coconut oil crunch, or perhaps your conditioner has too much protein and you have protein overload. When I use coconut oil or protein my hair freaks out and gets very crunchy and tangled at the ends.

[Nadine <3]

I would try clarifying and seeing if that helps.

[meteor]

Hi guys,

so it's been about three years since joining starting at shoulder and I am now dusting hip length. For some unknown reason my hair has been horribly tangled for the past 2 weeks. No matter how much conditioner I use, it still takes forever to comb and it hurts! I did use sun in to lighten my hair. Could I possibly need more protein? I only co wash and use coconut oil so it's not lack of moisture. Maybe just a trim? Anyone else had this problem Help! I will try anything! Thank you!

If you are ready to try anything, definitely try hydrolyzed proteins after you clarify. Damaged/porous hair demands very different (much heavier) conditioning than virgin hair, so after Sun-In don't be surprised if you need to change up some products, which typically means milder, "moisturizing" shampoo and heavier, oil-rich conditioner.

For a DIY protein treatment, you can try a gelatin treatment. Or just buy a good protein treatment. Different sizes of proteins may work differently for different hair types, but the smallest ones (keratin, silk, amino acids) work for most people as they patch-repair the smallest chips in cuticles.

Ideally, I'd do a heavy (coconut) oil pre-poo for a few hours, followed by a clarifying shampoo, followed by a protein treatment for 5-15 minutes, followed by SMT or heavy conditioner.

[MiamiPineapple]

These are all great tips! Thanks for the quick replies! I am going to
Take the clarifying advice. Anyone have a shampoo that is their favorite to clarify?

[Nadine <3]

I really like VO5 Kiwi Lime clarifying shampoo, but I think any shampoo with sulfates in it does a pretty good job at clarifying too.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Joico clarifying shampoo is a goodie.

[YvetteVarie]

I like Herbal Essences Fresh Balance Clarifying Shampoo.

[Ambystoma]

Joico clarifying shampoo is a goodie.

Yup, Joico K-pak clarifying/chelating shampoo is the bees knees, especially since it treats mineral and chlorine deposits as well as general build up. It's not the cheapest, but is well worth it - I use mine every 2 weeks down the full length of my (now almost tailbone) hair and after a year still have barely made a dent in the bottle. I personally don't think that just any sulphate shampoo makes for a good clarifier - I use sulphates every wash and there is definitely a difference when you use a shampoo designed to remove stuff as opposed to just clean.

[MiamiPineapple]

WOW, you guys are lifesavers! I clarified last night with Neutrogena and as soon as I started washing my hair, my fingers could glide right through like silk! I then did a protein treatment and bunned my hair overnight. Not it's soft and bouncy with no tangles! Thanks for the help guys!

[jacqueline101]

I like the vo5 vanilla mint tea set myself. Im having an under side tangle issue I put the conditioner on my hair up to root side on the under neath only I wash my hair flipped over and used a pick comb to detangle with conditioner on. When you clarify try this method with your clarifying conditioner.

[Rosa Harris]

Its great you found a solution - I was not lucky enough to have TLC 22 years ago when I had my own sun-in disaster. The stuff caused my hair to tangel like mad and feel strawlike in the light areas which led to a big chop. I think it is extremely damaging product since the tangling was worse than bleaching my hair professionally. Tangling usually means that the poor cuticles on the hair have been roughed up and raised by the ligtning processes and not sealed back down. Protine does help that by sticking in the damage gaps and filling it in.