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View Full Version : GYAH! Tangle-free waves: HOW?!?!?!



swords & roses
August 2nd, 2014, 03:51 PM
Is it even possible to have waves that are detangled??? Please??? :pray:

I've recently discovered I'm a wavy, but I've always treated my hair as if it were straight. That means I habitually brush to detangle AT LEAST once a day, every day, no matter what. I looooooove the soft silky feel of tangle-free hair! Can't stand tangles! I love brushing so much that I will voluntarily brush DH's mid-back length hair. And the cat. I'm bordering on brush-aholic.

These days, after my hair has airdried, there are quite noticeable waves. (See my siggy pic for the waviest waves I've ever randomly discovered on my head.) They're pretty! Even DH has noticed them & said I should wear my hair wavy more often. But as soon as I detangle, :magic: the waves vanish. Doesn't matter if I use a hard bristle brush, a BBB, my favorite brush which is a combo of those, a comb, or finger comb. I have not found a way to have waves AND be able to glide my fingers though my hair from scalp to hem at the same time. Is there a way to have tangle-free waves??? Or am I doomed to always have to choose?

(Bonus points if you can tell me a tip that doesn't involve using a product that I can feel in my hair. Bleh. If I have to choose between having hair that looks fantastic & having hair that feels fantastic, touch always wins!)

spidermom
August 2nd, 2014, 04:05 PM
You could comb conditioner through in the shower, then be very careful not to mess your hair around as it dries. It works even better if I can pile my hair somewhere so it can dry without any weight on it, like in the space above my pillow overnight. That always gives me the best waves, and if I want to wear my hair down for a day - this is what I do. I usually put my hair up, and that is when I comb or brush it. A good, careful brushing does feel wonderful, I must say.

diddiedaisy
August 2nd, 2014, 04:11 PM
I'm a 2a too, what I do is apply an argan oil serum while it's still wet. It doesn't keep it tangle free all day though, and at some point I'll re-apply serum. I know it's product but you can't feel it once it's soaked in.

I think the nature of wavy hair would make it impossible to keep for any length of time that lovely feeling straight hair has. When my was naturally straight it was nice just to brush it and have nice hair. Brushing is a no no now unless I want a load of frizz!!!

HairFaerie
August 2nd, 2014, 04:47 PM
I use a wide tooth comb or a pick. The waves come out a little, but not as much as they do if I brush it.

lapushka
August 2nd, 2014, 05:22 PM
Is there a way to have tangle-free waves??? Or am I doomed to always have to choose?

(Bonus points if you can tell me a tip that doesn't involve using a product that I can feel in my hair. Bleh. If I have to choose between having hair that looks fantastic & having hair that feels fantastic, touch always wins!)

Brushing dry is a no-no if you want wavy hair. It is, sorry. But maybe you *can* have it both ways. Try going wavy on the first day(s) after washing (so by combing the hair out wet with conditioner through it, then leaving it alone to dry). Then on day 1 after washing you finger detangle, for example. Then on day 2 you start combing/brushing. This way you'll have a wavy day, or a few wavy days, depending on on what day you start combing/brushing.

molljo
August 2nd, 2014, 05:39 PM
My experience is that waves are temperamental and have low self esteem. They need to be handled and encouraged in *just* the right way, or they'll act out and become poofy and frizzy, or they'll give up and go straight (sometimes you end up with poofy/frizzy straight hair). Your waves seem to have very low self esteem, and so any kind of dry detangling is going to shut them down. If you must detangle dry, I would save brushing and combing for nighttime or in the morning before refreshing them with a mister.

swords & roses
August 2nd, 2014, 06:02 PM
I've tried various methods of wet detangling: combing conditioner through in the shower, combing after conditioner, tangle teaser. No luck. When wet, my hair likes to tangle like crazy as soon as I move my head in the slightest. Or if I comb through it wet, after a shower, it air dries straight. And wet detangling leaves me with a lot of breakage, no matter what tool I use.

I might try spraying it down with water after I brush through it. Though that may just bring on nothing but frizz. *shakes fist at frizz*

Detangling dry with a wide toothed comb just gives me the worst of both worlds: Not detangled enough to run my fingers through, and waves that run & hide.

I've never tried oil. Honestly, I've always been a bit too scared of it to try, lol! But I think I've tried just about everything else. And that's what the weekends are for, right? Hair experiments? ;)

I think it's hopeless for me. *pout*

lilin
August 2nd, 2014, 06:20 PM
I hear you!

After years of thinking I was a poofy 2a/2b, my hair is suddenly a shinier, sleeker 2c with little bits of 3a, now that I'm using a lighter wash routine and not using a brush. It's magic!!

...But almost all detangling seems to take me back down to 2b-ish with some poof.

I'm in that fun in-between spot where my hair's not curly enough to be able to get away with just finger-combing, but not straight enough to be fully combed out without turning into poof and breaking my wave's self-esteem down (great metaphor, molljo!).

So... I have very shiny but messy bedhead-like semi-curls, or poofy but tangle-free kinda-waves. *sigh*

I'm gonna try wet combing! But I'm gonna need something with more slip for that. I don't think my ACV rinse will cut it. More experimentation ahoy!

meteor
August 2nd, 2014, 06:28 PM
From my experience, hidden wavies tend to over-brush / over-comb. Waves and curls simply don't like being stretched out by combing and brushing. Also, if you comb/brush less, it doesn't mean that your hair will be more tangled. Less manipulation often means less tangling for textured hair.

I agree with Lapushka's advice: you can have a couple wavy and then a couple straight (combed/brushed) days.

woodswanderer
August 2nd, 2014, 08:29 PM
Hmmm....I brush my hair a few times a day and it is still wavy. I can increase the waviness by finger combing while it is drying, however I always wind up doing a little brushing wet because I need to distribute my leave ins (coconut oil and watered down conditioner spray on wash day or homemade humectant of glycerin+aloe vera+distilled water+rosewater spray on non wash days). I don't usually use a BBB...just a paddle brush with the plastic bristles somewhat widely spaced. I think that my hair winds up straighter if I use a BBB though now that I think about it.

Yes, I'm aware that I mentioned some bad words like brush, paddle brush and wet brushing. Please don't call Hair Protective Services on me.:couch:

meteor
August 2nd, 2014, 09:05 PM
Yes, I'm aware that I mentioned some bad words like brush, paddle brush and wet brushing. Please don't call Hair Protective Services on me.:couch:

:lol: :lol: You are funny! :)
Personally, I like the look of brushed out waves - much more voluminous, bouncier and shinier somehow. :) But brushing straightens out the waves somewhat... Nothing wrong with that! :D

Wildcat Diva
August 2nd, 2014, 09:57 PM
HPS, funny!

OP, I like a couple (like 3) drops of mineral oil on my hair as a detangler when it is drying. I hope that works for you if you want to try it.

Firefox7275
August 3rd, 2014, 01:11 AM
Wavy and curly hair is not supposed to be tangle free, it's the nature of the beast. Definition and clumping occur when individual hairs are 'stuck' to their neighbours, frizz/ pouf is hairs that have been separated from their neighbours so they do not lie neatly together. Do be aware you can cause damage when brushing or detangling excessively.

Kherome
August 3rd, 2014, 10:20 AM
Is it even possible to have waves that are detangled??? Please??? :pray:

I've recently discovered I'm a wavy, but I've always treated my hair as if it were straight. That means I habitually brush to detangle AT LEAST once a day, every day, no matter what. I looooooove the soft silky feel of tangle-free hair! Can't stand tangles! I love brushing so much that I will voluntarily brush DH's mid-back length hair. And the cat. I'm bordering on brush-aholic.

These days, after my hair has airdried, there are quite noticeable waves. (See my siggy pic for the waviest waves I've ever randomly discovered on my head.) They're pretty! Even DH has noticed them & said I should wear my hair wavy more often. But as soon as I detangle, :magic: the waves vanish. Doesn't matter if I use a hard bristle brush, a BBB, my favorite brush which is a combo of those, a comb, or finger comb. I have not found a way to have waves AND be able to glide my fingers though my hair from scalp to hem at the same time. Is there a way to have tangle-free waves??? Or am I doomed to always have to choose?

(Bonus points if you can tell me a tip that doesn't involve using a product that I can feel in my hair. Bleh. If I have to choose between having hair that looks fantastic & having hair that feels fantastic, touch always wins!)

Yes, four words:

Kinky curly knot today