Problem with detangling...

[ludwig20]

I'm not sure how to phrase this so I'll just explain my situation. My hair is rather dry -- most of the strands are coarse -- and it feels heavy now that it's approaching BSL. I've been trying to moisturize my hair more often by using a heavier conditioner & keeping it on for several minutes. Currently, I'm using Shea Moisture Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil since it's thicker and gives my hair more 'slip' to detangle. To be safe, I use a wide-tooth comb and carefully start at the ends, working my way up.

The thing is I can't seem to detangle the hair near my scalp and hairline without conditioner. It's a bit frustrating because that area is quite sensitive. Not only is it hard to handle (again, my hair feels heavy especially in the shower so I can't massage as thoroughly as I'd like & I certainly don't want to damage my roots!) but I also break out easily (not sure what ingredient is culpable). It's horrible, basically.

If I let my hair air dry completely, without manipulating it in any way, I get pretty bad tangles near the roots. It also looks somewhat matted for whatever reason? I guess it could just be my hair texture. Regardless, this is rather discouraging, particularly since my length looks healthy, full, thick, etc...

Sorry for the long post; I hope I described this well enough for someone to offer advice. So does anyone else have this problem? Suggestions? Any help will be greatly appreciated. :flower:

[ClassicAim]

I have a the same problem with my roots getting matted. I haven't found a way to completely rid myself of this yet but i find that if i deep condition with coconut oil and a conditioner (or other deep conditioning mix) for an hour or so before i wash my hair then add conditioner with a lot of 'slip' near my roots and detangle under the shower stream. I have found this to be very beneficial. The deep conditioning with the coconut oil could also help your hair dryness.
Hope this comment helps :) x

[gthlvrmx]

I guess the only thing I can think of is to go slowly while detangling. Maybe also if you do use conditioner near your scalp, try rinsing it well very thoroughly and make sure you really scrub it out with your fingers for 5 minutes. Count it with a clock or something. Maybe the extra rubbing on the scalp and water will get the conditioner out so that you don't break out.

[ludwig20]

@ClassicAim - Thanks! I like using coconut oil on my length/ends but I think I'd break out near my hairline. I'm so jealous of people who get to use coconut oil as much as they'd like. I think it's too heavy for my skin type. :(

@gthlvrmx - Honestly, I have a hard time rubbing on my scalp since my hair gets tangled and heavy in the shower. I've tried diluting my shampoo, to make it more runny. Although it's helpful, I still find it difficult to thoroughly massage or scrub my scalp. Thanks for the suggestion though!

[ClassicAim]

For the difficulty massaging your scalp you could try gently pulling on your length to keep it stretched as you rub your scalp? I do this to make sure my curls have the least chance to tangle themselves. Also gentle finger detangling could help? :)

[ludwig20]

Thanks, I've tried gently detangling with my fingers but it wasn't a success lol. I end up still pulling a few strands. :shrug:

[Anje]

First of all, what's your hair like? Straightish? Curly? Coily? ETA: Nevermind, I see it in your sig now.... :P 2a.

Here's a thought -- try detangling your hair really well before you wash it. For me, oil makes a fantastic lubricant for this. If you're concerned about breaking out, I'd skip the coconut oil and try something that's better for skin, like jojoba or grapeseed oil. You'll be washing it out anyway in a short while, and neither of those is comedogenic. Oil it all, detangle it all the way to the scalp. Then wash your hair, trying not to retangle it too much. Condition and continue as usual.

[Madora]

I'm not sure how to phrase this so I'll just explain my situation. My hair is rather dry -- most of the strands are coarse -- and it feels heavy now that it's approaching BSL. I've been trying to moisturize my hair more often by using a heavier conditioner & keeping it on for several minutes. Currently, I'm using Shea Moisture Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil since it's thicker and gives my hair more 'slip' to detangle. To be safe, I use a wide-tooth comb and carefully start at the ends, working my way up.

The thing is I can't seem to detangle the hair near my scalp and hairline without conditioner. It's a bit frustrating because that area is quite sensitive. Not only is it hard to handle (again, my hair feels heavy especially in the shower so I can't massage as thoroughly as I'd like & I certainly don't want to damage my roots!) but I also break out easily (not sure what ingredient is culpable). It's horrible, basically.

If I let my hair air dry completely, without manipulating it in any way, I get pretty bad tangles near the roots. It also looks somewhat matted for whatever reason? I guess it could just be my hair texture. Regardless, this is rather discouraging, particularly since my length looks healthy, full, thick, etc...

Sorry for the long post; I hope I described this well enough for someone to offer advice. So does anyone else have this problem? Suggestions? Any help will be greatly appreciated. :flower:

If you are serious about detangling, then you're going to need to be extra patient and detangle the time consuming way...section by section. By section I mean pencil thin sections from the scalp on down.

As an aid, you might want to try this (which worked for me):

1) take a clean wide tooth comb
2) Pour one or 2 drops of mineral oil into a dish
3) Take a cotton swab and dip it in the oil and coat the swab thoroughly
4) Take the oil soaked swab and apply it lightlty to both sides of the comb's tines

5) Then, take a SMALL SECTION of hair (pencil thin), and detangle gently from the ends to the scalp. Go slowly!
6) When that section of hair has been detangled, clip it so that it does not get mixed with the un detangled hair.
7) Continue in this manner until all your hair has been detangled.

Detangling before shampooing:

1) Detangle as outlined above
2) When shampooing, to keep tangles at bay, try parting your hair down the center, and then keeping each side SEPARATE thru the shampooing and rinsing processes.

This doesn't rid you of all tangles, but helps keep them to a minimum.

I would not recommend trying to detangle dry hair. That is asking for aggravation of major proportions! Rather, dampen the hair slightly, then do the mineral oil comb thing (always making sure to separate the hair into SMALL SECTIONS as you work). Good luck!

[hippie girl]

I'd agree with Anje. Detangling wet was bad for me. As long as I am detangled before I get it wet, I am better off.
I often wonder if my hair would be less tapered if I hadn't been doing this for all these years, but honestly, I'm afraid to change my methods so I may never know!

Most of my tangles are from shed hairs that havent worked their way out,. If I comb them out before getting my hair wet I think I end up with less tangles and therefore less damage.

[meteor]

I definitely agree with everyone above, but just in case... is there a possibility that you are wavier/curlier than 2a? The reason I'm asking is because you said you seem to need conditioner even at your roots or else your root area tangles a lot - that seems like a curly problem :hmm: (A lot of us have found out that we are wavier/curlier than we thought before joining the LHC...)
You might want to experiment with detangling your hair with fingers/wide-tooth comb only in the shower when your hair is wet and soaked in conditioner. After that, gently rinse conditioner out, squeeze out water and let hair air-dry, preferably without messing with it. That's what's recommended for textured hair.

[Entangled]

Diluted acid rinses (white vinegar for me) helped me. I ran into this problem a while ago. Conditioner made my hair super soft, but accelerated greasiness, but without it, it was impossible to comb my roots. Additionally, I use a detangling spray if tangles get really bad. Right now I'm using a Joico detangler and leave in, but that might not work for you, as many of its ingredients are proteins, and course hair generally dislikes them.

I'm unfamiliar with your conditioners. Do they have cones? Cones are influential in decreasing tangles for many members, though they don't always help curlies and wavies.

Good luck!

[ludwig20]

@Entangled - Right now, I'm not using any conditioner with cones. In the past, I have noticed conditioners with cones will make my hair appear 'flatter' but don't provide much help re: tangles.

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions. I will make sure to try them and follow up if I run into any problems.