Velcro hair? Nothing will fix it!

[Mowle]

'Velcro' is the perfect description for my hair! It is very tangle-prone, impossible to run a comb through from root to tip, even if it's just been fully detangled from the ends up. It somehow tangles when it's braided! But if I look closely and carefully pick the snarls apart with my fingers, I find that I don't have true knots, it's just that the hair kind of clings to itself, if that makes sense. (It's strange because my hair as a whole has a lot of slip, it will escape from any updo very quickly!)
I've tried everything that's usually suggested for this problem... Clarifying doesn't do anything, nor does SMT. 'Cones in my leave-in and finger-combing-only do help a little, but don't solve the problem.
I CO with protein- and 'cone-free conditioner in very soft water and occasionally use vinegar rinses, always use a leave-in and sometimes oil too. I don't think it can be damage as I S&D regularly and my hair is otherwise in pretty good condition... Plus, the 'clinginess' starts way up the length, around my ears!
I'm tired of the tangles! :( Does anyone have any suggestions for anything I've not yet tried? I thought maybe I could try CO with a 'coney conditioner, but I don't know if that will work the same. I tried it once and it left my hair stringy, limp & greasy from the first wash, but maybe that was just that particular conditioner...
I wonder if some hair is just velcro-y by nature...?

[Madora]

Your hair probably has too much buildup. Clarifying with a clarifying shampoo (followed by a conditioning treatment) will get rid of the buildup problem. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Clarifying shampoo has received good notices here. It really works! Your hair will feel like hay afterwards, but the conditioning treatment will restore it to rights.

[restless]

Im sorry youre having troubles with your hair. Sounds like youve already tried a lot of things too to solve it. The first thing that comes to mind is protein. You say the product you wash with is cone- and protein free, but that about the leave in? I guess it should have been solved when clarifying, but if you put in the leave in right after washing, maybe the problem returned immediately. It seems like you and I have similar hair types and I know my own hair get rough and tangles like mad when I use products with protein. I once bought some organic brand that contained that stuff and I was seriosuly worried Id never get those tangles out, it was a terrible mess. Since you say the tangles start at ear length where one would normally apply conditioner and other stuff, then maybe you could take a look at the bottle and see what it says?

Have you tried changing all your products? Even if they dont contain protein/whatever, maybe your hair just dont like them and a change would do?

My other idea is: Has your hair been dyed/bleached or heat styled in the past? The damage takes years to grow out and maybe its those old end that are messing with you while the new growth (to ear length) is fine. Even if its not visible to the eye, it can still be there.





I wonder if some hair is just velcro-y by nature...?

I guess some people have more tangle prone hair than others, but has your hair always been like this or is this something new?

[darklyndsea]

Hmm...my hair is pretty similar, especially when it's not completely dry, but coconut oil fixes it for me, and you say you oil sometimes without any success. Have you tried protein? Some hair needs it at least occasionally.

[ExpectoPatronum]

Have you tried a drop or two of mineral oil on the ends after washing? That helps me when my ends first start getting velcro-y.

Unfortunately, if you've tried everything and it still hasn't let it, it might be time for a trim.

[gthlvrmx]

What products do you use on your hair? Maybe there's something in them that is causing the velcro feeling. Have you ever dyed your hair or used heat on it? The velcro feeling could also be coming from past damage done to your hair that needs to be snipped out.

[Anje]

Sounds like my hair when it got over-proteined, honestly, though you sound like you've eliminated that.

Have you tried a chelating (aka hard water) shampoo on your hair? Also, how does your hair react to protein?

[RapunzelKat]

This sound very much like my hair when I first joined - don't give up hope yet! :flower:

However, it sounds to me like you may need a trim. Fine-textured hair can damage easily, and sometimes the ends have just gotta go. (Even with S&D - those end only last so long!)

The good news is, even a small trim can make a big difference. For me, I do start experiencing tangles through my whole length when I'm due for a trim (similar to what you described - all the way up to the ears). Take off 1/2"-1," and I'm back in business. :) I no longer go more than three months without a trim.

There are already some good suggestions above you can look into, but if all else fails a trim can make a world of difference.

Do you use protective styles regularly to protect your hair? It can really help protect hair/keep in moisture if you do protective styles regularly.

[jeanniet]

I suspect your hair may be curlier than you think. What you describe sounds very much like my hair when I thought it was wavy. The first few years I was on LHC, I tried very hard to follow all the conventional advice about combing and detangling, brushing with a BBB, etc., and I had tangles all. the. time. Constantly, and it didn't matter what I did. I finally started to put two and two together, tried the Curly Girl method, and about 16 months later my hair is not only way curlier than I even imagined starting out, but it does not tangle. Ever. I brush through it in the shower when I CO wash (anywhere from 2 to 5 days), and it takes seconds.

Those hairs clinging to each other? Sounds like curls to me. They're trying to clump together, and when you comb or brush, you're disturbing that pattern and they'll try to clump together again, but not necessarily the way they should. Result? Tangles. It might be worth looking into the CG method and trying it out to see if it helps.

[HairFaerie]

I had a similar problem and I switched to Redken's All Soft shampoo & conditioner. I love it! It really does make my hair soft! I also sometimes use a tiny bit of 100% argan butter on the ends of my hair which also makes it incredibly soft.
Keep experimenting, you will find some product(s) that will help out.

[spidermom]

Like jeanniet, I suspect you haven't found the right routine for your hair type. You might also have a buildup problem from CO. Some hair thrives on that routine, others (like me) get icky hair from it.

[DarthCynthia]

My hair is very touchy and freaks out like this if I try something new or that it doesn't like. I wish I could experiment with trying new things, but what you're going through is why I don't. :( Products and routines can be very "upsetting" to hair if it doesn't like it. Good luck figuring it out and Best Wishes!

[hanne jensen]

It sounds to me as if you have too much protein. My hair reacts the exact same way if there's just a tiny bit of protein in my products.

[LadyCelestina]

To me it sounds like you need a trim or a S&D session.Perhaps some old damage catching up on you ?

[fairy_hair]

I used to have velcro ends! About a year ago! They were horrible, always tangled, and looked horrible. I got a trim and have been trimming all this year, and before i gave up shampoo, my ends slowly became like velcro again... So i've given up shampoo, about two months ago, and now my ends are not like velcro at all :) I use water only to wash my hair, once a week, but I might be changing that to once a fortnight soon :) I find it especially good if I wear my hair in a braided bun that tucks my ends under the other hair :) I have been plaiting my hair day and night for a year now, and the quality has improved GREATLY :D

[Pat]

This sounds just like my hair but in my case, I get tangles from root to end, all over! So far I have been able to determine that my hair hates Keratin. Any product with Keratin "melts" it. Another "enemy" seems to be shampoo, every time I wash my hair with it, I get horrible tangles from root to end, sometimes so bad that I have to tear the tangle. I have noticed though that if I CO with Suave Lavender or Hello Hydration or if I use L'Oreal EverCream, I get no tangles and shed maybe 5 - 10 hairs. This and 2 drops of mineral oil and my hair is soft and tangle free. The problem though is that I am afraid of buid-up and my hair is so fine that i need to wet it down every day or else it looks really oily, so I have been alternating between CO and WCC. From other posts on the thread it seems that shampoo/protein might be the cause for the tangles. Maybe fine hair doesn't like them? Medora usually recommends using a couple drops of baby oil and a "not harsh" shampoo. Any suggestions regarding "mild shampoos"?

[Mya]

Only shampooing once doesn't solve anything. You may want to change your routine for a while - to shampooing, conditioning and maybe oiling afterwards - to see a different result. I don't know why, but routines like CO tend to give dry length and velcro-y ends in some individuals.

[nakima]

Sometimes I do a vinegar rinse and it seems to help. I use 1/4 cup to quart warm water after shampooing and conditioning. Rinse with vinegar water and leave in. Hope this helps. The other thing I do is use neutrigena anti residue shampoo. Good luck!

[Schatz011]

I get same velcro thing when I use anything with mineral oil, doesn't matter how down the list it is.

[MadPirateBippy]

If I was in your shoes (my advise is worth exactly what you paid for it, bear in mind) I'd do a baking soda clarifying wash on Friday, and air dry it- that's a really strong clarifier, and you might need more or stronger clarification than you've been getting.

Also, rinse with the coldest water you can stand- heat opens up the scales on the outside of the hair shaft which is what is probably making it velcro.

Once that's done, if it's still velcro-ey, I'd put a double palm full- to saturation- of coconut oil in my hair from the ears down. Coconut oil is unique in that it can penetrate the hair shaft and bind with exposed proteins, so if the issue is damaged proteins in your hair, there's a good chance that the coconut oil will help. Braid your hair and leave it in overnight if you can, see if it's fixed the next morning.

If that didn't do it, go to Lowes and get a showerhead with an activated carbon filter. Once my hair went velcro crazy, it turns out my hair hates a particular chemical thats common in water treatment plants (chloramines).

If that does not work, do an acid rinse with strait ACV (I didnt know you were supposed to dilute it when I started doing acid rinses, but my hair loved it that strong), rinse, and don't put anything else in. Again, rinse with as cold of water as you can tolerate. You'll know at that point if your hair needs acid.

Once you've finished that, do a gelatin treatment to see if it's protein your hair needs- something like http://homegrownandhealthy.com/gelatin-hair-mask/ or pick up a henna and placenta pack. If that de-velcros your hair, you know you need more protein treatments, but probably with a smaller molecule size than you're going to get in your average store bought products.

Once you've done that entire cycle you'll know what is causing it and what your hair is wanting. Just go through it step by step, once you know you can start changing out your products.

What ended up working for me was deep conditioning with coconut oil, shampoo bars, and acid rinses. For you it might be different. :)

Best of luck!

[Ingrid]

I used to have velcro ends! About a year ago! They were horrible, always tangled, and looked horrible. I got a trim and have been trimming all this year, and before i gave up shampoo, my ends slowly became like velcro again... So i've given up shampoo, about two months ago, and now my ends are not like velcro at all :) I use water only to wash my hair, once a week, but I might be changing that to once a fortnight soon :) I find it especially good if I wear my hair in a braided bun that tucks my ends under the other hair :) I have been plaiting my hair day and night for a year now, and the quality has improved GREATLY :D

I had the same problem, and this worked for me as well. I'm also micro-trimming away the damage every month.

[LadyLongLocks]

Your hair probably has too much buildup. Clarifying with a clarifying shampoo (followed by a conditioning treatment) will get rid of the buildup problem. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Clarifying shampoo has received good notices here. It really works! Your hair will feel like hay afterwards, but the conditioning treatment will restore it to rights.

This shampoo is very harsh so if you use it start with a small amount!I used it once and used too much! My go to product when my hair gets dry and tangly is to clarify and use Nexxus Humectress ultimate moisture deep conditioner. (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Ing3L2OJL._SY355_.jpg) I leave it on towel dried hair for an hour, preferably under a heat cap.The last foot of my hair is prone to being like velcro...but its over 10 years old now.This stuff works miracles.

[Kherome]

'Velcro' is the perfect description for my hair! It is very tangle-prone, impossible to run a comb through from root to tip, even if it's just been fully detangled from the ends up. It somehow tangles when it's braided! But if I look closely and carefully pick the snarls apart with my fingers, I find that I don't have true knots, it's just that the hair kind of clings to itself, if that makes sense. (It's strange because my hair as a whole has a lot of slip, it will escape from any updo very quickly!)
I've tried everything that's usually suggested for this problem... Clarifying doesn't do anything, nor does SMT. 'Cones in my leave-in and finger-combing-only do help a little, but don't solve the problem.
I CO with protein- and 'cone-free conditioner in very soft water and occasionally use vinegar rinses, always use a leave-in and sometimes oil too. I don't think it can be damage as I S&D regularly and my hair is otherwise in pretty good condition... Plus, the 'clinginess' starts way up the length, around my ears!
I'm tired of the tangles! :( Does anyone have any suggestions for anything I've not yet tried? I thought maybe I could try CO with a 'coney conditioner, but I don't know if that will work the same. I tried it once and it left my hair stringy, limp & greasy from the first wash, but maybe that was just that particular conditioner...
I wonder if some hair is just velcro-y by nature...?

Clarifying is really useless IMO. Chelating is much more effective.

[MINAKO]

I also never clarify, but chelate when my hair gets a bit of a crunchy feeling. Have you tried cassia? Silkprotein would also be something i would recommend, heavy overnight oilings too. My hair was the dryest in the world 1,5 years ago but that seemed to have solved the matter, also helped alot with tangling. Try to find the right leave in and wear your hair up more often, with less friction it will recover even faster.