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MagicalMystery
February 15th, 2015, 11:17 AM
Hi everyone,

Well, my hair has reached BSL now and I've been having a problem with tangles. My hair is extremely thick and curly, so combing my hair during the day is out of the question. I condition it in the shower, use a wet brush to remove tangles, leave a drop of conditioner in, get out and style it roughly and let it air dry.... but the next day, I've built up so many tangles again that even with a wet brush, it hurts to comb! Any tricks on avoiding tangles? I won't wear my hair up during the day because I always wear it down (I figure what's the point of growing it if I'm going to hide it), but I started tying it up into a bun at night which seems to help a bit. Any other tricks on avoiding so many tangles?

Parisian Dozen
February 15th, 2015, 11:20 AM
Bump of justice for I too have this problem.

WE SHALL SMITE THESE TANGLES TOGETHER!

lapushka
February 15th, 2015, 11:28 AM
Well, my hair has reached BSL now and I've been having a problem with tangles. My hair is extremely thick and curly, so combing my hair during the day is out of the question. I condition it in the shower, use a wet brush to remove tangles, leave a drop of conditioner in, get out and style it roughly and let it air dry.... but the next day, I've built up so many tangles again that even with a wet brush, it hurts to comb! Any tricks on avoiding tangles? I won't wear my hair up during the day because I always wear it down (I figure what's the point of growing it if I'm going to hide it), but I started tying it up into a bun at night which seems to help a bit. Any other tricks on avoiding so many tangles?

Use "tons" of conditioner. I do and barely have tangles, when using the right conditioners. My hair isn't combed or brushed throughout the week (sure it gets a little tangly). Still it's only combed/brushed right before a wash, and it gets detangled with a wide tooth comb once after washing. That's it.

kganihanova
February 15th, 2015, 11:30 AM
If you want to wear your hair down, there are going to be tangles. I'm with you on the "what's the point" thing, that said my hair rarely tangles, its super slippy and silky. Try some cones if you want to wear your hair down, to get the slip needed to avoid tangles.

meteor
February 15th, 2015, 11:31 AM
Hi everyone,

Well, my hair has reached BSL now and I've been having a problem with tangles. My hair is extremely thick and curly, so combing my hair during the day is out of the question. I condition it in the shower, use a wet brush to remove tangles, leave a drop of conditioner in, get out and style it roughly and let it air dry.... but the next day, I've built up so many tangles again that even with a wet brush, it hurts to comb! Any tricks on avoiding tangles? I won't wear my hair up during the day because I always wear it down (I figure what's the point of growing it if I'm going to hide it), but I started tying it up into a bun at night which seems to help a bit. Any other tricks on avoiding so many tangles?

How do you wear your hair overnight? If I don't contain my hair in a braid or two and put a sleep cap on top, I always wake up with tangles.
Keeping hair contained and sleeping on silk/satin or other smooth materials really helps dramatically reduce tangles!

Also, consider wearing hair up as much as possible.

With tangles, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

ETA: :oops: Sorry, just saw that you started bunning hair overnight. That's great! Consider satin/silk pillowcase or sleep caps and try to use oils and cones strategically - silicone serums and leave-in oils help with tangles quite a bit.

MagicalMystery
February 15th, 2015, 11:45 AM
I use tons of cone conditioner in the shower and even leave a drop in. My hair soaks it up. It had always ran on the dry side. Good thing is I haven't used styling products for years, so less damage there. Wind is my enemy. So is the dry cold it seems. Winter is so dry and windy that perhaps it is making it worse? I'll look into a satin pillowcase for sure.

Squirrelspring
February 15th, 2015, 11:52 AM
One thing that I find helps a lot with my hair as it is now, is coconut oil, which makes it very slippery. However, it also makes it very greasy and is sometimes hard to wash out. I don't really think about it for tangles but whenever I put a good amount in it does become slippery, but if you are having trouble with day to day tangles it may not work as well, unless perhaps you put just a little? Anyway, good luck in finding something that works :)

Madeleine13
February 15th, 2015, 11:55 AM
My hair gets tangled a lot, I constantly have to brush it.

TrapperCreekD
February 15th, 2015, 12:02 PM
You could look into light oiling, and maybe braids a few days of the week? You can still show off your length with a braid while having it somewhat contained. Does your hair get weighed down easily? Using more than a drop of leave in conditioner might help, too. A dollop of conditioner, coney or no, works for me but YMMV.

MagicalMystery
February 15th, 2015, 12:03 PM
I use coconut oil, yes. It does make it soft, but the weird thing with oils in my hair is I never feel like they're penetrating it... I feel like they're just sitting on the surface. Makes me break out on my shoulders and forehead too.

MagicalMystery
February 15th, 2015, 12:05 PM
Nah, my hair seems pretty springy. No amount of oil or butter weighs it down.

meteor
February 15th, 2015, 12:06 PM
I use tons of cone conditioner in the shower and even leave a drop in. My hair soaks it up. It had always ran on the dry side. Good thing is I haven't used styling products for years, so less damage there. Wind is my enemy. So is the dry cold it seems. Winter is so dry and windy that perhaps it is making it worse? I'll look into a satin pillowcase for sure.

Yes, definitely! :agree: Both wind and cold winters are contributing factors!
For strong wind, I recommend wearing hair up (I prefer braided buns, because they really contain hair well and hair doesn't tangle as easily) and covering it with a scarf/hood.
For dry cold winters, I highly recommend a humidifier! Also, in winter-time we tend to wear warm clothes with collars/scarves that absorb moisture, cause static and can easily promote tangles. Be mindful of the materials that touch your hair: wool, flannel, acrylic and lots of other materials can cause static. Be especially careful around flannel and other materials that shed and create lint - that stuff gets stuck in hair and tangles it quite a lot.
if you use a warm scarf and hat, line them first with silk/satin or other smooth material: e.g. wear a silk scarf under a warm scarf or line your hat with satin.
I'd avoid wet brush and other plastic brushes/combs in favor of wooden/horn combs, because they don't cause static, unlike plastic.
I'd recommend leave-ins with occlusives like oils/silicones/butters/ceramides, they are usually marketed anti-frizz, anti-static, for curly hair or for dry/damaged hair. I find I have to oil hair more and wash it less in cold winter months. Curly hair on average tends to need more moisture than other hair, I'd look into LOC, pre-poo oiling and oil rinses! ;)

MagicalMystery
February 15th, 2015, 12:26 PM
A humidifier! Maybe that's what I need! The electric heaters might be drying out my hair!

I never use shampoo by the way. Too drying.

lapushka
February 15th, 2015, 01:03 PM
MagicalMystery, the rinse-out oil method might be great to try! You add a rinse-out oil between shampoo and conditioner. Or if you CO-wash, between the first and the second conditioner (I'm guessing). Here's the thread:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=129191

MagicalMystery
February 15th, 2015, 01:04 PM
Thanks! I'll give that a try!!

3 Cat Night
February 15th, 2015, 01:13 PM
Try using a wide-tooth comb to detangle instead of a wet brush. I have curly hair too, and I would never attempt to go through it with a brush. Wide-tooth combs only for this curly girl.

memeow
February 15th, 2015, 01:18 PM
I don't know whether this would play nice with your curls, but I use Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine leave-in creme and it really helps fight tangles. I think it's the amodimethicone that helps me.

MagicalMystery
February 15th, 2015, 03:00 PM
I've tried Fructis, but it didn't seem like enough. :( It's a shame, because there's a conditioner I worship, but they don't sell it in Canada. It's Suave Professionals Almond & Shea Butter. It's glorious! I stock up when I'm there!

I can try the wide tooth comb... I do have one... :)

Lavendersugar
February 16th, 2015, 05:26 PM
Kinky curly knot today!!!! Great stuff!

If you are ok with cones Untie 7 seconds is amazing!! It is pricey though. Pantene light detangler is good as well as Mane n tail.

You can make your own detangler with herbs. It is a little time consuming but slippery elm is a good one. You can add in other things too like an essential oil for fragrance or some neem for the hair.

You can put your conditioner into a spray bottle with water too. Works well and is cheap.

I prefer horn combs but a wide tooth wooden can work too.

MagicalMystery
February 16th, 2015, 05:54 PM
I can only comb my hair when wet with conditioner in the shower. I never comb it elsewhere. I can't. I remember actually breaking handles off brushes as a child, trying to comb through my hair. :lol:

girlcat36
February 16th, 2015, 05:54 PM
Not sure if you use silicones or not, but they caused tangling for me.

MagicalMystery
February 16th, 2015, 05:55 PM
Kinky curly knot today!!!! Great stuff!

If you are ok with cones Untie 7 seconds is amazing!! It is pricey though. Pantene light detangler is good as well as Mane n tail.

You can make your own detangler with herbs. It is a little time consuming but slippery elm is a good one. You can add in other things too like an essential oil for fragrance or some neem for the hair.

You can put your conditioner into a spray bottle with water too. Works well and is cheap.

I prefer horn combs but a wide tooth wooden can work too.

I'd love to try those! I wish there was a company that had a kit of samples of various different leave-ins, so they could be tested. There have been so many times when i bought a bottle, only to get rid of it because it didn't work.

MagicalMystery
February 16th, 2015, 05:56 PM
My hair seems to love cones personally. Although... I have used Suave Naturals and liked it... but it's not my holy grail. Haven't found that yet.

Btw, girlcat36, I adore your curls! :)

girlcat36
February 16th, 2015, 05:59 PM
Btw, girlcat36, I adore your curls! :)

Thank you :)

gthlvrmx
February 16th, 2015, 06:01 PM
Maybe you could try Baby Oil and leave that on wet/damp hair after you wash it. ACV rinses too at the end of a wash help with my tangles. :)

girlcat36
February 16th, 2015, 06:07 PM
I'll second the baby oil…..I use it sometimes. I only need two drops on damp hair.

mindwiped
February 17th, 2015, 02:45 AM
My hair is not as thick as yours, but I've found that the products for ethnic hair (I'm Caucasian, but very dry curly/wurly) really help me. I really like this: http://www.amazon.com/Curls-Cream-Brule-8-Ounce/dp/B0038OEELG when I'm using fewer silicone. My hair just couldn't handle completely cone free. This gives my curl definition, and helps with tangles, but doesn't weight it down. However, I can slather coconut oil in my hair, conditioner it out, and still use a leave in, and not seem too greasy (slather-using 1/2 cup+ for BSL extremely thin fine hair). I've heard of other curlies using pink conditioner-sorry if it has another name, it's the only one I know it by, but its another product used by curlies with African hair types or very dry curls.

I've also used and liked Lush's R&B: http://www.lushusa.com/R-B/03080,en_US,pd.html#start=1 It worked well, but once I stopped getting the employee discount, I couldn't justify it. Plus, for my fine hair the cream brule weighed it down less, but you might like the extra weight.

firevegan
February 17th, 2015, 03:16 AM
I have been detangling my hair with my fingers for the past hour and I can't take any more. But I have bone straight hair and it feels like I have dreads in my hair every time I run my fingers through it. It's damaged.. Let's try catnip tea together!

Lavendersugar
February 19th, 2015, 12:41 PM
I'd love to try those! I wish there was a company that had a kit of samples of various different leave-ins, so they could be tested. There have been so many times when i bought a bottle, only to get rid of it because it didn't work.


I hear Ya!

Untie sells a smaller version. The Pantene and Mane n tail are fairly well priced.

Now the Kinky curly knot today I think is about $12 but it last forever. It is the main one I use. Though if someone has tight curls I'm not sure how well it would work.

MagicalMystery
February 19th, 2015, 01:05 PM
My hair is not as thick as yours, but I've found that the products for ethnic hair (I'm Caucasian, but very dry curly/wurly) really help me. I really like this: http://www.amazon.com/Curls-Cream-Brule-8-Ounce/dp/B0038OEELG when I'm using fewer silicone. My hair just couldn't handle completely cone free. This gives my curl definition, and helps with tangles, but doesn't weight it down. However, I can slather coconut oil in my hair, conditioner it out, and still use a leave in, and not seem too greasy (slather-using 1/2 cup+ for BSL extremely thin fine hair). I've heard of other curlies using pink conditioner-sorry if it has another name, it's the only one I know it by, but its another product used by curlies with African hair types or very dry curls.

I've also used and liked Lush's R&B: http://www.lushusa.com/R-B/03080,en_US,pd.html#start=1 It worked well, but once I stopped getting the employee discount, I couldn't justify it. Plus, for my fine hair the cream brule weighed it down less, but you might like the extra weight.

I tried Lush's R&B, but it just sat on top of my hair and weighed it down. I found it a tad greasy. I just ordered two Curls products actually!! I ordered their Curl Souffle and Cashmere Curls. Can't wait to try them!!! My hair is quite coarse for a Caucasian girl.

endlessly
February 19th, 2015, 01:15 PM
I completely understand wanting to wear your hair down because you're right, what is the point of growing it if no one is ever going to see it? However, there isn't any way that I know of to avoid tangles by only wearing it down. I used to use tons of conditioner and a wide-toothed comb in the shower, but the tangles always came back as soon as my hair would start to dry, so honestly...I just stopped trying to fight them. I only wash my hair a maximum of twice per week depending on my activities during the week, and I only use shampoo, conditioner, then a leave-in once I'm out of the shower. It normally takes me a good ten minutes to detangle, and then I braid it and leave it overnight. I tend to wear my hair up or in braids probably 95% of the time and that's honestly the only way I know of to avoid the mess of tangles. Best of luck!

jeanniet
February 19th, 2015, 01:48 PM
Try using more leave in. If your hair is dry, it will tangle more. I have to use a gel on top of leave in, although at this point I use more leave in and less gel. Everything stays clumped together. My hair isn't as long as yours (SL, but almost APL stretched), but I have no tangles and don't ever wear it up. I use a Denman to detangle (such as it is, since I don't really have tangles) in the shower. Wide-toothed combs don't work as well for me.

MagicalMystery
February 19th, 2015, 06:07 PM
Know what? I braided it last night and it made a huge difference! I also slathered coconut oil in the shower and before my leave-in, and it's like silk for the first time in a while! I think I just need to hydrate it way more than usual because of the dry, cold weather.

MagicalMystery
February 19th, 2015, 06:09 PM
Try using more leave in. If your hair is dry, it will tangle more. I have to use a gel on top of leave in, although at this point I use more leave in and less gel. Everything stays clumped together. My hair isn't as long as yours (SL, but almost APL stretched), but I have no tangles and don't ever wear it up. I use a Denman to detangle (such as it is, since I don't really have tangles) in the shower. Wide-toothed combs don't work as well for me.

I just invested in heavier leave-ins, and have a bunch of samples on the way too. My hair hasn't been long since I was a teen, so I just need to adjust my maintenance and TLC schedule to keep it hydrated. :)

Up until now, I've been loving Giovanni Direct Leave-In, but I feel like I need something heavier now.

MJ1972
February 19th, 2015, 08:51 PM
MagicalMystery, you say you use coconut oil. How often do you use it? I'm asking because you may well be over-oiling your hair. I never had tangles until I began to oil my hair once a week. After a few weeks of that, I suddenly got tangles so bad I had to cut them out of my hair. I reduced my oilings from once every week to once every two or three weeks, and voila, my tangles are gone. Completely.

I also believe that frequent use of a conditioner containing keratin can make your hair more prone to tangling. I've reduced my use of that, too (despite the fact that it makes my hair gloriously soft and thick), and I haven't seen a tangle for weeks.

yahirwaO.o
February 19th, 2015, 08:52 PM
This is probably not going to be of your liking, but trimming a bit of hair makes a huge impact of the amount of tangles. Maybe a micro trim could help a bit???