Tangly/frizzy nape of the neck? Am I alone in this boat or do you guys have advice?

[Parisian Dozen]

So, yeah, I really don't know how to describe this efficiently. The hair at my nape (?) is always a mess - chronically tangled and a really frizzy. Imagine those pine straw blocks they sell are gardening stores; now make the pine straw whirly and attach it to your cranium. NOTE: hair doesn't feel dry - just super tangly and frizzy.

I can't even figure out a way to take a picture of it either.

The other weird part is that it does it immediately as well. The moment I step out of the shower those bastards start making a mess and start frizzing out. I dunno what to do. Drives me insane. It's one of the reasons I never wear buns that often - the back of my head looks gross as hell.

Anyone else thinking a deep conditioning might solve this one? :|

I plan on taking a shower right after this intergalactic journey I'm about to make, so if it's a shower habit now would be a good time for suggestions.

[wilderwein]

Yep me! What I do is to put a whole drop of cone serum or oil serum on them, and even after that, a day later they will still be tangly and doing their own things

[Arctic]

Maybe you just have different hairtype these, it's very common to have multiple types in one head - sometimes they are evenly mixed, sometimes they grow in certain areas.

Nape hair is also very easily damaged by daily wear and tear: clothes/collars, scarves, car seats, jewelry, sleeping.

I don't know, maybe put extra leave-in conditioner on those hairs? I bet they don't look bad to anyone else but you though.

[meteor]

I'd use a drop of oil or silicone serum on that area and be very mindful of collars, scarves, etc rubbing against that hair... I'd also get a silk/satin pillowcase/sleep cap.
I think the shorter terminal length of nape hairs can be a contributing factor - the ends of those shorter hair strands might be getting tangled with longer hair strands and friction from pillows, scarves, etc can be making it worse.

[neko_kawaii]

Sounds like you have nape curls that are a different texture from the rest of your waves. Welcome to the club!

Mine don't pose a problem in updos, so my only advice there is a low nap bun that covers them since they bug you so much.

[Nadine <3]

My nape hairs are wild and crazy and they do what they want. They're fine textured and super wispy because they take a lot of damage and get broken off and split. For the most part I just let them do whatever they want...if I want them to look nice I wet them down and smooth some oil and then a bit of flax seed gel over them and they lay nicely for the most part. I only do that for special occasions though, generally they just do what they want.

[spidermom]

Yes, which is why I prefer wearing my hair up and/or braided. Braided and pinned up is a favorite style, best of both worlds. I generally style escaping nape hairs by twirling them around a wet, lightly gelled finger to form curls rather than pouf.

[Nique1202]

I think the problem with nape and hairline hairs in general is that the follicles have to transition from making full hairs to making the peach fuzz hairs that cover the rest of the face and neck, so the hairline ends up having a lot of hairs with a shorter terminal length and sometimes a totally different texture from the rest of the hair.

Mine are so bad that I take a small section from along the nape and I keep it trimmed to 1-2 inches long. It blends into updos just fine, and it doesn't cause snarls that threaten to make me cut out huge chunks of hair. I get a similar problem at my front hairline when I don't keep a fringe, and a lot of the hairs around my ears aren't quite as tangle-prone so I don't cut them but they definitely have a different texture and don't grow long enough to go into updos.

[lapushka]

You might be 2c instead of 2b with nape curls instead of waves. A picture would be nice. I also vote for adding more slip there, more conditioner, a deep mask and a few drops of oil or a silicone serum when you style the hair.

[MINAKO]

Most of the time i dont bother with my nape hair looking messy because it doesnt tangle. But if i like to wear it really neat i spritze it with destilled water and then i apply a good amout of a solid oil, like body shops wild argan. Its kind of waxy so it keeps hair in place without making them stiff.

[bradlea]

probably this won't be helpful to you, but i also had this problem and this is how i fixed it :P

http://i.imgur.com/yVbzdQT.jpg

[Beckstar]

I have that issue so I keep the hairs trimmed short (3-4") and just let them curl. I'm 3a/b and it looked good. I'm not sure what can be done though. I got tired of mine breaking and splitting so that's why I cut them short.

[*ReiKa*]

You're not alone, I have the very same problem.
My hairs at the nape are not of a different texture, but seem somewhat thinner and drier, and they tangle A LOT.
Sometimes I end up with tangles as big as a fist, I'm not joking (and I promise, I'll take a picture of it as soon as it happens again).
I do condition it properly too but it's just not enough. It makes me think that it's just a matter of daily rubbing against clothes,scarves, hoodies, necklaces as others have already mentioned.
I don't have a proper solution, but I know a couple of things that do improve the situation a little bit.
One that actually minimizes them and prevents the huge tangles to happen is quite simple: combing that area frequently. Separating the hairs from each other with frequent combing is the best way to keep knots at bay and especially to avoid them getting bigger, rougher and harder to detangle (stiff knots are the result of hairs sticking to each other and tangling by the movements we/they make for long time). Not combing my hair for 5+ hours is the perfect recipe for a monster-tangle.
Also, one product that may help improve your hair's elasticity (and make it less prone to tangle) and ease the combing is a spray detangler. There are many out there and believe me, they do help make your hair more slippery and tame. They don't make your hair greasy (or at least, they're not supposed to! Mine doesn't...) so you can give your hair a couple of sprays every day, just buy one that is gentle and doesn't contain drying ingredients (like alcohol).

[picklepie]

Great advice above! I also wonder-- what about doing a few accent braids at the nape? On wet hair, section out an inch or so at the bottom of the back of your head, divide it into two, three, or four sections, apply a drop of oil or serum, and braid the sections one by one into small accent braids. Gather into your bun or other style as appropriate, or make a bun separately and wrap the braids around it. If you do this consistently for a few months, I wonder if it would let you grow out some of whatever damage is there, and see if you can get more cooperation from that area. Let us know how you get on! I might try this particular suggestion myself, actually, and see if it reduces the ridiculous number of "fairy knots" I get in that area allllll the time....

[meteor]

Great advice above! I also wonder-- what about doing a few accent braids at the nape? On wet hair, section out an inch or so at the bottom of the back of your head, divide it into two, three, or four sections, apply a drop of oil or serum, and braid the sections one by one into small accent braids. Gather into your bun or other style as appropriate, or make a bun separately and wrap the braids around it. If you do this consistently for a few months, I wonder if it would let you grow out some of whatever damage is there, and see if you can get more cooperation from that area. Let us know how you get on! I might try this particular suggestion myself, actually, and see if it reduces the ridiculous number of "fairy knots" I get in that area allllll the time....

^ That's a great idea, picklepie! :thumbsup:
Accent-braiding hair of a different texture helps separate it from the rest of the mane and keep it contained and under control. So a style like this (http://www.cutegirlshairstyles.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/CrossBraidBun3-300x200.jpg)or this (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=74663914)with 1, 2 or more accent braids should work well.

[*ReiKa*]

I personally cannot do what you're advising, picklepie (although it's a good idea!), cos most of the time my hair is loose.. and when it's not, it's just all braided or contained in a bun, so tangling won't happen anyway...

[Wusel]

Castor oil. To glue them to your head and the other hair and make them grow longer faster. I do the same with my edges sometimes.

[Parisian Dozen]

what about doing a few accent braids at the nape? On wet hair, section out an inch or so at the bottom of the back of your head, divide it into two, three, or four sections, apply a drop of oil or serum

That sounds viking as hell. Shall do when (if) I ever learn how to do a decent braid.


^ That's a great idea, picklepie! :thumbsup:
Accent-braiding hair of a different texture helps separate it from the rest of the mane and keep it contained and under control. So a style like this (http://www.cutegirlshairstyles.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/CrossBraidBun3-300x200.jpg)or this (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=74663914)with 1, 2 or more accent braids should work well.

Sadly, I think that might be a little too feminine for me, but one of these days I'll give it a shot, I guess.

[meteor]

That sounds viking as hell. Shall do when (if) I ever learn how to do a decent braid.

Sadly, I think that might be a little too feminine for me, but one of these days I'll give it a shot, I guess.

:oops: Oops, sorry, I didn't realize the question was for male hairstyling. :D I think the Vikings idea is a great one, actually! :thumbsup: You can google images of Ragnar or Lagertha for some cool braided hairstyles and then find YouTube tutorials (Torrinpaige, Silvousplaits, Ladollyvita33, etc) for them - I think the Vikings show definitely has some excellent hairstyling ideas! :D

[woolyleprechaun]

I think its fairly normal, especially for wurly or wavy folk. Mine are a nightmare; the hairs are thick, coarse and kinky curly, forming a birds nest of frizz at all times. With a lot of love and attention, I have grown those beasts to around apl/bsl (the rest is bcl), but I'm doubting if it was even worth it. They are the sole contributing factor to my taper, too.
All I can recommend is extra conditioning and oiling, and updos to keep them in check. I coat them liberally in fox's she's butter cream and smooth them into the 'do with a fine comb or bbb. That shea butter cream is a godsend for taming.

[spidermom]

Since a lot of guys don't feel comfortable with buns, I wanted to make one more suggestion - a banded ponytail. Make a low ponytail. Then about one inch below the first, add another pony-tie, then an inch below that one add another one (and as many more as your length will accommodate). Some people call this style the caterpillar. It will keep your nape hairs contained without looking "girly" (unless you use pink or lavendar ties - haha). There are also leather pony-holders that you can get, like bikers wear - they enclose the hair into a sleeve of leather.