I brush/comb my hair all throughout the day

[technowitch]

I hope I'm explaining my dilemma properly...


My whole life, I've carried a comb with me everywhere I go, even when I had shorter hair, throughout school, and even now when I go to work or just out. I comb my hair throughout the day because I hate how messy it gets. Essentially, an hour or so after a good brushing, my hair looks like I haven't brushed it since the night before. It tangles around the mid-lower half, the ends spray out like spider legs, and the upper back, approaching the roots, puffs up like a bird protecting its nest.


Is this normal for fine hair? Or is there something I can do? I've never known another woman who had to brush her hair constantly because of tangles. Even the girls with long, thick hair don't comb it all throughout the day.


Unless I'm just being OCD... which is possible...

Anyway, I'm sorry that this post is so self-focused. I suppose I'm asking if anyone else has this problem, if it's normal, is there something I can do to make it not look like a rat's nest every five minutes?

[Jo Ann]

Mine can look like that unless I bun/braid it. Might I suggest trying buns and or braids and see how that works for you?

[leayellena]

Keep in mind that hair is not a pantene commercial. Sleek, frizz free hair you see on YouTube is a lie, unless you heat style it into submission, which of course leads to more damage. I always bun my hair when I go outside.
I tried rag curls last Thursday and it ended up a mess after one hour. So yeah now I know why I bun my hair when I go outside. People who wear their hair loose they do it right after they freshly washed it that morning and heat style it.

[_fred_]

I hope I'm explaining my dilemma properly...


My whole life, I've carried a comb with me everywhere I go, even when I had shorter hair, throughout school, and even now when I go to work or just out. I comb my hair throughout the day because I hate how messy it gets. Essentially, an hour or so after a good brushing, my hair looks like I haven't brushed it since the night before. It tangles around the mid-lower half, the ends spray out like spider legs, and the upper back, approaching the roots, puffs up like a bird protecting its nest.


Is this normal for fine hair? Or is there something I can do? I've never known another woman who had to brush her hair constantly because of tangles. Even the girls with long, thick hair don't comb it all throughout the day.


Unless I'm just being OCD... which is possible...

Anyway, I'm sorry that this post is so self-focused. I suppose I'm asking if anyone else has this problem, if it's normal, is there something I can do to make it not look like a rat's nest every five minutes?

This might feel like an odd question, but do you have type 2 (wavy) hair? Cause mine does that even when healthy and properly treated, and it's a complete and utter pain in the backside, and it seems to be a side effect of having wavy hair. I deal with mine by clipping bits back when wet so it dries more smoothly, and with either braiding or bunning. If it's been bunned during the day, I can generally war it loose in an evening and only have to brush it a few times to keep it in line. It also helps me to moisturise the lengths on a day that isn't a wash day (spraying water on the drier bits, and putting a small bit of oil on them). I always carry a brush, though I try not to keep brushing it all day.

[lapushka]

Yes, what's your hair type? That's a very important question, because if it's wavy it's going to be a big big learning curve learning *not* to brush it when dry (see my signature -> I never comb or brush this in between washes).

So yep, get back to us! :flower:

[GrowlingCupcake]

I have to brush my hair at least twice a day because of tangles, and it has nothing to do with texture; it's simply because if I don't, I will end up cutting out tangles by the end of the week. My hair doesn't even look neat right after brushing it, to be honest. Doesn't matter if I bun, if I braid, how long it is, how short it is, etc. It is always tangled, and always messy looking unless like heavily coated with serum, sebum, oil, or just wet.

Some people have hair that can handle not being brushed. Some don't.

[01]

I hope I'm explaining my dilemma properly...


My whole life, I've carried a comb with me everywhere I go, even when I had shorter hair, throughout school, and even now when I go to work or just out. I comb my hair throughout the day because I hate how messy it gets. Essentially, an hour or so after a good brushing, my hair looks like I haven't brushed it since the night before. It tangles around the mid-lower half, the ends spray out like spider legs, and the upper back, approaching the roots, puffs up like a bird protecting its nest.


Is this normal for fine hair? Or is there something I can do? I've never known another woman who had to brush her hair constantly because of tangles. Even the girls with long, thick hair don't comb it all throughout the day.


Unless I'm just being OCD... which is possible...

Anyway, I'm sorry that this post is so self-focused. I suppose I'm asking if anyone else has this problem, if it's normal, is there something I can do to make it not look like a rat's nest every five minutes?

I used to comb twice a day but each session took, like, 1,5 hr. Twice a day. After years of that I got pissed and buzzed everything off. So I get your pain. Good luck.

Maybe braiding would help. I saw huge improvement when I started wearing 1 3-strand or french braid all the time. But one HUGE thick braid has its own problems. I'm seriously wondering if these afro braid styles would be better (ie all that weight wouldn't be in one place but distributed all over the head).

[GrowlingCupcake]

I used to comb twice a day but each session took, like, 1,5 hr. Twice a day. After years of that I got pissed and buzzed everything off. So I get your pain. Good luck.

Maybe braiding would help. I saw huge improvement when I started wearing 1 3-strand or french braid all the time. But one HUGE thick braid has its own problems. I'm seriously wondering if these afro braid styles would be better (ie all that weight wouldn't be in one place but distributed all over the head).

Eep! How long was your hair at 1.5 hours? Mine is 30 to 60 minutes each time on a good day; it's gone up as it's gotten longer. I'm dreading it getting worse.

And this is with liberally sprayed detangler.

Re braids: I've not seen an improvement with one or two braids, but I might try doing more; less hair = less tangles, hopefully.

[Genne]

I hope I'm explaining my dilemma properly...


My whole life, I've carried a comb with me everywhere I go, even when I had shorter hair, throughout school, and even now when I go to work or just out. I comb my hair throughout the day because I hate how messy it gets. Essentially, an hour or so after a good brushing, my hair looks like I haven't brushed it since the night before. It tangles around the mid-lower half, the ends spray out like spider legs, and the upper back, approaching the roots, puffs up like a bird protecting its nest.


Is this normal for fine hair? Or is there something I can do? I've never known another woman who had to brush her hair constantly because of tangles. Even the girls with long, thick hair don't comb it all throughout the day.


Unless I'm just being OCD... which is possible...

Anyway, I'm sorry that this post is so self-focused. I suppose I'm asking if anyone else has this problem, if it's normal, is there something I can do to make it not look like a rat's nest every five minutes?

Hello,
I used to do this too, all the time, I didn't have comfort or tolerance for the static closeness or tangles of fine hair because I thought it was supposed to lay like everyone else. Silly I know.

It took until I was nearly 50 years old when my sister and two nieces came to stay for a visit and all three of them wore their hair long and did NOT comb out their gentle tangles or brush out every time their hair changes. What an eye opener it was for me to realize that fine hair is just perfectly fine todo what the babyfine hair wants too.

I'm still not great at leaving it alone when it is down but, it has been about 4 or 5 years since I had the eye opener that fine hair lays the way it wants to lay and its best to stop fighting it. Actually I think it is best to work with our hair anyways so I am not sure what made me fight it my whole life.

Possibly looking at pictures of 'naturally' laying fine hair and getting comfortable in knowing that it looks just fine the way it is, (those gentle tangles or seemingly messiness is not really messy...it just lays that way, it is soft.)

I read you loud and clear.
Jen

[Genne]

Eep! How long was your hair at 1.5 hours? Mine is 30 to 60 minutes each time on a good day; it's gone up as it's gotten longer. I'm dreading it getting worse.

And this is with liberally sprayed detangler.

Re braids: I've not seen an improvement with one or two braids, but I might try doing more; less hair = less tangles, hopefully.

Something that actually helped me was in stopping the use of detangled. I suspect the detangler may lead to side effects, not sure. What products are in your detangler? Also, depending on the day or the fabric of your clothing, it might be an updo day. Actually, most anytime I leave the house for me it is an updo day as I live in a very dry place.
Jen

[GrowlingCupcake]

Something that actually helped me was in stopping the use of detangled. I suspect the detangler may lead to side effects, not sure. What products are in your detangler? Also, depending on the day or the fabric of your clothing, it might be an updo day. Actually, most anytime I leave the house for me it is an updo day as I live in a very dry place.
Jen

Without my detangler, it takes even longer, my hair breaks a lot, and I have to cut out tangles; the detangler is fine.

I also wear my hair in up almost exclusively; it's only down at night (double or single braids if not in a bun) or when it is drying.

[MusicalSpoons]

I actually find braids cause tangles, for me - the exposed ends and invariable braid shred suffer throughout the length, and then trying to reintegrate the sections when they've basically tried to curl round themselves in places ... nope. Wrapped buns are best for me.

However my hair isn't *especially* prone to tangles, detangling usually takes 5mins daily or 10mins every other day - it does take longer if I've done anything to it other than bun, but nothing like you guys describe. It doesn't stay smooth and unclumped for any time at all after brushing or combing really; if I try to run my hands through I'll always find a tangle or few. It turns out that can be the nature of even slightly wavy hair though, plus with all my frizz (random wave and curl patterns in different hairs which don't at all conform to each other) it's not really much of a surprise :shrug:

Oh also, I found certain shampoos caused different effects - a couple of volumising shampoos kinda dried my scalp hair out a bit and because I didn't use conditioner when I only scalp wash, it poofed up ridiculously. Part of me wants to use them to just S&C and see what it does in a hair typing photo; I suspect it would just be an unruly, frizzy, dry mess :lol: whereas with conditioning higher up (not silicones, on my roots) and less stripping shampoos (my scalp just about tolerates a couple of mild shampoos, hates harsher ones) it at least tends to hang down and not out :grin: Thinking about it, using those shampoos even for just a couple of uses did make it harder to detangle the hair down to where it had been conditioned.

That was a bit of ramble, sorry. Maybe something in there might be of interest or use anyway :shrug:

[spidermom]

I think brushing/combing hair constantly can get to be a habit. I remember in our early years together, my husband commented that he thought I messed with my hair too much because I was always brushing or combing it. I told him that was the only thing that made my hair look decent. Now I appreciate what my hair does naturally - curl or wave in different directions, something I used to think looked unbearably messy. Depending on what I'm wearing, leaving it down can result in hard, tight tangles (or matts), so unless I'm wearing something with a smooth texture and won't be moving around a lot, my hair needs to be up. That's just how it is.

[01]

Eep! How long was your hair at 1.5 hours? Mine is 30 to 60 minutes each time on a good day; it's gone up as it's gotten longer. I'm dreading it getting worse.

And this is with liberally sprayed detangler.

Re braids: I've not seen an improvement with one or two braids, but I might try doing more; less hair = less tangles, hopefully.

At tailbone before I cut it... But it already takes that long to detangle when it's past my shoulders :(

[technowitch]

Thank you for your input everyone!

I hope I don't sound too selfish when I say this makes me feel more normal.

[dic00000]

I comb my hair throughout the day unless I have it up. I am 1a/f/i.