Tangle problems and fairy knots

[Lisa_vc]

Hi everyone,
so i’ve Searched the community, but I couldn’t really find the answers to my questions.
I have bleached, fine, straight hair. I’ve noticed that my hair gets tangled easily when it’s wet. When my hair is dry it doesn’t really tangle.
I make sure to brush out my hair before I jump in the shower, then I start shampooing my hair. I’ve tried all kind of shampoos (organic, SLS-free, with SLS) but that doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. I shampoo only my scalp. After shampooing I put in a hair mask and a conditioner (also tried with and without cones), but also that doesn’t affect the tangling problem. Now the situation is that the ends of my hair don’t really tangle, but the part from my roots to about my ear do. When I get out of the shower I put in some leave in conditioner and some argan oil, then I put my hair in a microfiber towel for about 15 minutes and after that I let it air dry. Whet it’s dry I need to detangle my hair with my fingers, I do that by pulling strings or sometimes even just one hair at the time from the knot. I can’t use a comb/brush as that will just rip out my hair.

Then i’ve Noticed that I do have fairy knots in my hair. I don’t have split ends, just fairy knots. Since the 1st of November I wear my hair in either a bun with a hair stick or a Dutch braid with a scrunchie (mostly a braid). I also make sure to comb out my hair before I go to sleep and put it in a braid.

Hope somebody can help me out! :)

[lapushka]

Maybe you are one of those rare cases that needs to bring the conditioner or mask up to the roots.

[Laurab]

My hair's always tangled really easy, it's a large part of my keeping it short most of my life.
Like seriously, as a kid I refused to comb it because it hurt too much.
I feel like it's been better though in the past few years.

Here's what I do:
Comb often. When I wake up, when I'm about to take a shower, before I shampoo, after I shampoo, with conditioner in it, while washing the conditioner out, with the water turned off, when it's partially dry, when it's completely dry, etc. I comb often. If it's dry I'll also brush through it. It feels a little silly writing it all out, but yeah, I comb my hair everytime I see my comb, and I'm happy about that.
Usually I use a wide toothed comb, start from the part and move down until I feel any resistence so the knots are all together, then I move up from the bottom and use my fingers to get through any knots.
Sometimes it helps to then move onto a finer toothed comb or a brush, just to make sure there aren't more little knots lurking.

Use a shower cap.
My hair gets very tangly if it gets wet without me shampooing. Even if I use conditioner, it gets really messy and hard to comb through. Shower caps help a lot.

I, personally, don't use anything leave-in. My hair isn't dry or damaged so I can't speak on that aspect of it, but in general things build up too quick in my hair and it hurts more than it helps.

I do bring my conditioner up to the roots, and I wash it out completely. I've tried not doing this and I don't feel like my hair looks any less greasy, so I stick with lots of conditioner. Honestly just go ham with the conditioner, when I was younger and just starting to take care of my hair I'd only detangle with conditioner, and I'd use A LOT.

I do feel like hair can be trained, and once you get into a habit of stopping knots before they even start it'll become more and more manageable.

Hopefully something in here was helpful!
Everyone's hair has different needs, so just keep trying things and hopefully something will work out.

[Wendyclaire]

I have waist length wavy/curly hair. I don’t do the hair typing. It’s too complicated and not useful to me. I have to brush it a few times a day or I do get knots. I brush before I wash and condition about 2x a week or more if I need to over my entire head and ends. I use Pantene curly brand and it really works for me. I never use a leave in conditioner or mask type product. I use a hair dryer and I noticed when I do I get 0 tangles. I never use a wet brush. Once was enough and it was a disaster! I use some argon oil on the ends if needed. I never put my hair up except at night with a scrunchie. I brush it out in the morning and before bed. I never use a comb, only a brush.
Everyone is different and hair preferences are very personal. I wish you good luck on your hair journey!

[Spikey]

Could it be the way you're applying shampoo :hmm:? If you're really working the shampoo into your scalp with your fingertips and inadvertently mashing around your hair while you do so (like scratching it in, idk how to describe it) that could easily be the cause.

[Laurab]

Oh! one more thing!

When I'm in the shower I always wash, condition, and comb with my head upside-down.
I don't remember when or why I started doing this, but I do feel like it helps me get through all of my hair better.
My hair's on the thick side, so sometimes knots can hide places.

Also rotating all around your head can help find hidden knots (comb it normal, all to the left, in front of your head, all too the right, in a big circle).

[Lisa_vc]

Yeah I think I’m going to try that haha

[Lisa_vc]

I don’t really feel the need to comb my hair that often, because when it’s dry I get only a few tangles. Those are easy to comb out for me. The only problem I have is when I washed my hair.. I thought it was bad for your hair to comb it when it’s wet , don’t you experience hair loss when you comb your hair when it’s wet?

[Lisa_vc]

I tried this today and it seems to work! My hair tangled less when I did it but it’s just So heavy on my neck when I do this 😂

[Siv]

Now the situation is that the ends of my hair don’t really tangle, but the part from my roots to about my ear do.


Could it be the way you're applying shampoo :hmm:? If you're really working the shampoo into your scalp with your fingertips and inadvertently mashing around your hair while you do so (like scratching it in, idk how to describe it) that could easily be the cause.

This. I think you're shampooing to vigorously! Try going slower in gentle circular motions with your finger tips (and not your nails!)

[Laurab]

I don’t really feel the need to comb my hair that often, because when it’s dry I get only a few tangles. Those are easy to comb out for me. The only problem I have is when I washed my hair.. I thought it was bad for your hair to comb it when it’s wet , don’t you experience hair loss when you comb your hair when it’s wet?

Not really, so long as I'm gentle.
As long as I get out all the big knots when it's dry I don't have serious problems when it's wet.
I would never brush it when it's wet or use a finer toothed comb, but a wide toothed comb has never given me any problems.
Sometimes my hair sheds a lot, but that's normal. I think the "don't brush when wet" thing is more about breakage rather than shedding.

But I also have fairly thick hair so I don't pay much attention to hair loss.

I tried this today and it seems to work! My hair tangled less when I did it but it’s just So heavy on my neck when I do this ��

You'll get use to it lol! I've been doing it so long it feels weird to try it any other way.

[shelomit]

The fact that it's only tangling badly when it's wet and that it tangles from the ears up leads me to second the opinions of a couple others: that you are probably inadvertently tangling it when you are shampooing it. If I use any circular-type motions when I'm shampooing my hair, it wants to tangle. Instead, I kind of "rake" my fingers gently up and down in the direction that the hair most wants to lie. It's more like I'm pushing the shampoo down towards the scalp than actually moving the hair itself around. Very hard to explain these kinds of things in words, I'm afraid ; D But we may just be working with very different types of hair, as you seem to be having some success with inverting your head and that only makes mine *more* tangly.

[Reyn127]

Hm, I wonder if any ingredients in your shampoo could be causing it? My first thought is maybe a slight protein overload, which can make it frustratingly tangly/dry/stiff. Also for me, anything with Shea butter too far up in the ingredients ALWAYS makes my hair sticky and unmanageable. Sometimes coconut oil too. With the right shampoo, no matter how wildly I scrub my scalp, my tangles always rinse right out with the suds. Maybe try a different formula?