Why won't my hair stay detangled?

[Annapox]

This is going to be long, and for that I apologize. I don't know how to be succinct.

I have very straight, very fine, very dense, mid-back-length hair that tangles if I look at it funny. I detangle my hair in sections, and by the time I've detangled the second section, the first section is tangled again. Braids and buns reduce the number of tangles I accumulate throughout the day, but there are still a lot of them every time I comb my hair. The only time I remember having hair that stayed detangled was when it was shorter than shoulder-length. I'm hoping some of you might have ideas for how to get my hair to cooperate, especially ideas that don't involve oils. I'm autistic and have a sensory processing disorder, and anything with an oily or otherwise slimy texture is bad news for me. (I can't even handle lotion.)

Other possibly helpful information:

I always braid my hair before I go to sleep, and I rebraid it or put it in a bun when I wake up. Basically, it's only loose when I shower. My wash routine is to shampoo my scalp twice (otherwise my hair still looks oily when it dries) with Tea Tree shampoo (the tea tree oil helps keep the flakes away), rinse, shampoo the length once, rinse, and condition the length but not the scalp with Tea Tree conditioner. When I'm done with my shower, I squeeze the length of my hair to get some of the water out, and I drape my towel over my shoulders to keep my pajamas from getting drenched. Then I spray Suave Kids detangler in my hair and detangle with a wide-tooth plastic comb. When my hair is about as detangled as I think it's going to get, I brush it with a boar bristle Wet Brush (a mix of boar bristles and ... regular? ... bristles). I put my hair in a braid, flip the hanging edge of my towel up onto my shoulders so that my braid is in a little towel envelope (otherwise my hair will drip for a long time), and go about my evening. For mornings and non-shower evenings, I undo my braid or bun, detangle with a wide-tooth wooden comb, and brush with a boar bristle brush (all boar bristles, not mixed like the Wet Brush) before braiding or bunning my hair again.

My hair has the most tangles right after I shower, but that's also when it's the easiest to detangle. Forgetting to condition or spray detangler in my hair makes the tangles worse post-shower, and skipping detangling for any mornings or non-shower evenings makes the tangles a lot worse the next time I shower. Not brushing my hair also makes the tangles worse. The boar bristle brushes have gone a long way in keeping my scalp from getting flaky. Although the brush that's all boar bristles is new, and it doesn't really feel like it gets to my scalp like the Wet Brush or my previous brush with a mix of boar bristles and regular bristles (a Flex Brush, which I loved until it broke). I never color or heat-style my hair.

That was probably too much detail, but I've never been great at figuring out which details are the important ones, in any context. So my question is: Aside from oiling my hair, which is not an option, what can I do to make my hair more manageable? I probably shouldn't get too daring with my hair experiments until after my brother's wedding next week, but maybe there are small adjustments I can make, or at least things to start thinking about/researching.

[lapushka]

You think your condition inhibits you from seeing your hair as is? :) I am just asking because normally, detangling section 2 does not tangle up section 1. If put away the right way. Yes, you need to clip it back up after detangling, to keep the section "safe".

[Annapox]

You think your condition inhibits you from seeing your hair as is? :) I am just asking because normally, detangling section 2 does not tangle up section 1. If put away the right way. Yes, you need to clip it back up after detangling, to keep the section "safe".

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "seeing my hair as is"? :) And I don't clip my hair to section it; I just put all my hair behind my shoulders, separate small sections one at a time with my fingers, and put them in front of my shoulders when I'm done detangling them. Then after I detangle the second section on one side, I comb the first two sections combined, and so on. And the tangles are already back at that point. Is that not correct? When I get my hair trimmed, the hairdresser doesn't start clipping my hair into sections until they've already detangled all of it and are getting ready to trim it. So I thought clipping the sections was only necessary for trimming hair.

[rosenester]

Unfortunately, the things I have found to help my fine-hair-tangle-problems are slimy and oily. Recently found Chi silk infusion serum & it works great for me, but the texture may not work for you? It’s more liquidity to me than oily… so maybe? Otherwise, I can recommend more conditioner, condition twice, or don’t rinse it all out. Since the texture of your conditioner doesn’t bother you, you could try that one as a leave-in, thought I am not familiar with the product so not sure it will work. Another option, get a heavier conditioner, or one with dimethicone amodimethicone or any other silicone, OR get a different leave-in all together if it’s not adding slip to detangle. I find tangles difficult with my fine hair. If you find something that works better for you, please share! :flower:

[baanoo]

Oof, what a lot to work with! I love the Chi serum rosenester referred to, and also second the leave-in recommendation. I would also advise against a boar bristle brush on wet hair; I find it terrible for pulling and snagging and creating more tangles/breakage/even more tangles. A tangle teezer or wet brush might work better for you. Best of luck!

[Annapox]

Unfortunately, the things I have found to help my fine-hair-tangle-problems are slimy and oily. Recently found Chi silk infusion serum & it works great for me, but the texture may not work for you? It’s more liquidity to me than oily… so maybe? Otherwise, I can recommend more conditioner, condition twice, or don’t rinse it all out. Since the texture of your conditioner doesn’t bother you, you could try that one as a leave-in, thought I am not familiar with the product so not sure it will work. Another option, get a heavier conditioner, or one with dimethicone amodimethicone or any other silicone, OR get a different leave-in all together if it’s not adding slip to detangle. I find tangles difficult with my fine hair. If you find something that works better for you, please share! :flower:
Thank you for the suggestions! I could start by trying more conditioner, yeah. I think that's even an experiment that would be safe to try before the wedding, since I already have an idea of how my hair reacts to the conditioner I'm using.


Oof, what a lot to work with! I love the Chi serum rosenester referred to, and also second the leave-in recommendation. I would also advise against a boar bristle brush on wet hair; I find it terrible for pulling and snagging and creating more tangles/breakage/even more tangles. A tangle teezer or wet brush might work better for you. Best of luck!
No boar bristles on wet hair, even if it's a Wet Brush boar bristle brush? I thought the whole point of a Wet Brush was that it could be used on wet hair. (Not trying to argue; just trying to understand.)

[Lady Stardust]

I wonder if it’s the material that your hair is resting on that is contributing to the tangles? Wool (or acrylic) jumpers or cardigans, or towelling might make the tangles worse. My daughter likes to keep her hair in a towel until it is almost dry, but I notice that it can cause her hair to frizz and tangle. A microfibre towel might help, if you haven’t tried that already, or an old t-shirt instead of a towel.

Your hair/tangle situation sounds a lot like my daughter’s :) A satin (or silk) pillowcase makes a difference, but keeping the hair braided and combing through twice a day (as you are already doing) is vital for her hair. I detangle her hair in the shower, with conditioner in, using a Tangle Teezer wet detangler (or whatever it’s called!) but the Wet Brush would work too. Then just rinsing the conditioner out of the already detangled hair is nice and easy.

If your main reason for using the boar bristle brush is for flakes, maybe there is something else to address there. I don’t have experience with a flaky scalp but maybe someone else will chip in.

[shelomit]

Since you mention one section tangling while you work on another one, I wonder if part of the problem is the "inactive" hair getting jumbled around by your motions while you're working on detangling it. Rather than letting the "inactive" sections simply drape down your back, have you tried some method that would allow it to stay up? For example, you might put your hair in two buns, one a "tangled" bun and one a "detangled" one, and pass sections of hair from one side to the other as you work. I feel like I'm not explaining this very well, but this is the method I use when I'm applying henna.

[Chromis]

Well you see, this occurs because our hair is full of tiny tiny wizards. Their experimenting builds up a static charge (all that magic wand zapping you know!) and that causes our hair strands to slither and wind around one another imperceptibly. :magic:

*ahem*

I have hair a lot like yours actually. I have given up on trying to brush it and only comb the length. I still have a boar bristle brush and I use it on just the scalp when I want it especially smooth and glossy, but it is always more tangles if I use it on the length, no matter how well I detangle before. I use first a wide tooth comb, parting half my hair over each shoulder and then putting them all on one side because otherwise there are somehow snarls in the middle. Just one side down the back is no good for me, has to each be over a shoulder. Then I repeat with a finer tooth wooden comb mostly because of lint. Some of our blankets are to blame for this, but replacing them involves making decisions and also money, which always lands up going to other house things that are more important. Satin pillowcases help a ton at least! Lint is horrible for making tangles and 9/10s of my tangles have a wee nucleus of lint in the middle.

I can't really comb my hair when it is wet and absolutely can't brush it wet. Some folks can, but they might also have superpowers. Oiling it lightly helps quite a bit and if you do it very sparingly, it won't have that oil slick feel. Natural detangers work the best for me when it is really ornery (humidity!) especially ones that have things like slippery elm and marshmallow root. I got mine from a ren fair up here in Canada, but NightBlooming on Etsy has a really nice one called Selkie that would be easier to get in the US.

[-Aithne-]

I hate putting stuff in my hair, too. It makes everything feel oily and yucky, like my face, everything *sympathy*

When I wash my hair...I use a big plastic wig bush (the teeth are far apart so it doesn't hurt or pull too much) to detangle my hair right after I put conditioner in. I use the Pantene conditioner from Costco. I put it up with an acrylic fork into an equilibrium bun and wait five minutes. This really helps. One minute with conditioner and five make your hair feel *so* different! I rinse my hair out in the bath by swishing my head around in the bath water (boy, does that sound stupid XD *blush*) and then I wring it out (I know this is bad) by twisting it. Then I comb it again with the big plastic wig brush. I then use this new hair drying thing that was recommended to me by someone with beautiful wavy blonde hair here (It was RoseNester! Thank you! I love it! I got a pink one with bunny ears.). It was called a "turby Twist?" It's a microfiber towel (I love it. I'll have to find that thread and thank her). I put it in the hair drying thing by slightly twisting it and laying it flat down the middle by the closed seam. I fold it over one and twice just right on top and twist it and secure it according to instructions. After about five minutes I take it out and put it in a doubled over ponytail with a microfiber drying scrunchie (this keeps the back of my shirt from getting wet because I hate that, too). I do my stuff and then when I go to sleep, I put a folded towel over my pillow and behind it. I leave 4-6 inches between my pillow and the headboard...I'm also short.

On normal nights and after I wash it...I do a loose circle around my head with my hair and while laying down dump my hair behind my pillow. Caveat: I don't move at all in my sleep. If I go somewhere in the middle of the night, I just pull up my hair and put it back behind my pillow again.

Come morning, I take out my porcupine brush. It has soft white boar hair and nylon bristles topped with this round stuff. The nylon bristles go to your scalp and don't scratch. Those bristles make the boars hair touch all your hair, too. I really love this brush :heart: It makes my hair really soft and shiny and gets rid of frizz on most days :) I put *all* my hair over my left shoulder so that it's all in the front and do one stroke from the top and then remember to start from the bottom (This happens every day! I guess I can't remember...). I then grab my hair about five inches from the bottom and brush it on my knee. Then I move up 3-4 inches each time. I do my whole head at once. Then I get a sandalwood rattail comb and comb it into a ponytail and put it up with an acrylic stick.

Later I mess with it while learning other bun styles. I only brush once a day when it's dry. I don't get many tangles (one or two smallish ones) and my hair seems to be about like yours? Fine and normal amount. I don't get big tangles unless I deviate from my routine...or try some really stupid hairstyle (which sometimes I do :/ I know it's not going to work, but I do).

I hope some of this might help you. I used to get horrible tangles. Good luck with your hair journey :)

TLDR: I think the most important parts are combing with conditioner in it, brushing it all at once (parting gives me tangles), and putting my hair up first thing in the morning.

[Annapox]

I wonder if it’s the material that your hair is resting on that is contributing to the tangles? Wool (or acrylic) jumpers or cardigans, or towelling might make the tangles worse. My daughter likes to keep her hair in a towel until it is almost dry, but I notice that it can cause her hair to frizz and tangle. A microfibre towel might help, if you haven’t tried that already, or an old t-shirt instead of a towel.

Your hair/tangle situation sounds a lot like my daughter’s :) A satin (or silk) pillowcase makes a difference, but keeping the hair braided and combing through twice a day (as you are already doing) is vital for her hair. I detangle her hair in the shower, with conditioner in, using a Tangle Teezer wet detangler (or whatever it’s called!) but the Wet Brush would work too. Then just rinsing the conditioner out of the already detangled hair is nice and easy.

If your main reason for using the boar bristle brush is for flakes, maybe there is something else to address there. I don’t have experience with a flaky scalp but maybe someone else will chip in.

Thank you for the suggestions! I think my hair absorbs more water than an old T-shirt can absorb, but I'll give that a try if just changing how I condition and detangle doesn't do the trick. I hadn't thought about detangling while I'm in the shower. I try not to brush my hair until it's as detangled as I can get it, but I do have enough non-wooden combs that I could leave one in the shower. :)

[Annapox]

Since you mention one section tangling while you work on another one, I wonder if part of the problem is the "inactive" hair getting jumbled around by your motions while you're working on detangling it. Rather than letting the "inactive" sections simply drape down your back, have you tried some method that would allow it to stay up? For example, you might put your hair in two buns, one a "tangled" bun and one a "detangled" one, and pass sections of hair from one side to the other as you work. I feel like I'm not explaining this very well, but this is the method I use when I'm applying henna.

What kind of bun do you do? What do you secure it with? Do you have to redo the buns every time you move a strand from one to the other?

[Annapox]

Well you see, this occurs because our hair is full of tiny tiny wizards. Their experimenting builds up a static charge (all that magic wand zapping you know!) and that causes our hair strands to slither and wind around one another imperceptibly. :magic:

*ahem*

I have hair a lot like yours actually. I have given up on trying to brush it and only comb the length. I still have a boar bristle brush and I use it on just the scalp when I want it especially smooth and glossy, but it is always more tangles if I use it on the length, no matter how well I detangle before. I use first a wide tooth comb, parting half my hair over each shoulder and then putting them all on one side because otherwise there are somehow snarls in the middle. Just one side down the back is no good for me, has to each be over a shoulder. Then I repeat with a finer tooth wooden comb mostly because of lint. Some of our blankets are to blame for this, but replacing them involves making decisions and also money, which always lands up going to other house things that are more important. Satin pillowcases help a ton at least! Lint is horrible for making tangles and 9/10s of my tangles have a wee nucleus of lint in the middle.

I can't really comb my hair when it is wet and absolutely can't brush it wet. Some folks can, but they might also have superpowers. Oiling it lightly helps quite a bit and if you do it very sparingly, it won't have that oil slick feel. Natural detangers work the best for me when it is really ornery (humidity!) especially ones that have things like slippery elm and marshmallow root. I got mine from a ren fair up here in Canada, but NightBlooming on Etsy has a really nice one called Selkie that would be easier to get in the US.

I love your sense of humor! XD I actually find that when I brush my hair after detangling, I have fewer tangles the next time I detangle. And my hair is easier to style. And I find that my hair is easiest to detangle when it's wet. If I let my hair dry without detangling it, it gets a lot more difficult to detangle. But what you said about lint makes me wonder how much dust from my guinea pigs' hay is getting in my hair, especially on the one day a week when I take their dirty fleece bedding outside to shake off all the tiny hay pieces so it can be washed (it is sometimes pointed out to me afterward that I have visible pieces of hay in my hair). Although I've had tangly hair since long before I had guinea pigs, and it's not like I can stop giving them hay. Hmm. Maybe I should start wearing a bandana or something when I shake out their bedding ... :hmm:

[Annapox]

I hate putting stuff in my hair, too. It makes everything feel oily and yucky, like my face, everything *sympathy*

When I wash my hair...I use a big plastic wig bush (the teeth are far apart so it doesn't hurt or pull too much) to detangle my hair right after I put conditioner in. I use the Pantene conditioner from Costco. I put it up with an acrylic fork into an equilibrium bun and wait five minutes. This really helps. One minute with conditioner and five make your hair feel *so* different! I rinse my hair out in the bath by swishing my head around in the bath water (boy, does that sound stupid XD *blush*) and then I wring it out (I know this is bad) by twisting it. Then I comb it again with the big plastic wig brush. I then use this new hair drying thing that was recommended to me by someone with beautiful wavy blonde hair here (It was RoseNester! Thank you! I love it! I got a pink one with bunny ears.). It was called a "turby Twist?" It's a microfiber towel (I love it. I'll have to find that thread and thank her). I put it in the hair drying thing by slightly twisting it and laying it flat down the middle by the closed seam. I fold it over one and twice just right on top and twist it and secure it according to instructions. After about five minutes I take it out and put it in a doubled over ponytail with a microfiber drying scrunchie (this keeps the back of my shirt from getting wet because I hate that, too). I do my stuff and then when I go to sleep, I put a folded towel over my pillow and behind it. I leave 4-6 inches between my pillow and the headboard...I'm also short.

On normal nights and after I wash it...I do a loose circle around my head with my hair and while laying down dump my hair behind my pillow. Caveat: I don't move at all in my sleep. If I go somewhere in the middle of the night, I just pull up my hair and put it back behind my pillow again.

Come morning, I take out my porcupine brush. It has soft white boar hair and nylon bristles topped with this round stuff. The nylon bristles go to your scalp and don't scratch. Those bristles make the boars hair touch all your hair, too. I really love this brush :heart: It makes my hair really soft and shiny and gets rid of frizz on most days :) I put *all* my hair over my left shoulder so that it's all in the front and do one stroke from the top and then remember to start from the bottom (This happens every day! I guess I can't remember...). I then grab my hair about five inches from the bottom and brush it on my knee. Then I move up 3-4 inches each time. I do my whole head at once. Then I get a sandalwood rattail comb and comb it into a ponytail and put it up with an acrylic stick.

Later I mess with it while learning other bun styles. I only brush once a day when it's dry. I don't get many tangles (one or two smallish ones) and my hair seems to be about like yours? Fine and normal amount. I don't get big tangles unless I deviate from my routine...or try some really stupid hairstyle (which sometimes I do :/ I know it's not going to work, but I do).

I hope some of this might help you. I used to get horrible tangles. Good luck with your hair journey :)

TLDR: I think the most important parts are combing with conditioner in it, brushing it all at once (parting gives me tangles), and putting my hair up first thing in the morning.

I think I used to have a Turby Twist, but I never really used it because turbaning my hair to dry it always tangles it up. Anything that involves flipping my hair upside-down is a no-go. But leaving the conditioner in longer and detangling with conditioner in are definitely things I can try. Thank you for the suggestions!

[RebekahE]

I think I used to have a Turby Twist, but I never really used it because turbaning my hair to dry it always tangles it up. Anything that involves flipping my hair upside-down is a no-go. But leaving the conditioner in longer and detangling with conditioner in are definitely things I can try. Thank you for the suggestions!

You can totally use a Turbie twist backwards, it's just not as secure. I put the part with the loop at the top of my head, put my hair in the part hanging down and twist it up gently and secure it in the loop. My hair is still hanging down in its natural part, but the length is twisted up, hasn't created any extra tangles for me.

[tuanyiji]

Usually, type 1 hair is not that easy to tangle, but maybe fine hair is vastly different from coarse one.
How often do you wash your hair? From what I’m reading, you seem to wash your hair every time you shower? Do you comb through your hair before getting it wet? I never try to manipulate wet hair with any tools. It breaks too easy and worsens my shed. Have you tried fingercombing only and air-drying your hair after your shampoo and conditioner without putting on more products?
Sometimes less is more. Or it might be a result of build-up, try a deep cleansing shampoo and wait a few days with daily massage to see how you feel about letting your own sebum take care of your hair from the roots down. Or you can try scalp-only wash by braiding your hair behind your back and not letting it get any shampoo at all. You can also experiment by eliminating one product/step at a time to find out about the culprit instead of adding new things to your hair care routine.
My hair care routine is: wash my hair once a week/2 weeks if I can stretch it or I am too busy, prepoo with diy oil/mask with a heating hat on for 2+hr (I shampoo so infrequently that every time I do this, it’s a deep conditioning treatment), shampoo twice, conditioner, rinse and ACV rinse, air dry my loose hair in front of an electric fan at a safe distance until it’s at least 90% dry before bunning/braiding, I fingercomb only (I never use comb or brush or elastic tie anymore and it’s such a game changer, I am no longer obsessed with getting my hair pin-straight and start to enjoy the semi-permanent waves the buns bring). I use a tiny bit of oil every day when I massage my scalp, I also oil my length and ends, it’s a gradual process so my hair is heavy with oil by the weekend before my weekly wash, but it’s very manageable and shiny all the time. I bun during the day, braid before bed, I use both silk bonnet and silk pillowcase which is great for skin, I never have dandruff (when I was hospitalized last year, I went without shampooing my hair for a month, and still got no dandruff, so that's probably my genes at work), my hair never tangles and the shed is minimum.

[lapushka]

Maybe sharing our own routines... might help?

For detangling, I part my hair down the middle, front to nape. I then "throw" one section over my shoulder, and start on the first one. Bottom to top (which is also important and works best at keeping knots out). It beats brushing root down! Ouch. Then when finished with that I throw the detangled section over one shoulder and bring the other one forward. Then when that's done. I gather up my entire head, and go through *again* and *again* until the entire head is done. Then I wash my hair.

Yes, I only detangle weekly, since... with my texture, it's a given. My head is an entire knot until week's end.

[rosenester]

You can totally use a Turbie twist backwards, it's just not as secure. I put the part with the loop at the top of my head, put my hair in the part hanging down and twist it up gently and secure it in the loop. My hair is still hanging down in its natural part, but the length is twisted up, hasn't created any extra tangles for me.

This is how I use mine! I could never flip my hair upside down, especially when damp or wet. It gets terribly matted.

[Annapox]

You can totally use a Turbie twist backwards, it's just not as secure. I put the part with the loop at the top of my head, put my hair in the part hanging down and twist it up gently and secure it in the loop. My hair is still hanging down in its natural part, but the length is twisted up, hasn't created any extra tangles for me.


This is how I use mine! I could never flip my hair upside down, especially when damp or wet. It gets terribly matted.

Oh, I hadn't thought of that! I don't have my Turbie Twist anymore, but I'll keep this in mind in case I decide to try microfiber instead of a towel for drying my hair. :)

[Annapox]

Usually, type 1 hair is not that easy to tangle, but maybe fine hair is vastly different from coarse one.
How often do you wash your hair? From what I’m reading, you seem to wash your hair every time you shower? Do you comb through your hair before getting it wet? I never try to manipulate wet hair with any tools. It breaks too easy and worsens my shed. Have you tried fingercombing only and air-drying your hair after your shampoo and conditioner without putting on more products?
Sometimes less is more. Or it might be a result of build-up, try a deep cleansing shampoo and wait a few days with daily massage to see how you feel about letting your own sebum take care of your hair from the roots down. Or you can try scalp-only wash by braiding your hair behind your back and not letting it get any shampoo at all. You can also experiment by eliminating one product/step at a time to find out about the culprit instead of adding new things to your hair care routine.
My hair care routine is: wash my hair once a week/2 weeks if I can stretch it or I am too busy, prepoo with diy oil/mask with a heating hat on for 2+hr (I shampoo so infrequently that every time I do this, it’s a deep conditioning treatment), shampoo twice, conditioner, rinse and ACV rinse, air dry my loose hair in front of an electric fan at a safe distance until it’s at least 90% dry before bunning/braiding, I fingercomb only (I never use comb or brush or elastic tie anymore and it’s such a game changer, I am no longer obsessed with getting my hair pin-straight and start to enjoy the semi-permanent waves the buns bring). I use a tiny bit of oil every day when I massage my scalp, I also oil my length and ends, it’s a gradual process so my hair is heavy with oil by the weekend before my weekly wash, but it’s very manageable and shiny all the time. I bun during the day, braid before bed, I use both silk bonnet and silk pillowcase which is great for skin, I never have dandruff (when I was hospitalized last year, I went without shampooing my hair for a month, and still got no dandruff, so that's probably my genes at work), my hair never tangles and the shed is minimum.

I shower about every other day, and I wash my hair every time I shower. My scalp is very unhappy if I shampoo it less often than that. It gets oily fast, and when my scalp is oily it gets flaky. Tea tree oil shampoo and boar bristle brushes really help with that, but only if I shampoo every other day and brush twice a day.

I have occasionally tried combing my hair right before I shower, but I haven't noticed a huge difference in the amount of detangling I have to do after I shower. I can try it again, just in case. When I get my hair wet, I have to detangle it before it dries or it'll be a nightmare. The wetter my hair is when I detangle it, the easier it is to detangle, and detangling hair that dried with tangles in it is worse than detangling hair that hasn't been wet recently. The only leave-in product I ever use in my hair is a spray detangler; other than that, it's just shampoo and conditioner, which I rinse out. I also never blow-dry my hair (it's loud and it takes too long). I've tried finger-combing before using the wide-tooth comb before, but either I'm doing it wrong or it's just not very effective for my hair, because it doesn't feel like I make any progress that way.

[Annapox]

Maybe sharing our own routines... might help?

For detangling, I part my hair down the middle, front to nape. I then "throw" one section over my shoulder, and start on the first one. Bottom to top (which is also important and works best at keeping knots out). It beats brushing root down! Ouch. Then when finished with that I throw the detangled section over one shoulder and bring the other one forward. Then when that's done. I gather up my entire head, and go through *again* and *again* until the entire head is done. Then I wash my hair.

Yes, I only detangle weekly, since... with my texture, it's a given. My head is an entire knot until week's end.

That's kinda like how I detangle my hair, except I do more than two sections and I don't usually detangle right before I wash my hair. I could try detangling before I shower and see if there are fewer tangles when I'm done washing my hair. I haven't noticed a huge difference when I've tried that before, but you never know. :)

[Chromis]

I love your sense of humor! XD I actually find that when I brush my hair after detangling, I have fewer tangles the next time I detangle. And my hair is easier to style. And I find that my hair is easiest to detangle when it's wet. If I let my hair dry without detangling it, it gets a lot more difficult to detangle. But what you said about lint makes me wonder how much dust from my guinea pigs' hay is getting in my hair, especially on the one day a week when I take their dirty fleece bedding outside to shake off all the tiny hay pieces so it can be washed (it is sometimes pointed out to me afterward that I have visible pieces of hay in my hair). Although I've had tangly hair since long before I had guinea pigs, and it's not like I can stop giving them hay. Hmm. Maybe I should start wearing a bandana or something when I shake out their bedding ... :hmm:

Covering your hair for dirty jobs does really help! I am a farmer and I wear a bandanna most days in summer until it is warmer hat season.

Couple more thoughts which work for my tangly hair but not for all - I do not change the direction of my hair while washing it. No inverted washing for me! I use shampoo bars to wash and put my hair over one shoulder and "pet" the bar down the length. I detangle before getting in the shower. To put it up after I kind of have to fold it into the turbie since my hair is much longer than the towel. I don't twist it and really don't manipulate it much until it is at least damp dry.

Also, guinea pigs! Cuuute!

[Annapox]

Covering your hair for dirty jobs does really help! I am a farmer and I wear a bandanna most days in summer until it is warmer hat season.

Couple more thoughts which work for my tangly hair but not for all - I do not change the direction of my hair while washing it. No inverted washing for me! I use shampoo bars to wash and put my hair over one shoulder and "pet" the bar down the length. I detangle before getting in the shower. To put it up after I kind of have to fold it into the turbie since my hair is much longer than the towel. I don't twist it and really don't manipulate it much until it is at least damp dry.

Also, guinea pigs! Cuuute!

No inverted washing for me, either! No inversion of my hair at all, ever. That's why I shampoo my scalp and my length in separate steps: It allows me to shampoo the length by running my hands along the length instead of by messing up my hair. :p Detangling before I get in the shower sounds like something I should give another shot; I didn't notice a difference last time I tried it, but it can't hurt, right? I'm hesitant to put off braiding my hair until it's dry because keeping it braided is how I keep it from becoming a complete rat's nest. And my hair takes a long time to dry, so it would be loose for quite a while.

Yes, guinea pigs are adorable! :D

[KokoroDragon]

No boar bristles on wet hair, even if it's a Wet Brush boar bristle brush? I thought the whole point of a Wet Brush was that it could be used on wet hair. (Not trying to argue; just trying to understand.)

Personally I wouldn't use boar bristles on wet hair. Wet Brush is the brand, not the function. The original Wet Brush is, of course, for use on wet hair. But to my understanding boar bristles should only be used on dry hair. I used to have a brush with both nylon and boar bristles (different brand) and it said right on the label to never use it on wet hair.

My go-to brush for detangling is a spiral brush with super flexible nylon bristles. Let me see if I can fine it online...Here it is. (https://www.bassbrushes.com/the-bio-flex) I have the "swirl" version.

I also have fine hair that tangles easily. It also gets greasy easily, which makes finding detangling products hard. Here are a couple things that I have found help:

1. I always sleep with a satin bonnet. That alone has cut down on tangles so much!

2. I cut out cones. I know they help with tangles for most people, but for some reason products with silicones always make my tangles way worse. Even detangling products. I don't know how much you've experimented with different products, but it's something to think about.

3. I have found that my hair tangles much more in braids than in a bun. I always get nape tangles with braids.

4. Not drying my hair with a towel made more of a difference than I thought it would. I have to use 2-3 t-shirts to soak up the water because one isn't enough. You could also get a super large t-shirt if you only want to use one.

5. Lint is the enemy. I haven't been able to avoid lint entirely, but I keep my hair covered whenever I'm doing especially dusty tasks. I will also sometimes leave my hair in my satin bonnet if I'm staying home so lint can't get on it.

My hair is much less tangly now, but it honestly took years to get to this point. I know it can be frustrating, but try not to let the tangles get to you too much!

[Annapox]

Personally I wouldn't use boar bristles on wet hair. Wet Brush is the brand, not the function. The original Wet Brush is, of course, for use on wet hair. But to my understanding boar bristles should only be used on dry hair. I used to have a brush with both nylon and boar bristles (different brand) and it said right on the label to never use it on wet hair.

My go-to brush for detangling is a spiral brush with super flexible nylon bristles. Let me see if I can fine it online...Here it is. (https://www.bassbrushes.com/the-bio-flex) I have the "swirl" version.

I also have fine hair that tangles easily. It also gets greasy easily, which makes finding detangling products hard. Here are a couple things that I have found help:

1. I always sleep with a satin bonnet. That alone has cut down on tangles so much!

2. I cut out cones. I know they help with tangles for most people, but for some reason products with silicones always make my tangles way worse. Even detangling products. I don't know how much you've experimented with different products, but it's something to think about.

3. I have found that my hair tangles much more in braids than in a bun. I always get nape tangles with braids.

4. Not drying my hair with a towel made more of a difference than I thought it would. I have to use 2-3 t-shirts to soak up the water because one isn't enough. You could also get a super large t-shirt if you only want to use one.

5. Lint is the enemy. I haven't been able to avoid lint entirely, but I keep my hair covered whenever I'm doing especially dusty tasks. I will also sometimes leave my hair in my satin bonnet if I'm staying home so lint can't get on it.

My hair is much less tangly now, but it honestly took years to get to this point. I know it can be frustrating, but try not to let the tangles get to you too much!

Ah, I see. I had assumed that a brand called Wet Brush would make sure all its brushes were suitable for wet hair. But that would be too logical. :p Does my hair have to be completely dry to use boar bristles, or is it okay if my hair is a little damp, like when I braid it wet and it's still damp in the morning when I brush it next? I used to have a brush that was flexible like the one you linked, but it broke after less than a year. How long have you been using your current brush?

I'll keep the satin bonnet in mind, but I'm worried it won't be comfortable to sleep in, so I might hold off until I've tried some of the other suggestions. My current shampoo, conditioner, and detangler all have cones, but there have definitely been times when I used shampoos/conditioners/detanglers that didn't have cones, and I don't remember there being a big difference. I might be remembering wrong, though. I do know that my hair is easier to detangle with my current conditioner and detangler than without. Does that mean my hair is okay with cones?

I haven't kept track carefully, but I have the impression that my hair gets more tangles in a bun than in a braid. That might have to do with the fact that it usually takes me two or three attempts to get a bun to stay without being uncomfortably tight, though. My hair is very talented at escaping from most hair toys, so there's a very narrow window where my bun is tight enough to stay put but loose enough to be comfortable.

Does it have to be a particularly soft T-shirt, or will any T-shirt work better than a towel? I think there must be a bandana somewhere in my house, so I can probably cover my hair while I do dusty tasks.

[lapushka]

That's kinda like how I detangle my hair, except I do more than two sections and I don't usually detangle right before I wash my hair. I could try detangling before I shower and see if there are fewer tangles when I'm done washing my hair. I haven't noticed a huge difference when I've tried that before, but you never know. :)

Oh definitely detangle before you wash, it's *amazing* and it makes a difference, trust me. You know what goes for dogs? If you wet a matted coat the mats tighten. So I love to get the knots out before I get it wet. Would not put myself through the pain (sensitive scalp) if it wasn't worth it; totally!

[Annapox]

So to summarize the suggestions I think are the most doable so far (in no particular order):


Stop using boar bristles on wet hair
Leave conditioner in longer
Detangle in the shower with conditioner still in
Use more conditioner
Condition twice
Cover hair for dusty tasks
Detangle before showering (in addition to after)
Dry hair with an old T-shirt (or several shirts) instead of a towel


And if those don't work:

Wear a satin bonnet to sleep
Dry hair with a microfiber towel


I know the general rule is to make one change at a time. Does that rule apply to all of these changes, or would it make sense, for example, to try detangling before I shower and covering my hair for dusty work at the same time? Or some other combination of the suggestions? And how do I decide which change(s) to make first?

[Annapox]

Oh definitely detangle before you wash, it's *amazing* and it makes a difference, trust me. You know what goes for dogs? If you wet a matted coat the mats tighten. So I love to get the knots out before I get it wet. Would not put myself through the pain (sensitive scalp) if it wasn't worth it; totally!

I don't know much about dog care; I've only ever had guinea pigs. And guinea pigs don't usually get baths. But if wetting matted hair makes the mats tighten, then it makes sense that detangling before a shower would be a good idea!

[shelomit]

What kind of bun do you do? What do you secure it with? Do you have to redo the buns every time you move a strand from one to the other?

I put them up with chopsticks (doesn't matter if they get stained ( ; ) and yes, I do redo them constantly as I shift hair from "waiting" to "done." I'm certain you could use claw clips if you wanted something faster.

[shelomit]

This is how I use mine! I could never flip my hair upside down, especially when damp or wet. It gets terribly matted.

I had no clue until the last two minutes that you were supposed to do it the other way round O.o

[Annapox]

I put them up with chopsticks (doesn't matter if they get stained ( ; ) and yes, I do redo them constantly as I shift hair from "waiting" to "done." I'm certain you could use claw clips if you wanted something faster.

I actually don't own claw clips. I used to, but they never stayed in my hair, so I tossed them. The only things I have for buns are a wooden hair fork and a pair of wooden hair sticks, I think. Does redoing the buns over and over not tangle your hair?

[baanoo]

So to summarize the suggestions I think are the most doable so far (in no particular order):


Stop using boar bristles on wet hair
Leave conditioner in longer
Detangle in the shower with conditioner still in
Use more conditioner
Condition twice
Cover hair for dusty tasks
Detangle before showering (in addition to after)
Dry hair with an old T-shirt (or several shirts) instead of a towel


And if those don't work:

Wear a satin bonnet to sleep
Dry hair with a microfiber towel


I know the general rule is to make one change at a time. Does that rule apply to all of these changes, or would it make sense, for example, to try detangling before I shower and covering my hair for dusty work at the same time? Or some other combination of the suggestions? And how do I decide which change(s) to make first?

I think in this case you could go ahead and start all of your first list at once!

[Annapox]

I think in this case you could go ahead and start all of your first list at once!

Oh, really? I was thinking I should only make one conditioner-related change at a time, because for example, if just leaving the conditioner in longer (possibly in combination with other, non-conditioner-related changes) does the trick, then I don't need to use more conditioner. And in that case, using more would cause me to go through conditioner faster than necessary, which would be wasteful. But I wasn't sure how many of the other changes could be made all at once. Could you please explain why it makes more sense to make all the changes at once? (Not trying to argue; just trying to understand.)

[KokoroDragon]

Ah, I see. I had assumed that a brand called Wet Brush would make sure all its brushes were suitable for wet hair. But that would be too logical. :p Does my hair have to be completely dry to use boar bristles, or is it okay if my hair is a little damp, like when I braid it wet and it's still damp in the morning when I brush it next? I used to have a brush that was flexible like the one you linked, but it broke after less than a year. How long have you been using your current brush?

I'll keep the satin bonnet in mind, but I'm worried it won't be comfortable to sleep in, so I might hold off until I've tried some of the other suggestions. My current shampoo, conditioner, and detangler all have cones, but there have definitely been times when I used shampoos/conditioners/detanglers that didn't have cones, and I don't remember there being a big difference. I might be remembering wrong, though. I do know that my hair is easier to detangle with my current conditioner and detangler than without. Does that mean my hair is okay with cones?

I haven't kept track carefully, but I have the impression that my hair gets more tangles in a bun than in a braid. That might have to do with the fact that it usually takes me two or three attempts to get a bun to stay without being uncomfortably tight, though. My hair is very talented at escaping from most hair toys, so there's a very narrow window where my bun is tight enough to stay put but loose enough to be comfortable.

Does it have to be a particularly soft T-shirt, or will any T-shirt work better than a towel? I think there must be a bandana somewhere in my house, so I can probably cover my hair while I do dusty tasks.

I'm not sure how dry is dry enough for boar bristles. You could try it slightly damp and see if it works well for you!

I've been using my current brush for...gosh, I can't remember. I think it's been around a year but it's still in perfect condition (except where my dog chewed on the handle).

If a satin bonnet isn't comfortable for you, you could always start with a satin pillowcase. I know lots of people on here don't like the feeling of bonnets or find they fall off during the night.

If your current products seem to work better for you than other things you've tried, I don't see why you should change them. Glad you have products that work for you, that was a huge struggle for me for a long time!

How long is your hair now? I couldn't comfortably do a bun that wouldn't undo itself until about waist length. I find milkmaid braids/crown braids to be far less tangle-prone than regular braids. But they do take a bit more time to do.

A plain cotton t-shirt is what most people use. I also have a large cotton scarf that I'll use sometimes and that works well. The reason t-shirts work better than towels is because towels have loops of fabric that can agitate the hair strands. They also tend to give off a lot of lint. The smooth surface of a t-shirt won't release as much lint and won't rough up your hair strands as much during drying.

[Annapox]

I'm not sure how dry is dry enough for boar bristles. You could try it slightly damp and see if it works well for you!

I've been using my current brush for...gosh, I can't remember. I think it's been around a year but it's still in perfect condition (except where my dog chewed on the handle).

If a satin bonnet isn't comfortable for you, you could always start with a satin pillowcase. I know lots of people on here don't like the feeling of bonnets or find they fall off during the night.

If your current products seem to work better for you than other things you've tried, I don't see why you should change them. Glad you have products that work for you, that was a huge struggle for me for a long time!

How long is your hair now? I couldn't comfortably do a bun that wouldn't undo itself until about waist length. I find milkmaid braids/crown braids to be far less tangle-prone than regular braids. But they do take a bit more time to do.

A plain cotton t-shirt is what most people use. I also have a large cotton scarf that I'll use sometimes and that works well. The reason t-shirts work better than towels is because towels have loops of fabric that can agitate the hair strands. They also tend to give off a lot of lint. The smooth surface of a t-shirt won't release as much lint and won't rough up your hair strands as much during drying.

Okay, so I'll stick to only using boar bristles on dry hair until I get my tangles sorted out, and then maybe at some point after that I can try the boar bristles on slightly damp hair and see whether that works for my hair.

My concern about the flexible brush is because mine looked like it was in perfect condition right up until it snapped in half. I loved how gentle it was, and it was on a bunch of Internet lists of the best boar bristle brushes. So I don't know how to tell whether a flexible brush is going to last a long time.

A satin pillowcase could work, yeah!

I have such a short torso that there isn't much of a difference between mid-back-length and waist-length, but my hair is somewhere between the two. I can get my hair to stay in a bun with a hair fork or a pair of hair sticks, but it usually takes a couple tries to get the bun to stay and the ends to stay tucked in without being too tight. I'm not sure my braids would be long enough for milkmaid braids, but I'll experiment and find out! I usually see milkmaid braids held in place by bobby pins in tutorials; is there a better tool to use?

[Kat]

Honestly, I find BBB tangles my hair anyway... it tends to smooth my hair out but the strands kind of stick together.

I've found that making an herbal hair rinse helps with tangliness a bit, especially if the rinse has hibiscus in it.

[Annapox]

Honestly, I find BBB tangles my hair anyway... it tends to smooth my hair out but the strands kind of stick together.

I've found that making an herbal hair rinse helps with tangliness a bit, especially if the rinse has hibiscus in it.

Hmmm ... I hadn't noticed extra tangles after switching to a boar bristle brush for the last year or so, but now that I'm going to be using both boar bristle and non-boar bristle brushes, I'll try to pay attention to that. I hope the boar bristles aren't making it worse. They do wonders for my scalp.

How does an herbal rinse work? Does it feel slimy? Does it have a strong smell?

[rosenester]

Oh, really? I was thinking I should only make one conditioner-related change at a time, because for example, if just leaving the conditioner in longer (possibly in combination with other, non-conditioner-related changes) does the trick, then I don't need to use more conditioner. And in that case, using more would cause me to go through conditioner faster than necessary, which would be wasteful. But I wasn't sure how many of the other changes could be made all at once. Could you please explain why it makes more sense to make all the changes at once? (Not trying to argue; just trying to understand.)

Just to chime in, i agree most of these are not drastic changes and you could do any combination to start.If you start changing products, for example, don’t change them all one once, then you can make observations with the change in product. (If you decide to try a deep conditioner or a different leave-in.) Sounds like leaving conditioner in longer is a good start, and if you detangle with conditioner in while in the shower, that will happen naturally! I keep a claw clip and plastic wide tooth comb in the shower to hold my hair up while I do the rest of shower-things, and then detangle right before rinsing out (then I usually put more conditioner on the last few inches and don’t always rinse that out). I actually do it a little different every time, and don’t see why not to experiment with conditioning methods your next few washes to see if anything helps! Report back, too.

I am super curious as I said before, tangles are a nightmare for me and I always am looking for new tips! Currently, I detangle in 2 sections, then combine them to brush through gently specifically the nape hairs. Before, I detangled over one shoulder, then over the other… my hair tangled badly switching shoulders and I have some damage to grow out from very rough brushing :doh: so, always learning over here :lol:

ETA: just wanted to emphasize how passionate I am about sharing ideas for tangle-prone fine hair!! I wish I had started a thread, I have read through this one a few times over :rolling: I also follow Lapushka’s tip to detangle before washing, and I use a tangle teezer

[Annapox]

So, uh ... I ran out of shampoo the other day and my next bottle hasn't arrived yet. So the results of today's experiment are not necessarily indicative of how things will go when I'm actually able to shampoo my hair. That said, I would estimate that I had about 40% fewer post-shower tangles this evening.

Here's what I did: Before my shower (immediately before, like I was wrapped in a towel), I sprayed detangler in my hair, combed it, and brushed it with my boar bristle brush (the one that's all boar bristles). I checked for tangles by finger-combing a little bit, and there were some but not too many. (So it's possible that my all-boar bristle brush tangles my hair a bit. More data needed.) During my shower, I used a dollop of conditioner maybe about the size of a walnut (which is how much I usually use) on the length of my hair but not the scalp, and I left it in for about five minutes. I finger-combed my hair with the conditioner in, because I'd forgotten to put a comb in the shower, and I found it pretty easy to detangle, much easier than usual. My hair also felt smoother after the five minutes, both before and after I rinsed the conditioner out. I squeezed the water out of the length, got dressed, sprayed detangler in my hair, combed it, and brushed it with a (non-boar bristle) detangling brush that's suitable for wet or dry hair. Combing and brushing after my shower went so much less painfully and more quickly than usual. My hair is now in a braid, and my braid is in its customary towel envelope because I forgot about the T-shirt thing. It'll be interesting to see whether my hair is easier to manage in the morning.

(I currently get a lot of migraines because I have to keep a migraine diary this month, and I have ADHD, so forgetting is probably gonna come up a lot. :p)

[baanoo]

Oh, really? I was thinking I should only make one conditioner-related change at a time, because for example, if just leaving the conditioner in longer (possibly in combination with other, non-conditioner-related changes) does the trick, then I don't need to use more conditioner. And in that case, using more would cause me to go through conditioner faster than necessary, which would be wasteful. But I wasn't sure how many of the other changes could be made all at once. Could you please explain why it makes more sense to make all the changes at once? (Not trying to argue; just trying to understand.)

You could, I suppose, make only one conditioner-related change at a time - if I was going to do that, I would start with double-conditioning, which would by default equal more time/more product. That alone made a huge difference for me with my fine and very tangle-prone hair. When the weather gets drier in the winter I go even more nuts with it and switch to CWCC!

My thinking on your list was pretty much as follows:
- detangling pre-wash, excellent; no reason not to
- extra exposure to conditioner in multiple phases, excellent; it will become clear which aspects are working or not pretty quickly
- leave-ins, always a very good idea
- detangling with conditioner, this will either work for you or not and you will immediately no so there’s no harm in trying it right away
- tshirt drying, this was a game-changer for me so definitely do that

**edited because I forgot something

[Shorty89]

Has anyone suggested trying to clarify to make sure it's not build-up?

[Kat]

Hmmm ... I hadn't noticed extra tangles after switching to a boar bristle brush for the last year or so, but now that I'm going to be using both boar bristle and non-boar bristle brushes, I'll try to pay attention to that. I hope the boar bristles aren't making it worse. They do wonders for my scalp.

How does an herbal rinse work? Does it feel slimy? Does it have a strong smell?

It might just be how BBBs work on my hair. It makes my hair look smooth and non-stringy... but that's because it's sticking the strands together, so I'd better hope I don't need to section or run my fingers through it after using the brush. If you find the BBB doesn't bother your hair, though, then keep using it. (Though, depending on what it does for your scalp, there may be other options if you discover the BBB doesn't work for your hair.)

With an herbal rinse, you just make it like a tea and pour it over your hair after washing. You can choose whether to rinse or not. It's not slimy because it's just liquid. Smell will depend on what you put in it, and what you consider "strong"-- I find it doesn't linger that much after my hair dries, and I don't think it's that strong, plus to me it's less offensive because it's plant-y rather than fruity/perfume-y/fake-y, but YMMV. (My mom also used to tell me when I was younger that it helped keep the greasies at bay, but I'm not sure.)

[lapushka]

Has anyone suggested trying to clarify to make sure it's not build-up?

Ah! That could always be a contributing factor!

[Annapox]

Has anyone suggested trying to clarify to make sure it's not build-up?

I think I did see someone suggest clarifying. I used to use a clarifying shampoo fairly regularly, and my hair was just as tangly then as it is now. Does that mean it isn't a buildup issue?

[baanoo]

I think I did see someone suggest clarifying. I used to use a clarifying shampoo fairly regularly, and my hair was just as tangly then as it is now. Does that mean it isn't a buildup issue?

Right, it’s probably not a buildup issue if you’re already using a clarifying shampoo regularly.

[Shorty89]

I think I did see someone suggest clarifying. I used to use a clarifying shampoo fairly regularly, and my hair was just as tangly then as it is now. Does that mean it isn't a buildup issue?

That would be my guess. Sorry, I didn't read the whole thread.

[Annapox]

It might just be how BBBs work on my hair. It makes my hair look smooth and non-stringy... but that's because it's sticking the strands together, so I'd better hope I don't need to section or run my fingers through it after using the brush. If you find the BBB doesn't bother your hair, though, then keep using it. (Though, depending on what it does for your scalp, there may be other options if you discover the BBB doesn't work for your hair.)

With an herbal rinse, you just make it like a tea and pour it over your hair after washing. You can choose whether to rinse or not. It's not slimy because it's just liquid. Smell will depend on what you put in it, and what you consider "strong"-- I find it doesn't linger that much after my hair dries, and I don't think it's that strong, plus to me it's less offensive because it's plant-y rather than fruity/perfume-y/fake-y, but YMMV. (My mom also used to tell me when I was younger that it helped keep the greasies at bay, but I'm not sure.)

The boar bristle brush keeps my scalp from getting too oily, I think, which keeps it from getting icky gunky flakes all over it. The tea tree oil shampoo does most of the work, but without the boar bristles I'm still a little oily and flaky.

If an herbal rinse smells and feels like an herbal tea, that would probably be fine. I'll keep that in mind!

[Annapox]

Right, it’s probably not a buildup issue if you’re already using a clarifying shampoo regularly.

I'm not currently using a clarifying shampoo regularly, but I used to, and my hair was about as tangly as it is now. I can't remember why I started or stopped using it; it was a while ago.

[Annapox]

So this morning my hair was a little easier to detangle than it usually is when I take it out of a post-shower sleep braid. Maybe only 10% easier, but the morning after I wash my hair is always when it's easiest to detangle anyway. It was still a little damp, so I used a plastic comb and then my detangling brush. The comb went through without any problem, and the brush was fine except for a couple snags at the nape of my neck. Maybe that spot didn't get enough conditioner or something.

[foreveryours]

Has anyone suggested trying to clarify to make sure it's not build-up?

This is what happens to my hair - accumulation of "stuff" over a couple of months. It becomes very much like cobwebs and becomes impossible to detangle. A good washing with a strong detergent (dish washing liquid) fixes it right up.

[tuanyiji]

I shower about every other day, and I wash my hair every time I shower. My scalp is very unhappy if I shampoo it less often than that. It gets oily fast, and when my scalp is oily it gets flaky. Tea tree oil shampoo and boar bristle brushes really help with that, but only if I shampoo every other day and brush twice a day.

I have occasionally tried combing my hair right before I shower, but I haven't noticed a huge difference in the amount of detangling I have to do after I shower. I can try it again, just in case. When I get my hair wet, I have to detangle it before it dries or it'll be a nightmare. The wetter my hair is when I detangle it, the easier it is to detangle, and detangling hair that dried with tangles in it is worse than detangling hair that hasn't been wet recently. The only leave-in product I ever use in my hair is a spray detangler; other than that, it's just shampoo and conditioner, which I rinse out. I also never blow-dry my hair (it's loud and it takes too long). I've tried finger-combing before using the wide-tooth comb before, but either I'm doing it wrong or it's just not very effective for my hair, because it doesn't feel like I make any progress that way.

I find that detangling with your fingers only takes more time in the beginning but the result is well worth it and you can work much faster after enough practice. Here’s a trick I picked up after having practiced it for over a months.

I started by gathering all my hair into a low side pony(if you have a lot of longhair, feel free to divide it into two parts), and twisting from the earlobe down until the end, I detangled from the very end and slowly moved up while uncoiling the hair, this way I would not mistakenly tug on knotted hair and pull out hair and cause painful loss, so I only shed a little, just the right amount of normal daily sheds.

Other times, just keep your hair in a braid or in a bun as a protective style, I’m sure you’re already doing that.

After 3 days of fingercombing so, you’d probably get the hang of it and it will work much faster and easier. Nowadays it only takes me less than a minute to fingercomb through all my hair after I take down my sleeping braid in the morning.

[Annapox]

I find that detangling with your fingers only takes more time in the beginning but the result is well worth it and you can work much faster after enough practice. Here’s a trick I picked up after having practiced it for over a months.

I started by gathering all my hair into a low side pony(if you have a lot of longhair, feel free to divide it into two parts), and twisting from the earlobe down until the end, I detangled from the very end and slowly moved up while uncoiling the hair, this way I would not mistakenly tug on knotted hair and pull out hair and cause painful loss, so I only shed a little, just the right amount of normal daily sheds.

Other times, just keep your hair in a braid or in a bun as a protective style, I’m sure you’re already doing that.

After 3 days of fingercombing so, you’d probably get the hang of it and it will work much faster and easier. Nowadays it only takes me less than a minute to fingercomb through all my hair after I take down my sleeping braid in the morning.

Thanks, I'll have to give this a try!

[Flossiebell]

My hair tangles all the time, I don’t even have to move. What works best for me is clarifying shampoo, moisturising coney conditioner and using a tangle teezer (long handled). Protective hairstyles (braids) as much as poss between washes. Bbb is literally the worst thing for my hair, I get a lot of matting and tangles if I use one of those. Good luck!

[Iyashikei]

Haven't read everyones replies entirely so forgive me if I say something others have brought up or even if you've tried this already.

You mention you shampoo your length, which from my experience is a big no no. It contributes to protein overload, which I think is the culprit here. You mention washing every two days. If that's so then you could condition your ends in between washing days until your problems are gone. That is, if those 10% from an earlier post remain. Beware, only do this until your hair is basically tangle free or you go towards moisture overload, which is the other extreme. I speak from experience as I had forgotten my own advice here and had to get rid of massive protein overload myself.

[Annapox]

My hair tangles all the time, I don’t even have to move. What works best for me is clarifying shampoo, moisturising coney conditioner and using a tangle teezer (long handled). Protective hairstyles (braids) as much as poss between washes. Bbb is literally the worst thing for my hair, I get a lot of matting and tangles if I use one of those. Good luck!

I have the same problem with hair tangling even though I haven't moved. It's very frustrating. My shampoo, conditioner, and detangler are all coney. My hair is much easier to detangle with the conditioner and detangler than without. The shampoo doesn't seem to help with tangles, but it does keep my scalp flake-free because of the tea tree oil. Protective hairstyles definitely help me, too. I have a detangling brush, although it isn't a Tangle Teezer. A couple people have said the boar bristle brush might be tangling my hair; I don't think it's more tangly now than it was before I started using it, but I'm going to try to pay more attention to how tangly my hair is with the boar bristles vs with the detangling brush. :)


Haven't read everyones replies entirely so forgive me if I say something others have brought up or even if you've tried this already.

You mention you shampoo your length, which from my experience is a big no no. It contributes to protein overload, which I think is the culprit here. You mention washing every two days. If that's so then you could condition your ends in between washing days until your problems are gone. That is, if those 10% from an earlier post remain. Beware, only do this until your hair is basically tangle free or you go towards moisture overload, which is the other extreme. I speak from experience as I had forgotten my own advice here and had to get rid of massive protein overload myself.

If you don't shampoo your length, how do you keep it from getting oily? Last night I didn't shampoo my length (because I was out of shampoo), and my hair was less tangly, but that could also have been because of the other changes I made. More data are needed. I suppose I could try not shampooing the length for a while, but I probably shouldn't start that experiment until after my brother's wedding, just in case it leaves my hair greasy. :p

[Iyashikei]

I have the same problem with hair tangling even though I haven't moved. It's very frustrating. My shampoo, conditioner, and detangler are all coney. My hair is much easier to detangle with the conditioner and detangler than without. The shampoo doesn't seem to help with tangles, but it does keep my scalp flake-free because of the tea tree oil. Protective hairstyles definitely help me, too. I have a detangling brush, although it isn't a Tangle Teezer. A couple people have said the boar bristle brush might be tangling my hair; I don't think it's more tangly now than it was before I started using it, but I'm going to try to pay more attention to how tangly my hair is with the boar bristles vs with the detangling brush. :)



If you don't shampoo your length, how do you keep it from getting oily? Last night I didn't shampoo my length (because I was out of shampoo), and my hair was less tangly, but that could also have been because of the other changes I made. More data are needed. I suppose I could try not shampooing the length for a while, but I probably shouldn't start that experiment until after my brother's wedding, just in case it leaves my hair greasy. :p

When you rinse off the shampoo it goes to your length first before it gets out of your hair. That should suffice in getting your hair clean in its entirity. I need to wash my hair as frequently as you regardless if I shampoo the length or not.

[Annapox]

When you rinse off the shampoo it goes to your length first before it gets out of your hair. That should suffice in getting your hair clean in its entirity. I need to wash my hair as frequently as you regardless if I shampoo the length or not.

Interesting! I've had days when, for disability-related reasons, I had to cut my shower short and only had time to shampoo my scalp. I remember my length being visibly oily when my hair dried, but it's possible that it's because, also for disability-related reasons, I had gone longer between washes than I usually prefer. So maybe shampooing the length is necessary if it's very oily but unnecessary otherwise?

[lapushka]

Haven't read everyones replies entirely so forgive me if I say something others have brought up or even if you've tried this already.

You mention you shampoo your length, which from my experience is a big no no. It contributes to protein overload, which I think is the culprit here. You mention washing every two days. If that's so then you could condition your ends in between washing days until your problems are gone. That is, if those 10% from an earlier post remain. Beware, only do this until your hair is basically tangle free or you go towards moisture overload, which is the other extreme. I speak from experience as I had forgotten my own advice here and had to get rid of massive protein overload myself.

Shampooing your lengths has 0 do to with protein (overload). Zero.

[Annapox]

Shampooing your lengths has 0 do to with protein (overload). Zero.

Could you please clarify what does lead to protein overload, or point me in the direction of a good resource? :)

[lapushka]

Could you please clarify what does lead to protein overload, or point me in the direction of a good resource? :)

Nothing, really, if you don't use particular products that have a lot of protein (stay away from Aphogee). If you use store-bought conditioners and deep conditioners that don't say things like "keratin", or the like, then you are just fine. The way to combat protein overload, is clarify, n°1, then use a conditioner or deep conditioner that has a lot of moisture (so typical, the regular bog standard conditioner or deep conditioner without fancy stuff).

[Annapox]

Nothing, really, if you don't use particular products that have a lot of protein (stay away from Aphogee). If you use store-bought conditioners and deep conditioners that don't say things like "keratin", or the like, then you are just fine. The way to combat protein overload, is clarify, n°1, then use a conditioner or deep conditioner that has a lot of moisture (so typical, the regular bog standard conditioner or deep conditioner without fancy stuff).

Oh, okay! I found a list of the proteins commonly found in hair care products, and none of them appear on the ingredients lists of my shampoo, conditioner, or detangler. So it's probably not protein overload, I guess. :)

[Shorty89]

This is what happens to my hair - accumulation of "stuff" over a couple of months. It becomes very much like cobwebs and becomes impossible to detangle. A good washing with a strong detergent (dish washing liquid) fixes it right up.

You don't find that it dries your hair out too much? My scalp and hair would murder me if I tried dish soap. :lol:


I find that detangling with your fingers only takes more time in the beginning but the result is well worth it and you can work much faster after enough practice. Here’s a trick I picked up after having practiced it for over a months.

I started by gathering all my hair into a low side pony(if you have a lot of longhair, feel free to divide it into two parts), and twisting from the earlobe down until the end, I detangled from the very end and slowly moved up while uncoiling the hair, this way I would not mistakenly tug on knotted hair and pull out hair and cause painful loss, so I only shed a little, just the right amount of normal daily sheds.

Other times, just keep your hair in a braid or in a bun as a protective style, I’m sure you’re already doing that.

After 3 days of finger combing so, you’d probably get the hang of it and it will work much faster and easier. Nowadays it only takes me less than a minute to finger comb through all my hair after I take down my sleeping braid in the morning.

For me, finger coming leads to more breakage, no matter how careful I am. I think it's just my hairtype but I've tried many times and it just doesn't work for me. It's totally worth a try for OP, but I'm just point out that it doesn't work for everyone.


Oh, okay! I found a list of the proteins commonly found in hair care products, and none of them appear on the ingredients lists of my shampoo, conditioner, or detangler. So it's probably not protein overload, I guess. :)

[foreveryours]

You don't find that it dries your hair out too much? My scalp and hair would murder me if I tried dish soap. :lol:



For me, finger coming leads to more breakage, no matter how careful I am. I think it's just my hairtype but I've tried many times and it just doesn't work for me. It's totally worth a try for OP, but I'm just point out that it doesn't work for everyone.

Shorty89, it DOES dry your hair out if you use the wrong kind (e.g. Dawn) or use the right kind too frequently. But every once in a while getting back to bare hair seems to be a necessity for me, even though I don't use a lot of "hair products". Just stripping accumulated life I guess.

[Kat]

If you don't shampoo your length, how do you keep it from getting oily?

It will depend on your hair, but I find my hair only gets oily near the scalp... so about down to my neck. I never used to shampoo below about mid-neck or so, even when I really needed a wash. But, if your hair gets greasy down the length, then obviously that won't work for you.

Of course, there's also conditioner, which can help clean as well. Try perhaps CWC, where the first "C" is a lightweight conditioner you apply liberally and leave for a couple minutes, the rinse out with your shampoo.



For me, finger coming leads to more breakage, no matter how careful I am.

Funny; I'm the opposite! For me it's using a brush/comb that has me hearing "snap... snap...snapsnap!" as I go. I even have a Wet Brush, which is supposed to be oh-so-gentle, and by the time I'm done using it my hair is smooth, sure, but the brush is full of hair and that's certainly not all sheds... (and people {not here} wonder why I rail against absolutes when it comes to hair care...)

[Shorty89]

Shorty89, it DOES dry your hair out if you use the wrong kind (e.g. Dawn) or use the right kind too frequently. But every once in a while getting back to bare hair seems to be a necessity for me, even though I don't use a lot of "hair products". Just stripping accumulated life I guess.

Interesting. It definitely works for you. Your hair looks gorgeous!


It will depend on your hair, but I find my hair only gets oily near the scalp... so about down to my neck. I never used to shampoo below about mid-neck or so, even when I really needed a wash. But, if your hair gets greasy down the length, then obviously that won't work for you.

Of course, there's also conditioner, which can help clean as well. Try perhaps CWC, where the first "C" is a lightweight conditioner you apply liberally and leave for a couple minutes, the rinse out with your shampoo.




Funny; I'm the opposite! For me it's using a brush/comb that has me hearing "snap... snap...snapsnap!" as I go. I even have a Wet Brush, which is supposed to be oh-so-gentle, and by the time I'm done using it my hair is smooth, sure, but the brush is full of hair and that's certainly not all sheds... (and people {not here} wonder why I rail against absolutes when it comes to hair care...)

Interesting. It's funny how different things work so well for different people, even if they have similar hair.

[foreveryours]

Interesting. It definitely works for you. Your hair looks gorgeous!



Interesting. It's funny how different things work so well for different people, even if they have similar hair.

Thankyou :justy:

[Annapox]

This is what happens to my hair - accumulation of "stuff" over a couple of months. It becomes very much like cobwebs and becomes impossible to detangle. A good washing with a strong detergent (dish washing liquid) fixes it right up.

Sorry, I didn't see your post until just now. Thanks for the suggestion! Does dish detergent do the same thing for your hair as clarifying shampoo?


You don't find that it dries your hair out too much? My scalp and hair would murder me if I tried dish soap. :lol:



For me, finger coming leads to more breakage, no matter how careful I am. I think it's just my hairtype but I've tried many times and it just doesn't work for me. It's totally worth a try for OP, but I'm just point out that it doesn't work for everyone.


Shorty89, it DOES dry your hair out if you use the wrong kind (e.g. Dawn) or use the right kind too frequently. But every once in a while getting back to bare hair seems to be a necessity for me, even though I don't use a lot of "hair products". Just stripping accumulated life I guess.

If Dawn is the wrong kind of detergent, what's the right kind?

[Annapox]

It will depend on your hair, but I find my hair only gets oily near the scalp... so about down to my neck. I never used to shampoo below about mid-neck or so, even when I really needed a wash. But, if your hair gets greasy down the length, then obviously that won't work for you.

Of course, there's also conditioner, which can help clean as well. Try perhaps CWC, where the first "C" is a lightweight conditioner you apply liberally and leave for a couple minutes, the rinse out with your shampoo.

What makes a conditioner lightweight?

[aloewurly]

What makes a conditioner lightweight?

Conditioners without oils, silicones and/or too many thickening agents are considered lightweight. Cheap conditioners like Suave or White Rain usually fall into this category. I also heard the v05 Kiwi Lime conditioner is a good lightweight conditioner.

[Annapox]

Conditioners without oils, silicones and/or too many thickening agents are considered lightweight. Cheap conditioners like Suave or White Rain usually fall into this category. I also heard the v05 Kiwi Lime conditioner is a good lightweight conditioner.

Oh, okay. My conditioner definitely has silicones in it. So if I decide to try CWC, I'll need a different conditioner?

[aloewurly]

Oh, okay. My conditioner definitely has silicones in it. So if I decide to try CWC, I'll need a different conditioner?

I'd say try it out with your usual conditioner, and see if that works first. Personally I'd dilute it a bit with water, just so it spreads better and is easy to rinse out.
If it's too thick or leaves your hair greasy, you can always dilute it more or use less conditioner until you find a ratio that suits your hair

[The-Young-Maid]

Maybe it's the water? Try a vinegar rinse. I recently moved and my hair just wouldn't stay detangled no matter what I did. Til I remembered to try a vinegar rinse after my showers. It's night and day. Which is great because my sensory issues will not tolerate tangled hair.

[Annapox]

I'd say try it out with your usual conditioner, and see if that works first. Personally I'd dilute it a bit with water, just so it spreads better and is easy to rinse out.
If it's too thick or leaves your hair greasy, you can always dilute it more or use less conditioner until you find a ratio that suits your hair

That makes sense. Thanks for the info! I'll keep this in mind if I decide to try CWC. :)

[Annapox]

Maybe it's the water? Try a vinegar rinse. I recently moved and my hair just wouldn't stay detangled no matter what I did. Til I remembered to try a vinegar rinse after my showers. It's night and day. Which is great because my sensory issues will not tolerate tangled hair.

Hmmm. My hair has been like this in all the places I've lived while my hair has been long (three different houses in two different cities and states, plus one college campus in a third city). And my hair wasn't nearly as tangly when it was shorter and I lived in some of the same places. Does that rule out the water as a possible culprit, or is it still a possibility?

[EdG]

I am late to this thread, but will give my usual advice.

Hair that is always tangled has lint holding the tangles together. I call this "persistent tangles". To get rid of the tangles, one has to remove the lint. This is best done on slightly damp hair by finger combing and combing with a wide-toothed wooden comb. Having some sebum in the hair helps because its waxiness causes lint to stick to the comb. Clean the comb frequently.
Ed

[Annapox]

I am late to this thread, but will give my usual advice.

Hair that is always tangled has lint holding the tangles together. I call this "persistent tangles". To get rid of the tangles, one has to remove the lint. This is best done on slightly damp hair by finger combing and combing with a wide-toothed wooden comb. Having some sebum in the hair helps because its waxiness causes lint to stick to the comb. Clean the comb frequently.
Ed

Do I just comb normally, or do I have to do something differently?

[EdG]

Do I just comb normally, or do I have to do something differently?You may want to read my article on lint. https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=151460

The hair needs to be combed in multiple directions. If this is a lint problem, you should see lint on the comb.
Ed

[lapushka]

Ed, I always see lint on my brush (due to the stylers I use), and I don't have more tangles due to it; just FYI.

[foreveryours]

Sorry, I didn't see your post until just now. Thanks for the suggestion! Does dish detergent do the same thing for your hair as clarifying shampoo?

If Dawn is the wrong kind of detergent, what's the right kind?

Dawn has a pH near 10 which is quite alkaline. It's great against grease, real grease like parts grease, but it's pretty harsh. From its MSDS, I found orange Palmolive Antibacterial dish washing liquid (pH 4-5) works much better for hair "grease". Remember Madge? A woman decades ahead of her time hehe. There are probably others, I just haven't done the research but I know of at least one more I read of in GrowingGlory's blog. This Palmolive also functions very well with hard water I have, I think due to its acid content.

Even though I use a shampoo designed for "hard water" (ION), the water I use to rinse off the suds still contains the ions (magnesium and calcium) which react with fatty acids (carboxyl groups) to create insoluble "soap scum." So after rinsing off the lather, I have to rinse away all those ions as they would be deposited on my hair when it dried away. I use distilled water. If I didn't "post rinse", these ions would react with SEBUM which ALSO contains carboxyl groups producsing "soap scum" in situ. And, as you probably know, soap scum GREATLY facilitates "tangling".

HTH

[EdG]

Ed, I always see lint on my brush (due to the stylers I use), and I don't have more tangles due to it; just FYI.A small amount of lint is normal. Lint turns into a tangle when it wraps itself around the hair during washing. I have combed out a lot of lint that was visibly the remnants of tangles.
Ed

[Whirly Girly]

Great thread…and awesome tips, everyone. :thumbsup: Thank you for your time and suggestions. :flowers:


I get lots of tangles myself. I agree with lapushka…you definitely gotta detangle before washing or the tangles will be ten times worse.


Annapox, is your hair on the dry side? A hairdresser once told me that dryness is one of the main (but not the only) reasons for tangles. My hair is definitely prone to dryness so I tend to use a lot of deep conditioning masks. My favorite is masks with shea butter. :heartbeat


I find the more moisturized my hair is, the less it tangles. Now I know you have issues with oils and lotions but maybe someone could apply them for you so you wouldn’t have to physically interact with them yourself? Sometimes just a tiny bit is all you need.


As I mentioned in your welcome thread, I often section and clip back my brushed sections of hair because the slightest bit of friction can re-tangle my hair.


Another thing I do, especially in winter when my hair can be even more dry (let alone my skin :laugh: ) is I mix the tiniest bit of conditioner into a spray bottle with water and spray my hair, to add a little bit of much needed moisture from time to time. Really helps me.


In any case, I hope from all the wonderful tips and suggestions here, you can find something useful that works for you. 🙂 Let us know.

[Annapox]

You may want to read my article on lint. https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=151460

The hair needs to be combed in multiple directions. If this is a lint problem, you should see lint on the comb.
Ed

Very informative article, Ed! (How do you tag people on here?)

I don't really find lint on my comb or in my brush. So it's not a lint problem?

[Annapox]

Dawn has a pH near 10 which is quite alkaline. It's great against grease, real grease like parts grease, but it's pretty harsh. From its MSDS, I found orange Palmolive Antibacterial dish washing liquid (pH 4-5) works much better for hair "grease". Remember Madge? A woman decades ahead of her time hehe. There are probably others, I just haven't done the research but I know of at least one more I read of in GrowingGlory's blog. This Palmolive also functions very well with hard water I have, I think due to its acid content.

Even though I use a shampoo designed for "hard water" (ION), the water I use to rinse off the suds still contains the ions (magnesium and calcium) which react with fatty acids (carboxyl groups) to create insoluble "soap scum." So after rinsing off the lather, I have to rinse away all those ions as they would be deposited on my hair when it dried away. I use distilled water. If I didn't "post rinse", these ions would react with SEBUM which ALSO contains carboxyl groups producsing "soap scum" in situ. And, as you probably know, soap scum GREATLY facilitates "tangling".

HTH

Thank you for the information! I'm always happy to learn the scientific reasons for things. :)

[Annapox]

Great thread…and awesome tips, everyone. :thumbsup: Thank you for your time and suggestions. :flowers:


I get lots of tangles myself. I agree with lapushka…you definitely gotta detangle before washing or the tangles will be ten times worse.


Annapox, is your hair on the dry side? A hairdresser once told me that dryness is one of the main (but not the only) reasons for tangles. My hair is definitely prone to dryness so I tend to use a lot of deep conditioning masks. My favorite is masks with shea butter. :heartbeat


I find the more moisturized my hair is, the less it tangles. Now I know you have issues with oils and lotions but maybe someone could apply them for you so you wouldn’t have to physically interact with them yourself? Sometimes just a tiny bit is all you need.


As I mentioned in your welcome thread, I often section and clip back my brushed sections of hair because the slightest bit of friction can re-tangle my hair.


Another thing I do, especially in winter when my hair can be even more dry (let alone my skin :laugh: ) is I mix the tiniest bit of conditioner into a spray bottle with water and spray my hair, to add a little bit of much needed moisture from time to time. Really helps me.


In any case, I hope from all the wonderful tips and suggestions here, you can find something useful that works for you. �� Let us know.



Yeah, detangling before washing and while my conditioner is in is really helping already. I feel like I should have thought of those things on my own, but I'm glad I know now!

When left to its own devices (read: neglected due to disability-related exhaustion), my hair tends toward oiliness rather than dryness. When I'm able to wash it every other day, it feels neither oily nor dry. I used to try to wash it every day, and then it felt very dry, which is why I switched to every other day. I guess it probably gets a little dry early in the winter before we bring out the humidifier, because I'll sometimes get a little static when I brush my hair during that time.

[EdG]

Very informative article, Ed! (How do you tag people on here?)

I don't really find lint on my comb or in my brush. So it's not a lint problem?Thanks! LHC does not have a "like" button (and that is a good thing). :)

Since you don't find lint on your comb or brush, this is probably not a lint problem.
Ed

[Annapox]

Since you don't find lint on your comb or brush, this is probably not a lint problem.
Ed

Thanks, that's good to know!

[Kat]

Some hair is also just prone to tangles. Mine is. When I first started growing it, I thought "Well, probably things like blow-drying and stuff damaged it, but eventually that 'old' hair will grow out and be gone after enough trims." Except I realized after a few years that it never did and in fact the hair that grew after I started trying to be nice to my hair was the same way. Then my mom reminded me that the reason she convinced me to cut my hair short when I was a kid was because it was always so tangly. Oh, it's not my fault! So I just find ways to deal with it and accept that I'm never going to have that perfectly-smooth and easy-to-style hair that some people have.

[foreveryours]

Maybe you have Uncombable Hair Syndrome (https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/5404/uncombable-hair-syndrome)?

[Annapox]

Some hair is also just prone to tangles. Mine is. When I first started growing it, I thought "Well, probably things like blow-drying and stuff damaged it, but eventually that 'old' hair will grow out and be gone after enough trims." Except I realized after a few years that it never did and in fact the hair that grew after I started trying to be nice to my hair was the same way. Then my mom reminded me that the reason she convinced me to cut my hair short when I was a kid was because it was always so tangly. Oh, it's not my fault! So I just find ways to deal with it and accept that I'm never going to have that perfectly-smooth and easy-to-style hair that some people have.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure my hair will always be tangle-prone, at least when it's long. But it's already less tangly than before I started this thread, which is great!

[Annapox]

Maybe you have Uncombable Hair Syndrome (https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/5404/uncombable-hair-syndrome)?

I did not know this existed! It would be very on-brand for me to have this (I have many diagnoses and joke that I collect them the way some people collect postage stamps), but my hair is probably too dark (people disagree on whether it's blond or brown), and it's pretty okay at lying flat. So probably not, but thank you for sharing this fascinating information! :)

[Annapox]

So I've experimented with my hair brushes a bit, and it does seem like the boar bristles are contributing to the tangles. So I guess the question is, is there something else, like another type of brush or something, that would have the same benefit for my scalp (distributing the oils to keep the flakes away) but wouldn't tangle my hair?

[rosenester]

So I've experimented with my hair brushes a bit, and it does seem like the boar bristles are contributing to the tangles. So I guess the question is, is there something else, like another type of brush or something, that would have the same benefit for my scalp (distributing the oils to keep the flakes away) but wouldn't tangle my hair?

I have good luck with a wooden bristle brush for dry brushing to really massage scalp and it’s amazing at not creating static fly aways (I have the brand TEK, but there are cheaper versions). The Tangle Teezer works very well for me, too and I use for wet brushing and dry brushing

[Annapox]

I have good luck with a wooden bristle brush for dry brushing to really massage scalp and it’s amazing at not creating static fly aways (I have the brand TEK, but there are cheaper versions). The Tangle Teezer works very well for me, too and I use for wet brushing and dry brushing

I thought wooden combs and brushes got water damage from being used on wet hair. Is that not the case?

[rosenester]

I use the wooden brush only on dry hair, like before showering or in the morning :o

[Annapox]

I use the wooden brush only on dry hair, like before showering or in the morning :o

Oh, sorry, I misread your statement about the Tangle Teezer and thought you were talking about the wooden brush. That makes more sense.

I was looking at some wooden brushes, and some of them say they promote sebum production. I don't want my scalp to get any oilier; have you found that the wooden brush makes your scalp oilier?

[Whirly Girly]

Some hair is also just prone to tangles. Mine is. When I first started growing it, I thought "Well, probably things like blow-drying and stuff damaged it, but eventually that 'old' hair will grow out and be gone after enough trims." Except I realized after a few years that it never did and in fact the hair that grew after I started trying to be nice to my hair was the same way. Then my mom reminded me that the reason she convinced me to cut my hair short when I was a kid was because it was always so tangly. Oh, it's not my fault! So I just find ways to deal with it and accept that I'm never going to have that perfectly-smooth and easy-to-style hair that some people have.

Definitely agree. :thumbsup:

The only way I can get perfectly-smooth and easy-to-style hair is to use a flat iron….which I’ve avoided for 4 years now. Not gonna start back up again because ironically, with the perfect smoothness, comes eventual damaged hair…especially when using every day or often.

[lapushka]

I think, maybe contrary to popular belief, that there is no way near perfect & perfectly detangled hair. I think there's always going to be tangles in hair of some sort over the course of a day. Yes, that means as soon as you detangled, welp there they are, again. I think it's a never-ending cycle. If you can maintain it "rather well", I think that's the most you can ask for!

[tuanyiji]

Sometimes I wonder if your idea of “detangled” hair is a bit different from “standard” ones, of course each person might be different, a person might even have different standards at different phrase of life.
For me, now, since I don’t use a comb or brush anymore, detangled hair means I weave my fingers through the dry strands slowly and gently from the ends and then work my way up to the roots, there will be a little friction, and a few sheds, that’s expected, but no big struggles and zero breakage or knots. My hair ends have turned semi-permanently wavy 1b because I bun or braid 90% of the time. So my detangled hair still looks messy and unkempt to most “untrained” eyes, but I don’t care about it anymore as long as I can throw it into a bun without strangling my fingers.
But in the past, back when I was a high pony tail girl who still used a comb, my idea of detangled hair meant combing through my 1a wet or dry hair from roots to ends forcefully, the comb should be gliding right through in one swift motion, and I would end up with very sleek, pin straight hair, even slightly curly ends would be unthinkable to me. But of course, back then I didn’t really pay attention to how terrible that was destroying my hair. I cringe just thinking about that.
Funny how your perspective changes along with your major hair care routine.

[rosenester]

Oh, sorry, I misread your statement about the Tangle Teezer and thought you were talking about the wooden brush. That makes more sense.

I was looking at some wooden brushes, and some of them say they promote sebum production. I don't want my scalp to get any oilier; have you found that the wooden brush makes your scalp oilier?

Personnally, I don’t find it extra oily. I do wash my bangs daily or everyother day with dry shampoo, but the entire scalp gets shampoo’d Sunday and Wednesday (usually!), if I use the TEK brush one week and not the other, hair is the same amount of oily either way!

ETA, I think this may be a difference in hair type such as F vs C. My tangles very easily and sometimes tangles itself again before I’ve finished detangling! Oils and serums help, keeping it bunned helps. I am not going for a very neat look, my face framing bits and bangs are often all over the place, I just want my lengths to be manageable. So I am loving coming back to this thread to share and receive tips :heartbeat

[maborosi]

Some hair is prone to tangling. Mine will if I don't use silicones.
A good alternative to boar bristle that a lot of people like here is the tangle teezer. It's pretty much the only brush I use since it does a good job removing tangles and doesn't make my hair oily at all.

[Annapox]

Sometimes I wonder if your idea of “detangled” hair is a bit different from “standard” ones, of course each person might be different, a person might even have different standards at different phrase of life.
For me, now, since I don’t use a comb or brush anymore, detangled hair means I weave my fingers through the dry strands slowly and gently from the ends and then work my way up to the roots, there will be a little friction, and a few sheds, that’s expected, but no big struggles and zero breakage or knots. My hair ends have turned semi-permanently wavy 1b because I bun or braid 90% of the time. So my detangled hair still looks messy and unkempt to most “untrained” eyes, but I don’t care about it anymore as long as I can throw it into a bun without strangling my fingers.
But in the past, back when I was a high pony tail girl who still used a comb, my idea of detangled hair meant combing through my 1a wet or dry hair from roots to ends forcefully, the comb should be gliding right through in one swift motion, and I would end up with very sleek, pin straight hair, even slightly curly ends would be unthinkable to me. But of course, back then I didn’t really pay attention to how terrible that was destroying my hair. I cringe just thinking about that.
Funny how your perspective changes along with your major hair care routine.

I detangle my hair starting at the ends and working my way up, but I comb all the way to the ends each time, so at the end when I start at the root I end up combing through the whole length. And after I detangle a couple sections, I put them together and try to comb them starting at the root, which is when I find out that my hair has already begun to retangle itself.

[Annapox]

Personnally, I don’t find it extra oily. I do wash my bangs daily or everyother day with dry shampoo, but the entire scalp gets shampoo’d Sunday and Wednesday (usually!), if I use the TEK brush one week and not the other, hair is the same amount of oily either way!

ETA, I think this may be a difference in hair type such as F vs C. My tangles very easily and sometimes tangles itself again before I’ve finished detangling! Oils and serums help, keeping it bunned helps. I am not going for a very neat look, my face framing bits and bangs are often all over the place, I just want my lengths to be manageable. So I am loving coming back to this thread to share and receive tips :heartbeat

Glad to hear it doesn't make your scalp oilier! I have ordered myself a wooden brush, and I should have it in about six days.

[Annapox]

Some hair is prone to tangling. Mine will if I don't use silicones.
A good alternative to boar bristle that a lot of people like here is the tangle teezer. It's pretty much the only brush I use since it does a good job removing tangles and doesn't make my hair oily at all.

The Tangle Teezer does seem popular here! I was specifically looking for a brush that would distribute the oil on my scalp throughout my hair, though, which is why I opted for the wooden brush.

[Chromis]

I am going to out myself as a true rebel. I do not detangle bottom up. I start from the roots. If I go the other way, I somehow just make more tangles.

There is a trick though! You need to use a wide wide comb to start and you have to stop the moment to run into a tangle. Gently work it loose, then continue. Once I can go all the way through, I switch to a slightly finer comb because the wider one doesn't work well to remove lint. I used to follow that with the boar bristle brush, but stopped using it years ago and I never used that down to the ends.

[lapis_lazuli]

I am going to out myself as a true rebel. I do not detangle bottom up. I start from the roots. If I go the other way, I somehow just make more tangles.

Same here :) Starting from the bottom doesn't help me much because the worst knots occur at my nape, and so I find it faster and more efficient to start there and work them down the whole length in small sections. I only use my fingers though.

I don't think I've ever had hair that was 100% free of tangles. There will always be a slight resistance when I run my hands through it, but when the strands come apart easily, that's when it's "detangled".

[Annapox]

I am going to out myself as a true rebel. I do not detangle bottom up. I start from the roots. If I go the other way, I somehow just make more tangles.

There is a trick though! You need to use a wide wide comb to start and you have to stop the moment to run into a tangle. Gently work it loose, then continue. Once I can go all the way through, I switch to a slightly finer comb because the wider one doesn't work well to remove lint. I used to follow that with the boar bristle brush, but stopped using it years ago and I never used that down to the ends.


Same here :) Starting from the bottom doesn't help me much because the worst knots occur at my nape, and so I find it faster and more efficient to start there and work them down the whole length in small sections. I only use my fingers though.

I don't think I've ever had hair that was 100% free of tangles. There will always be a slight resistance when I run my hands through it, but when the strands come apart easily, that's when it's "detangled".

My worst tangles tend to be between ear-height and shoulder-height. I find that I'm less gentle the higher up I start, though.

Mostly unrelated, but I think I was wrong when I said lint wasn't an issue for me. I never find lint in my plastic combs and brushes, but I realized the other day that my wooden comb, which I only started using fairly recently, does have lint in it. I don't know whether it makes the tangles worse, but it's a possibility.

I also learned last night that not all conditioner makes my hair easier to detangle. I'm staying in a hotel right now, and I brought shampoo but am using the hotel's conditioner. It's so runny that I'm not sure it actually stays in my hair until I rinse it out, and combing my hair before rinsing the conditioner out was no easier than detangling without conditioning at all. Unfortunately, I can't see the back of the bottle to compare ingredients.

[EdG]

Mostly unrelated, but I think I was wrong when I said lint wasn't an issue for me. I never find lint in my plastic combs and brushes, but I realized the other day that my wooden comb, which I only started using fairly recently, does have lint in it. I don't know whether it makes the tangles worse, but it's a possibility.Clean the comb with a slightly damp washcloth. A small amount of lint is normal.
Ed

[mermaid lullaby]

I also learned last night that not all conditioner makes my hair easier to detangle. I'm staying in a hotel right now, and I brought shampoo but am using the hotel's conditioner. It's so runny that I'm not sure it actually stays in my hair until I rinse it out, and combing my hair before rinsing the conditioner out was no easier than detangling without conditioning at all. Unfortunately, I can't see the back of the bottle to compare ingredients.

I totally get it, I stayed at a Hotel and the shampoo made my hair feel so dry. I thought, I had dead ends until I went home and cared for my hair. I always bring shampoo and conditioner with me now when I travel.

[Annapox]

So I've been using the wooden brush for about a week now, and I think I like it. It feels good on my scalp, and my hair is very soft when I'm done brushing. I'm tempted to keep my hair loose so I can play with it, but of course that would just tangle it, so instead I just take my time brushing my hair. :) I think the wooden brush actually keeps the tangles out instead of re-tangling my hair, but sometimes my hair gets sort of stuck in the brush. Not like when I run into a knot; more like my hair takes up too much space and there are traffic jams between the bristles slowing the process down. It's a little annoying, but it doesn't hurt or pull any hairs out.

I also got another non-wooden brush so that I can keep one in the bathroom and one in my bedroom; it's one of the Bass Bio-Flex ones, and I got the Leaf shape instead of the Swirl shape because it looked sturdier and I know from experience that it's possible for flexible brushes to snap unexpectedly. I've been using it after I shower (so my hair has already been detangled with conditioner in), and I think it works pretty well.

[Whirly Girly]

So I've been using the wooden brush for about a week now, and I think I like it. It feels good on my scalp, and my hair is very soft when I'm done brushing. I'm tempted to keep my hair loose so I can play with it, but of course that would just tangle it, so instead I just take my time brushing my hair. :) I think the wooden brush actually keeps the tangles out instead of re-tangling my hair, but sometimes my hair gets sort of stuck in the brush. Not like when I run into a knot; more like my hair takes up too much space and there are traffic jams between the bristles slowing the process down. It's a little annoying, but it doesn't hurt or pull any hairs out.

I also got another non-wooden brush so that I can keep one in the bathroom and one in my bedroom; it's one of the Bass Bio-Flex ones, and I got the Leaf shape instead of the Swirl shape because it looked sturdier and I know from experience that it's possible for flexible brushes to snap unexpectedly. I've been using it after I shower (so my hair has already been detangled with conditioner in), and I think it works pretty well.


I’m glad you found a brush you like, Annapox. This is the brush (below link) that I broke today but I thought of you because it’s amazing for tangles….I love it so much. :heartbeat I ordered a 2nd one.


I bought mine from the Canadian Amazon but i’m sending you the American link.



https://www.amazon.com/Fiora-Naturals-Detangling-Bio-Friendly-Ultra-soft/dp/B08K86FYJL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1K9LEGYEVB1AS&keywords=Fiora+Naturals+Hair+Detangling+Brush+-100%25+Bio-Friendly+Detangler+hair+brush+w%2F+Ultra-soft+Bristles-+Glide+Through+Tangles+with+Ease+-+For+Curly%2C+Stright%2C+Women%2C+Men%2C+Kids%2C+T oddlers%2C+Wet+and+Dry+Hair&qid=1665615356&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjQ4IiwicXNhIjoiMS4zNSIsInFzcCI6IjA uNzIifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=fiora+naturals+hair+detangling+brush+-100%25+bio-friendly+detangler+hair+brush+w%2F+ultra-soft+bristles-+glide+through+tangles+with+ease+-+for+curly%2C+stright%2C+women%2C+men%2C+kids%2C+t oddlers%2C+wet+and+dry+hair%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1

[Annapox]

Oh, that looks like the Bass Bio-Flex brush I considered getting! The Bio-Flex comes in Swirl (which is like the one you linked) and Leaf, and I got the Leaf because it looked sturdier. I've only used it right after showering and right after taking out my still-damp sleep braid, but I really like it for those purposes. The wooden brush I got is also by Bass; it's the Green Brush.

https://www.bassbrushes.com/the-bio-flex

https://www.bassbrushes.com/the-green-brush

[Whirly Girly]

Oh, that looks like the Bass Bio-Flex brush I considered getting! The Bio-Flex comes in Swirl (which is like the one you linked) and Leaf, and I got the Leaf because it looked sturdier. I've only used it right after showering and right after taking out my still-damp sleep braid, but I really like it for those purposes. The wooden brush I got is also by Bass; it's the Green Brush.

https://www.bassbrushes.com/the-bio-flex

https://www.bassbrushes.com/the-green-brush



Those look like wonderful brushes you got, Annapox. Very nice. Glad you’re enjoying them. Getting hair products and accessories that work, is awesome. :smile:

[Arcticfoxes]

All I can say is, I know the feeling. I enjoyed watching the look on hairdresser's faces when they look surprised that after theyve literally just combed my hair, the comb still gets caught in it. That's just my hair. It will never do that perfect stroke with a comb thing they like to make videos of.

[lapushka]

All I can say is, I know the feeling. I enjoyed watching the look on hairdresser's faces when they look surprised that after theyve literally just combed my hair, the comb still gets caught in it. That's just my hair. It will never do that perfect stroke with a comb thing they like to make videos of.

Nobody's hair does that. ;)

[Arcticfoxes]

Nobody's hair does that. ;)

Oh... why do they look so confused then 🤣

[Flossiebell]

I have found that my hair is not nearly as tangled if I do ‘less is more’. I don’t use silicone because it’s like putting glue in my hair - it gets very matted instantly if I use silicone or leave ins. I am currently using seanik and Valkyrie from lush, rinse out and use a wide tooth acrylic hand made comb to detangle and it’s made such a difference. At the end of the day it’s a case of finding out what works for you.

[baanoo]

Nobody's hair does that. ;)
My SIL has this hair! Her hair is somehow incapable of getting tangled - she can wear it down in the wind and then just toss her head and :magic: - no tangles. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Her daughter, my niece, however, inherited hair from her dad’s side and consequently has my exact fine wavy tangly hair and at the age of 9 is a leave-in devotee.

[lapushka]

My SIL has this hair! Her hair is somehow incapable of getting tangled - she can wear it down in the wind and then just toss her head and :magic: - no tangles. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Her daughter, my niece, however, inherited hair from her dad’s side and consequently has my exact fine wavy tangly hair and at the age of 9 is a leave-in devotee.

My goodness, I really thought that we all got tangles. :lol:

[Glitch]

My goodness, I really thought that we all got tangles. :lol:

My hair doesn't truly tangle either! I was too shy to mention it earlier because I felt like a freak LOL but at least I'm not the only one now :p My "detangling" is really just for reassurance purposes :couch: Takes like 5 seconds to glide the comb/brush through and it's like butter. The downside is re-doing my buns a million times some days since they keep slipping and coming apart - super frustrating and I know it causes mechanical damage.