Detangling

[Caxikian]

So... I started growing my hair in august 08 so far everything is going great but.... detangling it is KILLER!:(
I try to be as gentle as possible with my hair but it's near impossible to detangle it since I've stopped flat ironing, curling it, perming it & coloring it (2 times only). Detangling it is like detangling a severe mat or dreads (well... probably a little easier then detangling dreads). It's mostly the scalp part that is most difficult at one point I almost gave up but I really want long hair so I'm going to keep fighting for long hair! :p

My hair is type 3a/3b If anyone has this hair type I would REALLY appreciate any advice &/or tips even if you do not have this hair type any advice &/or tips is greatly appreciated! If I've left out any important info that's needed just tell me

[Goddessey]

My hair is 4a. There was a time when I used to have a horrible time detangling as well.

There are a few things that may help you depending on the reason for the tangles. Here are a few things that you might want to try and hopefully will help...

1. Combing your hair before washing can help get rid of shed hair that may be causing or contributing to your tangles.

2. Washing your hair in the shower only, so that your hair is always hanging down and not flipped up (like it would be if bent over and washing in the sink). Also avoid rubbing your hair vigorsly when washing to minimize tangles.

3. Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner to give your hair slip. Experimenting with different types may be helpful.

4. Perhaps using a hair serum or oil after your wash may give your hair slip as well to help in detangling.

5. You could try washing your hair in plaits.

6. Detangling under the shower stream may be helpful too.

Good luck!:)

[Elphie]

Have you tried coating your hair with conditioner and detangling it in the shower with a wide toothed comb?

[SimplyLonghair]

So... I started growing my hair in august 08 so far everything is going great but.... detangling it is KILLER!:(
I try to be as gentle as possible with my hair but it's near impossible to detangle it since I've stopped flat ironing, curling it, perming it & coloring it (2 times only). Detangling it is like detangling a severe mat or dreads (well... probably a little easier then detangling dreads). It's mostly the scalp part that is most difficult at one point I almost gave up but I really want long hair so I'm going to keep fighting for long hair! :p

My hair is type 3a/3b If anyone has this hair type I would REALLY appreciate any advice &/or tips even if you do not have this hair type any advice &/or tips is greatly appreciated! If I've left out any important info that's needed just tell me

I would do my detangling using lots of conditioner, so as to make your hair slip. I only use my fingers, as my hair doesn't like anything else, but you might try a very widetoothed comb. I agree that keeping in upright such as in a shower is a good idea. Less tangles to deal with. Just remember that moisture is your friend to keep your curls in great shape.:D Good luck in your hair journey!

[Caxikian]

Replying to Goddessey: I always comb my hair before I wash it but I guess that's not enough. "rubbing your hair vigorsly when washing" I'm Very guilty of doing that now I know why it's so hard to detangle my hair.

Replying to Elphie: I have never heard of that but I'll diffidently try it.

Replying to Simplylonghair: I'll remember to use lots of conditioner & I think I may need a bigger wider tooth comb Because the one I currently have doesn't seem to be helping much.

Thanks so much all of you! I'll try this tonight when I take a shower I really hope this means the end of the fight with detangling my hair & I'll give an update tomorrow I can't wait to try this! Again Thanks so much!

[Delila]

For me, I find that some products make it easier for my hair to detangle and stay detangled, others make it more prone to tangle, especially once it's dry. Maybe it's residue on my hair? Not sure.

Anyhow, experimenting with different conditioners has been a big help to me, and I've been going back through my stash to see if there's anything better lurking under the sink.

Lately I'm loving Biolage's Detangling Solution as a followup to the moisturizing shampoo and conditioner I use when I wash my hair. I'd thought I got along well with Aussie Moist conditioner, but it seems the Biolage detangler does a better job for me.

[curls2grow]

I have the same problem. No matter how gentle I was, it would take for.e.ver. to detangle my hair and I would still have breakage.

I CO wash my hair with a rotating cast of moisturizing conditioners. I rinse it all out as best I can. Then when I am out of the shower, I gently blot my hair (or not, if I forget), apply a leave-in conditioner to my length first and then to my scalp hair by just patting it in and gently finger combing through. The tangles practically disappear from my hair when I do this. Then I apply gel or whatever other stylng product I am using. Then I finally comb through it.

I don't use products with silicones. The 2 leave-ins that I use (because I can't decide which I like better, so I use one on CO wash days the other on WO wash days) are Beauty Without Cruelty's and John Masters Organics Citrus & Neroli Detangler.

I hope this helps. Made a world of difference for me.

[coppercurls]

Sound like we have similar hair types & similar problems! Here's what I do to reduce tangles.

1. Reduce friction-By any means possible! Don't flip you hair upside down to wash*Don't towel dry roughly,gently blot out the water* Satin/silk pillow cases do help also.

2. Have you tried the Conditioner Only method? My scalp doesn't really care for it all the time, but I can CO in between washes and that really helps.

3. I often don't rinse out my conditioner- I just section my hair into about 5-6 sections & start at the bottom slowly working my way up to the scalp.

I HTH

[cobblersmaid]

As someone else said, detangle with hair full of conditioner under the stream. Also using a leave-in conditioner is vital for me. Without it I would never be able to detangle after a shower.

[Kimberly]

Clarifying can help a lot -- often the tangles are a result of build-up. Oiling can help, too -- I have used cocoanut oil from time to time when my hair was dry and matting. Also, I sort of separate my hair into two sections, one drawn over either shoulder. Then I detangle one section starting from the bottom, work my way up, and never try to comb the two sections back together, because they just retangle themselves when I do that. I also wear it up a lot, to keep it from tangling in the first place, often braiding it for the night unless I'm pretty sure I'm going to conk out and not roll around much.

Curly hair has its challenges, but it can be so pretty, too! Good luck. :)

[Caxikian]

Replying to Delila: I've tried different products in the past that have made my hair fairly tangle free & others have made my hair so tangled up that it's unbelievable lol.
I'm thinking of going back to the product that had my hair fairly tangle free but I would like more natural products so... I'm undecided on that. Reason being is although it made my hair fairly tangle free it also stripped it of my natural oils completely the end result was very weak dry & rough hair instead of strong & soft hair

curls2grow: I think I'm going to start CO washing my hair just to try something different to see how my hair reacts because I've currently been doing shampoo only & before I was doing shampoo(2 times) then conditioner (once) However there not working at all it seems like the shampoo is just making my hair drier & drier so.... I'm going to do my once a week moisturizing treatment (since the winter & shampoo made my hair really dry I found a great natural moisturizing treatment) & CO washing tonight.

coppercurls: I think I'm going to have to go shopping again lol because I don't have a silk/satin pillow case but I'll have to go get one tomorrow. No I have not tried CO washing but I'm going to start tonight. "I often don't rinse out my conditioner- I just section my hair into about 5-6 sections & start at the bottom slowly working my way up to the scalp" I'll remember do that.

cobblersmaid: I'll remember to get some leave in conditioner when I go to the store tomorrow.

Thanks so much all of you! =) I'm so happy that my hair is finally going to be tangle free! :cheese: & I didn't know I was missing so much from my hair care routine

[Caxikian]

Replying to Kimberly: I've been using coconut oil for about 3-4 days now because my ends were horrible but the coconut oil has really helped a lot. "never try to comb the two sections back together, because they just retangle themselves when I do that" Yea I totally know what you mean by that I learned the hard way lol. I mostly wear my hair braided but when I go out with friends or something like that I put my hair up in a bun but always at night I put my hair in a braid with a protective cap on because I have a cotton pillow it seems to cause breakage & build up.

Thanks so much!

[BritHair]

Hi,
I too have curly hair and find the the easiest way for me to detangle is:

When its wet, I comb it after I condition before I rinse and when it is dry I spritz it with a conditioner/water mix I have made in a spray bottle. The comb just slides through. I mostly keep my hair in a bun so it really does stay manageable.

[Delila]

Replying to Delila: ...although it made my hair fairly tangle free it also stripped it of my natural oils completely the end result was very weak dry & rough hair instead of strong & soft hair

...

I can relate. :) I went through an experimental phase with herbal hair care, but even though my scalp and hair seemed to like it, the tangles were a problem, so I had to go back to using more conventional products, and even with those, it took a lot of experimenting to find out which ones help cleanse or detangle without the dry/rough side effects. I haven't even read the ingredients list on the bottles I'm using now, I'm just happy with the results, LOL!

[Aditi]

My hair is 4a. There was a time when I used to have a horrible time detangling as well.

There are a few things that may help you depending on the reason for the tangles. Here are a few things that you might want to try and hopefully will help...

1. Combing your hair before washing can help get rid of shed hair that may be causing or contributing to your tangles.

2. Washing your hair in the shower only, so that your hair is always hanging down and not flipped up (like it would be if bent over and washing in the sink). Also avoid rubbing your hair vigorsly when washing to minimize tangles.

3. Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner to give your hair slip. Experimenting with different types may be helpful.

4. Perhaps using a hair serum or oil after your wash may give your hair slip as well to help in detangling.

5. You could try washing your hair in plaits.

6. Detangling under the shower stream may be helpful too.

Good luck!:)
I totally agree with her given tips as even follow them and have no problem of tangles.

[susiemw]

So... I started growing my hair in august 08 so far everything is going great but.... detangling it is KILLER!:(


When do you detangle?

I would recommend that after you shampoo (if you do),
slather with conditioner and while the conditioner is in your hair use a wide toothed comb or pick and start at the bottom and
gradually work your way from the bottom to the top.

good luck!

Susan

[MadPirateBippy]

All the advise here is good. For me, one of the big helps that no one has talked about has been doing a vinegar rinse with about 5% vinegar- that helps give my hair a lot of slip so it detangles a lot easier.

[Kimberly]

All the advise here is good. For me, one of the big helps that no one has talked about has been doing a vinegar rinse with about 5% vinegar- that helps give my hair a lot of slip so it detangles a lot easier.

Yes! Vinegar makes a huge difference.

[Caxikian]

using lots of conditioner & detangling under the water in the shower helped a lot! I still had a bit of a hard time with the scalp part then after detangling it I put coconut oil on my hair as usual & went through my hair again to make sure I didn't miss any hiding tangles :rolleyes: lol but overall it went great! I'm SO happy to finally have tangle free hair! :cheese:

I did my first CO wash & my hair is super SOFT especially doing a natural moisturizing treatment (before CO washing) then coconut oil at the end to finish off:D

[Duchess]

Yes! Vinegar makes a huge difference.

When do you do the vinegar rinse? I have another thread, my hair is terribly tangly but straight. It's very fine and very thick and I think that is a disastrous combination.

[wintersun99]

When do you do the vinegar rinse? I have another thread, my hair is terribly tangly but straight. It's very fine and very thick and I think that is a disastrous combination.

you can use diluted vinegar or diluted apple cider vinegar after shampoo but before conditioner or after shampoo/conditioner (the final rinse) stage. some people leave it in the hair and some rinse it out. I use diluted ACV as a rinse after shampoo/conditioner and I leave it in a minute or two and then a final rinse with water.

[Kimberly]

When do you do the vinegar rinse? I have another thread, my hair is terribly tangly but straight. It's very fine and very thick and I think that is a disastrous combination.

I use shampoo bars, and after I have washed my hair I mix a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a couple cups of water. I slosh my ends in it and then pour the rest onto my hair. Then I rinse it out with cool water, which also helps to make hair less tangly by closing the cuticle. While I'm only a ii, my hair is very fine and the curl makes it seem much thicker and more prone to tangling. Vinegar and cold water rinses make a huge difference for me. I have hard water in my area, by the way, and that along with shampoo bars makes vinegar rinses especially important.

Edited to add: I don't need any conditioner with this routine. The oils in the shampoo bar and the slip from the vinegar and cold water rinses seem to be enough for me (and I used to go through gobs and gobs of conditioner). I know this doesn't work for everyone, though!

[salamander]

It sounds like your problem was dryness, but I thought I'd add that splits give me awful tangles. A lot of times when my hair is feeling tangly I'll S&D even before I do a moisturizing treatment. My 3c friend swears by combing with conditioner in, though, so that's probably all you needed.

[Linda K]

When do you detangle?

I would recommend that after you shampoo (if you do),
slather with conditioner and while the conditioner is in your hair use a wide toothed comb or pick and start at the bottom and
gradually work your way from the bottom to the top.

good luck!

Susan
Check your comb/pick - make sure it's smooooth!:)
Definitely! That was the only way I could get knots out of my hair after horseback riding! Ugh!
(What!?! Pony tails are for ponies! Let it blow free in the breeze - it feels wonderful! Why won't my hair grow? heehee!) :eyebrows: