Okay, again... what am I doing wrong?

[Electric Sky]

My problem is, my hair is tangled like crazy all the time. There's always these big knots in my hair, and I have no idea why. If even two hairs get loose from a braid, they're bound to tangle. If my hair is freshly brushed, it's slippery and soft and the best it's ever been, but 10 minutes after brushing, it looks like a rats nest. What am I doing wrong?

My routine has changed completely in the past 2 months. I don't know if that's relevant, but I wanted to get it out there.
I wash my hair every 3 days or so with Suave Strawberry. If I wait longer to wash it, it seems that it actually gets drier, for some reason. I condition with Natures Gate Daily Herbal Conditoner, cone free. I put that on all of my hair and I leave it on for about 3 minutes, then I rinse and I put in Suave Coconut, and leave that in for about 1-2 minutes, then I rinse it out and wrap my hair up in a towel. Before bed I oil my hair with coconut oil, and I wrap it up in this weird braid thing I have with a rag.
About once a week I put catnip tea in my hair, then put it in a shower cap and leave it on for about an hour. (or as long as I can stand it. It tends to give me a headache.)
I also rinse my hair with catnip tea about 3 times a week in the shower, in between the Herbal Conditioner and the Suave.

I occasionally blowdry my hair with an ionic hair dryer, (about twice a month) for around 2 minutes, with some volumizing mousse, but afterwards I always treat it especially kindly, with extra oiling and a catnip soak.

So what am I doing wrong? I'd really like to fix this soon... I've already had to cut out a big knot from my hair!

[Flynn]

I'm definitely not an expert, but part of "what you're doing wrong" may well just be having fine, straight hair. I can't wear my hair loose for more than an hour or so without it being in dire need of a brushing. Do you wear it loose over a collared shirt or a backpack or handbag strap it can rub against? I have a nightmare of a time with just a ponytail and either of these possibilities.

Considering the amount of time and trouble you put into your hair, I'd be surprised if you're actually doing anything "wrong", and anything that you might be able to fix.

[Silver Strands]

If you don't need to clarify, perhaps you have hair that would do better with cones.

[SimplyLonghair]

I cannot say what you are doing wrong as you did not say what you had been doing when your hair behaved, or if it did behave.

My suggestion would be go back to what you did when things worked, and then maybe slowly add back the things that you are doing now and see what works and keep it and leave what doesn't work.

It sounds as if your hair needs more moisture or oil, but that is just a guess.

Good luck in finding what works for you.

Check out Ursula's newbie hints (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=39) and see what she suggests, and see if that helps you out. :grouphug:

[Omens]

I have a similar problem. What I'm wondering though is has it always been like this, or only after you changed your routine? Like Silver Strands said, maybe your hair likes cones.

Some people just have hair that tangles very easily. When I was a kid and didn't keep up with the constant brushing I would end up having to cut sections of my hair out because they would quickly become matted. Unfortunately, if this is something you have been dealing with a long time, it may simply be due to your hair type. Mine is always going to be a tangled rat's nest; that's just how it is. :( As long as you do brush it regularly then you can usually at least keep the matted bits at bay.

[catfish]

What was your routine before? I have fine, wavy hair that tangles very easily. I find that my hair tangles a lot more when I use store bought conditioners. A lot of conditioners use waxes, and they make my hair tangle like crazy plus I hate the coated feeling it gives my hair. Maybe you can try a different conditioner or see if you can go without and just use catnip and oil:shrug: who knows, fine hair can be picky;)

[Ash]

Chemical shampoos do not work with my hair at all. I had more frequent tangles from using chemicals. The shampoo and conditioner I have found to be the best for my hair are Giovanni products. I'm just putting this out there because we have the same hair type. I also found Nature's Gate products to not be conditioning enough for my hair.
Occasionally I will find knots for what seems to be no reason but then I look at each strand of hair in that area and I find one hair that has tightly knotted itself. If I cut that hair just above the knot, it seems to fix the problem.
Some fabrics tend to rub on hair badly as well, causing knots.
Have you tried combing instead of brushing? It could be that you get more static from brushing which could cause a problem.

[Brat]

My hair used to get tangles a LOT, especially the underside, but since I switched back to coney shampoo and conditioners, it's been much better. My hair loves cones!