How hard to handle?

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Ok...for all you long curlies out there how long are you and how hard is it to manage? I have just about waist length hair and I am about 3a/b or so. I can't get second day hair because I think it does to much damage. It seems to start matting too much and the tangles are vicious. I love wearing my hair down cause I love how it feels against my back and arms so I don't think I'll be keeping it up all the time or most of the time. But how do you all deal with it? Drying time, tangles, shedding. Does it just get caught in everything? I know when I'm putting my purse over my shoulder I usually have to do this elaborate thingy to make sure my hair isn't under my purse strap. Certain tops catch it too much...earrings....forget it!lol So I'm going for full waist when dry...possibly brushing hip....so be honest with me....how hard is it?

[ZadenWillowfyre]

While not a curly whilry head myself, my cusin has very very tight ringlets and she has to use quite a bit of conditioner to comb it out. It doesn't help that she is a swimmer.

[Anje]

Well, my hair's at tailbone, but it's more straight than not, which I'm sure makes it easier to handle in many ways. I wear it up or braided most of the time -- I work in a laboratory, so keeping it back is necessary. (That said, it lived in a ponytail even when it was shoulder-length. I'm one of those people who can only put up with loose hair for a while before it gets in my way. Then up it goes!)

I do find it tangles worse when loose, and the knots are harder to get out if the hair has gotten dried out. Practically drenching it with olive oil the morning I went to the Ren Faire with it loose meant that it looked normal by the end of the day and the knots were removable. I'd recommend that you try oiling your hair (probably while still wet), which will also give you some great curl definition while protecting it. Wearing it up for a few days can also help you extend your washes without contributing to the tangles, though I tend to want it detangled first, as a personal preference.

If you wear your hair "down" (by which I mean any style that's not "up", so including loose, braids, and ponytails), get in the habit of protecting it from friction. Pull it over your shoulder when you sit down, so it doesn't get caught behind you in the chair. (Lots of people who wear it loose have trouble getting past the point where chairbacks hit!) Same with the purse and the seatbelt. Run your fingers through it a few times a day and pick out the worst of the knots.

One last thought, which you may or may not be interested in. Your hair looks dark brown in your avatar. I have heard that henna tends to loosen curl a bit, and it would cause a really cool dark auburn with your hair color. It also tends to strengthen hair a bit for lots of folks. You might want to look into applying henna or cassia or something of the sort to help keep your hair at its strongest.

[ladylibra]

I have just about waist length hair and I am about 3a/b or so. I can't get second day hair because I think it does to much damage. It seems to start matting too much and the tangles are vicious.

Interesting that I was just talking to a friend of mine in real life with waist-length 3a/3b hair. I was telling her how I don't comb my hair every day, I just kinda finger-detangle in the shower when I co-wash. She had the same complaints as you, and said she couldn't do that because her hair mats too badly! :(


But how do you all deal with it? Drying time, tangles, shedding. Does it just get caught in everything? I know when I'm putting my purse over my shoulder I usually have to do this elaborate thingy to make sure my hair isn't under my purse strap. Certain tops catch it too much...earrings....forget it!lol So I'm going for full waist when dry...possibly brushing hip....so be honest with me....how hard is it?

Well, in summer I don't worry about drying time. I plop and that gets my hair mostly dry... after that, I'm done. The coolness of damp hair feels good in summer. :D It will dry by the end of the day (unless I pulled it back, then it takes longer).

As far as getting it caught in everything. You have to constantly remind myself to move your hair. I remember as a kid, people used to say that long-haired people do this as a way of showing off. :rolleyes: Maybe some do, but mostly it's just being protective of it. Big curly hair catches things just as badly as long hair does. I've got stories that would have you laughing for weeks. :laugh:

I think picking the knots out during the day would cause more frizz. But, maybe 3a/3b hair is different from 3c/4a hair in that respect. I certainly hope others come in to help, because I could pass the info along to my friend and be a hero! :eyebrows:

[eyesofsummer]

Hello from another curly! Looks like we've got the same goal, and mine's just a bit past waist when pulled straight, too! I think long curly hair can definitely be a challenge sometimes; the tangles get bad, the curl starts to get weighed down, and its frizzing capabilities (mine, at least!) are frightening! Even so, I try to make mine as low-maintenance as possible. I wash it roughly every 5 days; day 1 is down and drying, day 2 is down, day 3 is typically 1/2 up, and days 4 and 5 are buns. Sometimes if I'm having bad hair it will jump straight to buns, and I'll wear those until it's time to wash again. I can't imagine washing every day, if only because of the huge amount of conditioner I would go through!
Wash days are the most work, for me. Once every 5 days seems to keep my hair happy, and the tangles aren't that awful because I've had it up for a few days...it just takes a bit of time and a lot of conditioner. Purses and backpacks require hair shifting...I try to keep it away from friction as much as possible, but it inevitably gets caught on things.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Well, in summer I don't worry about drying time. I plop and that gets my hair mostly dry... after that, I'm done. The coolness of damp hair feels good in summer. :D It will dry by the end of the day (unless I pulled it back, then it takes longer).

As far as getting it caught in everything. You have to constantly remind myself to move your hair. I remember as a kid, people used to say that long-haired people do this as a way of showing off. :rolleyes: Maybe some do, but mostly it's just being protective of it.

I think people think I'm showing off too. I just hate to be walking down the street with my hands full only to find my hair caught under my purse strap and have to put everything down to fix it!lol

[PhillyGirl1978@]

I do use henna...it does seem to have loosened the curl a bit and it is definitely shinier and stronger. I always pull it up when I eat...or when I paint or anything like that but mostly I love the wind blowing in it and all that other bad stuff!lol I buy loads of Suave Conditioner that usually gets it for me. I could use to oil more I think to help with tangles. I just got some jojoba oil and I will be getting some castor oil too (for the OCM) so I can use them on my hair too. I know moisturized hair tangles less. I will have to remember to pull it over one shoulder before doing stuff...I'm starting to get to that length where I consider it a little past average length so the chair, the seatbelt, my purse...all that stuff catches it and I definitely don't want it to stop growing at this point. Thanks guys!

[ReddishRocks]

Hello from another curly! Looks like we've got the same goal, and mine's just a bit past waist when pulled straight, too! I think long curly hair can definitely be a challenge sometimes; the tangles get bad, the curl starts to get weighed down, and its frizzing capabilities (mine, at least!) are frightening! Even so, I try to make mine as low-maintenance as possible. I wash it roughly every 5 days; day 1 is down and drying, day 2 is down, day 3 is typically 1/2 up, and days 4 and 5 are buns. Sometimes if I'm having bad hair it will jump straight to buns, and I'll wear those until it's time to wash again. I can't imagine washing every day, if only because of the huge amount of conditioner I would go through!
Wash days are the most work, for me. Once every 5 days seems to keep my hair happy, and the tangles aren't that awful because I've had it up for a few days...it just takes a bit of time and a lot of conditioner. Purses and backpacks require hair shifting...I try to keep it away from friction as much as possible, but it inevitably gets caught on things.
Your schedule is a lot like mine, although I really need to get better at day 3 half-ups, LOL!

Before I went CO, my hair would mat BADLY in the back near my nape. It was awful. :( Now that I'm better moisturized and get the proper amount of protein added at the proper time, I don't have that problem anymore! :cheese:

Granted, your curl pattern is tighter than mine... has RedCelticCurls responded to this thread? I know hers is waist+ when wet!

[ladylibra]

You have to constantly remind myself to move your hair.

I meant to say "yourself." Sorry. :o

[shrimp]

I know you probably don't want to hear this :wink: but I cope by wearing it up all the time.

I CO and comb my hair, then use aloe vera gel to plop my curls to dry over night. Next morning I take it down (it's still damp) and bun for the day. At the end of the day I either mist with water and lavendr eo and replop or braid and mist the next morning to refresh my curls and up it goes again.

I only comb my hair in the shower when I wash it which is every 3/4/5 days. It's never hard to comb through using this routine.


On the rare occaision it is down it is a pain but I don't imagine any more so than straight hair would be at this length.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

I know you're right...it's just long hair is so glorious. And it feels so nice after wanting long hair my whole life (since I was a little girl)...I love running my fingers through it, having the wind blow it. And I have to confess, I love some of the looks I get, it's not even that long yet but it's hennaed so in the sun it's brilliant! Not to mention I do have quite a lot of hair!lol As it gets longer I will have to wear it up for more things just to keep it out of the way...but I really can't see it up most of the time...I'm not growing to knee or anything...just somewhere between waist and hip when wet.

[rhubarbarin]

It's different for everyone. I was one inch away from waist length last year, it wasn't any harder to handle than it is now at barely-BSL - I just had to wear it up more often because it would get into things. I always wear it pulled forward over my shoulders to keep an eye on it.

I have thin hair that doesn't tangle, doesn't get much easier than that!

I would say grow it as long as you can until it's a PITA, then give a little trim and see if you can adjust, and if not cut back a bit more to a more manageable length. That strategy seems to work for a lot of members with hair that is more difficult to manage.

[Quixii]

Tailbone length curly here..
I keep it in ponytails all the time, which is my preferred way of wearing my hair. It tangles while I sleep, and I'm trying to figure out how to deal with that. I recently got a wide toothed seamless comb, which helps some, but it still pulls out some of my curls. =(
I wash every other day, and my hair has never seemed to object to this. I'm still trying to learn how to keep my hair instead of brushing it out into waves.

[Moonstruck]

I'm not a curlie, but I just wanted to say... I am always AMAZED when I see a girl with LONG and HEALTHY looking curly hair. :thud: Keep up the great work, please? Haha, I know it's not for my sake, but really, it's a wonder to me everytime I see it, and I'm sure those around you also stare in awe when you're not looking.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

I'm not a curlie, but I just wanted to say... I am always AMAZED when I see a girl with LONG and HEALTHY looking curly hair. :thud: Keep up the great work, please? Haha, I know it's not for my sake, but really, it's a wonder to me everytime I see it, and I'm sure those around you also stare in awe when you're not looking.

I react like that too...you know what I think it is? You see so many permed curlies with over processed hair. Not to mention so many people straighten and you can always tell when it's naturally straight or curly and you can tell when it's been blow fried and relaxed within an inch of it's life, so when you see long naturally curly hair that is healthy it is unusual.

[ladylibra]

I react like that too...you know what I think it is? You see so many permed curlies with over processed hair. Not to mention so many people straighten and you can always tell when it's naturally straight or curly and you can tell when it's been blow fried and relaxed within an inch of it's life, so when you see long naturally curly hair that is healthy it is unusual.

My thoughts exactly... :cheese:

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Tailbone length curly here..
I keep it in ponytails all the time, which is my preferred way of wearing my hair. It tangles while I sleep, and I'm trying to figure out how to deal with that. I recently got a wide toothed seamless comb, which helps some, but it still pulls out some of my curls. =(
I wash every other day, and my hair has never seemed to object to this. I'm still trying to learn how to keep my hair instead of brushing it out into waves.

When I sleep I put it in kind of a triple pineapple. I use 3 velvet scrunchies and flop the tail over my pillow...it works pretty well. I usually have amazing curls in the morning after that.

(Love your hair by the way, I sometimes try to comb out my curls and have it wavy with lots of body and that works for the under neath part which is courser but the canopy is finer and ends up getting too frizzy!)

[redcelticcurls]

Everyone is a little different, but here's my:twocents:.

I'm waist length wet/stretched. My natural state dry is anywhere from APL to BSL, depending on the shrinkage that day, and am currently more frequently near BSL.

For me, tangles are often caused by time and action. Up or down makes little difference for my hair. There are tangles that can be caused by down hair, such as seatbelts, curls getting caught on each other, etc.

Then, there are the tangles caused from curls sticking together from too many updos. The twisting, sometimes against the grain of the curl, Keeping the curls up in a position they were not meant to be in etc, all cause their own type of tangles and matting.

For me, the most important thing for tangles is to condition and condition often. While I can get good 4th day hair, I don't often choose to do it. I do best with 3 day hair or so this time of year. Usually days 1 and 2 are down and 3 is up. Sometimes 2 is up in the summer because I am a wimp. I notice most others on the thread condition less frequently, so maybe I'm just weird.

It doesn't happen often, but, if I am low on protein, I get more tangles, and my canopy also gets frizzier. Or, as a porous haired curly, I sometimes need an acididc rinse (ACV or Bronner's conditioning rinse) to lower th pH a bit, and that helps with my tangles too.

Any longer than that and the curls make me suffer for it. Curls often need quenched more often than straight hair. And, for me, going too long without conditioner is just asking for a bunch of matted up hair. In the winter, I need to condition daily or every other day. I do airdry, and I seem to get by just fine. Granted, I'm a C, so this may be different for an F or an M.

Putting it up for sleep also helps me quite a bit. I am pretty adamant about my sating sleep hat. I've had various types and using one called Satinsakks right now, and I like it a lot because the satiny part is actually on the *inside*.

http://i30.tinypic.com/2itgbp2.jpg

I notice a major difference when I don't protect my hair for sleep. I'm a restless sleeper and have gotten it caught in my armpits, elbows, headboard, etc. Pineapples help me, but the sating is so much better for me.

I'm not sure if this actually helps since it's a little different than what everyone else says, lol.

[ReddishRocks]

That is a SWEET sleeping cap. :D Love it!

[manderly]

I'm still new at this curly thing, but I find it to be less damaging than when I wore it wavy. Why? Because I'm not combing or finger-combing it anymore unless its wet and full of conditioner :)

At night I put it in a scrunchie on the top of my head, and another elastic closer to the ends. A nightcap if I can get it to stay on. I just let it down in the morning and don't touch it. I'm sure I'm full of tangles, but if I leave it be, you'll never know.

I pull a full hamster's worth of hair out when I'm washing it, so I know it's catching sheds like crazy :D

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Thanks RedCelticCurls....that gives me hope! I also have to condition a lot, I really have to do it wet and condition daily or it starts matting. I air dry also. I think just being more careful with it and mindful of what I am doing, like everyone said pulling it over one shoulder when doing a lot of things.

And Manderly, I too don't really try combing without it being soaking wet and full of conditioner either.

Now that it's getting really hot and humid wearing it up isn't really a problem...it's just too hot for it to be down today!lol But I know when I go out tonight and tomorrow night it has to be down...I just think I look cuter with it down and being single....that is the objective!lol Thank goodness that the humidity doesn't seem to affect me much I think it's the fact that I condition so much.