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View Full Version : desperate for detangling solutions (old thread, new question midway down)



hiccupcity
October 17th, 2009, 10:19 AM
Hi Everyone,

I've been stalking these boards for a while now but this is my first post. I've been trying a lot of the detangling advice offered on here (clarifying shampoo, cone conditioners, braiding it at night, etc.), but my hair is still always a tangled mess, no matter how I wear it. It seems like I can brush out all the tangles of my hair, and then 5 minutes later I have new ones.

I think my next step may be trying to oil my hair. I currently have some coconut oil and jojoba oil, but I'm not sure how I should use them. Or if anyone has other solutions, I'd love to hear them. In addition to the stuff above, I've tried CWC, Johnson & Johnson's no more tangles, and combing with wide-tooth combs. The braiding at night definitely helps with tangles overnight, but I don't want to have to wear my hair in braids all the time just to avoid tangles.

Help!

My hair is thick, mostly straight, and in between mid-back and waist length.

jojo
October 17th, 2009, 10:35 AM
Hi and welcome!

I so sympathise with you, my hair tangles as soon as I look at it but my hair is fine. I am also at the same length as you.

What helps with me are;

Oil or condioner on wet hair after washing

micro trims

Keeping hair up, esecially when outside

Silicones may help

Try no to clarify too often,
Thats all I can think of for now, but I am sure somebody else will come along with some answers xx

3azza
October 17th, 2009, 10:47 AM
I recommend a leave in conditioner that has silicones in it. I use oils, conditioners and leave in conditioners and keep my hair up in messy weather, but i always have to wash, condition and use a leave in every other day or every two days or else huge tangly balls will form.

hiccupcity
October 17th, 2009, 11:02 AM
so sorry if this is a stupid question, but you don't rinse out the oils, right? you just put them on the wet hair after you wash and then leave it in? Would jojoba or coconut oil work?

3azza
October 20th, 2009, 04:42 AM
you could either put a tiny amount like a couple of drops on wet or dry hair and not rince it, or you could use alot more like a few table spoons and leave for an hour or as long you you want before washing your hair. I have never tried jojoba oil but coconut oil is great.

Madame J
October 20th, 2009, 04:54 AM
If you're already using 'cone conditioner and your hair is still a tangled mess, maybe your hair doesn't like 'cones. I know people swear by them for slip, but others find that they lock out moisture and cause icky, tangled hair over time. You might try clarifying and then going no-'cone for a while to see if it helps. Most of the cheapie conditioners, like V05 and Suave seem to have no 'cones in the US, but the Suave Clarifying Shampoo does contain Dimethicone, I think, so you might try another of their regular sulfate, non-'cone shampoos to clarify.

Also, you might want to check your products for protein. Protein overload can cause rough, tangly hair. Also, leaving your hair in some kind of style most of the time will help -- it's pretty common for people here to leave their hair up all day. Doesn't have to be a braid.

Carolyn
October 20th, 2009, 05:11 AM
Both jojoba and coconut oil should be fine for a leave in oil. It make take some trial and error learning the amount to use. "A tiny bit" means tiny. I fingernail scraping for the coconut oil and just a couple drop of the jojoba. Most of us have over oiled the first time or two.

Gabriel
October 20th, 2009, 06:23 AM
My hair was acting up like your's a few months ago and adding an ACV (apple cider vinegar) rinse and simplifying everything else about my hair routine has really helped.

pinkbunny
October 20th, 2009, 06:45 AM
Even on my best hair days my hair is never tangle-resistant for long. Sometimes it's not just the hair care regimen - it can be the type of clothes you are wearing (does your hair stick to the fabric? is your outfit full of static?) or the weather (too wet/dry/windy) and also just moving around a lot can cause your hair to jumble itself into a mess. I always carry a wide tooth comb in my purse so I can run it through my hair every so often before the tangles get out of control.

Chibbylick
October 20th, 2009, 07:00 AM
My 10 year old daughter has thick wurly hair that tangles, and she is not very cooperative about hair care. Adding an ACV rinse the last time we washed it seems to have made a huge difference. We've only done it once, but so far I'm impressed. It has shine, and is smooth where it usually has started to matte after 24 hours. The next thing I plan for her hair is a silky pillow slip... I think a lot of her matting happens at night.
Chibby

Amara
October 20th, 2009, 09:02 AM
I second (or third or fourth) the coconut oil suggestion. Use a TEENY bit to start - rub it between your palms to melt it and then stroke the ends of your hair, working your way up (I got up to about shoulder height). I finger comb as I go. This helps my hair stay way less tangly. :)

spidermom
October 20th, 2009, 09:03 AM
My hair can be a tangly mess, too. I think it's part of having long hair. I wear mine up or braided to cut down on the amount of tangling. If I want to wear it down, I accept that there's a long detangling session in my near future. I've also decided that it doesn't have to be detangled all the time. Used to be that if I wore my hair down, I'd comb it about every half hour or something like that. Now I don't comb it until I'm ready to braid or bun it.

florenonite
October 20th, 2009, 09:58 AM
My hair's the same length as yours, and is fine and thick. I don't have horrible tangling problems, but I do need to be careful to prevent tangling. I think the biggest thing I've done that's helped is using coconut oil. I use at least half a teaspoon on my hair from the neck down the night before washing, braid my hair, and go to sleep. In the morning I wash my hair, both the scalp and the length, to get rid of the oil. I do find my hair is less tangly when I oil the length then wash the scalp and length than when I don't pre-oil and just wash the scalp. I think it's because it allows me to wash out lint and other things that have gotten caught in my hair.

I also use oil after washing and before detangling. In these cases, I use a very small amount (just a wee scraping) and apply it to my hair from about shoulder down. I finger-comb it and then detangle fully. I do this twice a day, morning and evening, and find that oiling prior to detangling means that I have hardly any tangles to get rid of.

Your hair might have just gotten to the length where you can't wear it down without getting tangles. I was just above waist in September and was starting to get this way. It didn't really bother me because I had a plethora of updos and braids I did, which IMO is more fun than just wearing your hair down. When I wanted to wear it down I did a half-up, which cut down on tangles, too. In early September I got some layers cut starting at APL (armpit length) and now, because much of my hair is shorter, it's easier to wear it down. If you like to wear your hair down, layers might be a possibility. However, be warned that they make a lot of updos and braids difficult, if not impossible, so if you like wearing different styles, too, they may not be for you, or you might want subtler ones than I have. Because layers are a big pain if you decide you don't like them, if they appeal to you I suggest waiting two weeks to see if you still feel that way. If you do, then get subtle layers (maybe starting at the higher end of bra strap length or somewhere).

HTH!

ravenreed
October 20th, 2009, 10:08 AM
My hair is super tangly. Have you trimmed lately? I do microtrims about every 3 weeks because if I don't, I get the velcro effect. In addition, I finger comb many times during the day and I brush my hair at least twice a day. If I don't, I will end up with a rat's nest that I cannot undo. Also, I notice that if I wear a shirt with a collar, the hair will tangle right there, or if I wear a pony the hair likes to tangle where it hits the shirt...

PonyGirl
October 20th, 2009, 12:24 PM
If you are squeamish about ACV (like me), lime rinses work really well, too. You put about a teaspoon or tablespoon amount in each water-bottle amount of water.

Have you tried cone-free conditioners? Have you tried going conditioner-only? My favorite detanglers are Loreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss (the one for long/curly/wavy hair is the only cone-free one, and incidentally, the most difficult to find) and the GVP Conditioning Balm, which is the Sally's generic of a Biolage conditioner.

Or then, maybe you're just destined to keep untangling constantly. I don't know ;)

Nevermore
October 20th, 2009, 02:23 PM
I use coconut oil on my hair after washing. I use a...erm, chunk? of coconut oil (it's solid at room temp) about half the size of a dime, rub it between my palms and scrunch it into wet hair starting at the ends before detangling.

I also use Mane N Tail conditioner sometimes, it works better for wet detangling, but doesn't make my hair as nice when it's dry as coconut oil does. I haven't perfected the right mix of coconut oil+Mane N Tail to get the best qualities of both, but I'm working on it.

lucifera
October 18th, 2015, 06:34 AM
...coconut oil should be fine for a leave in oil... ..."A tiny bit" means tiny. I fingernail scraping for the coconut oil...

What I don't get is how to apply such a tiny bit of oil to a whole head of hair. I find that I end up applying (maybe) a heaped desert spoon amount of coconut oil - lol - which ends up making everything very oily.

Arctic
October 18th, 2015, 06:43 AM
What I don't get is how to apply such a tiny bit of oil to a whole head of hair. I find that I end up applying (maybe) a heaped desert spoon amount of coconut oil - lol - which ends up making everything very oily.

Take some oil on your palm (just that little bit that was mentioned), rub your palms together so they have oily sheen, then section your hair into manageable sections (unless it is quite thin, then sectioning might not be needed - good quality of thin hair!) and run your hands over the sections quickly. The idea is not to get or try to get oil neccessarily on every strand - with time all strands will get oiled. And oils travel by themselves on the hair cuticles too.

There are probably millions of methods, but this is what I used when I still oiled. I always oiled wet hair after washing.

lucifera
October 18th, 2015, 06:47 AM
Thanks, that's really useful information :)

dancingrain91
October 18th, 2015, 12:45 PM
I have very tangly hair. My routine is built around keeping the tangles at bay so I don't saw it off in anger. It is just brushing hip and part of me wanted to hack it off because it was forming baby dreadlocks that were nearly impossible to strangle. Turns out, I was accidentally adding protein which my hair is not a major fan of. In order to prevent tangles I must:

-Avoid protein
-Use cones
-Pre oil before a wash
-Wash with a sulphate shampoo
-Use a rinse out oil (I use mineral oil, it seems to detangle better than coconut oil for me)
-Double condition with good detangling conditioners (I use Ice Shine and Hello Hydration)
-Apply a drop of mineral oil and a pea sized amount of Hello Hydration to wet hair
-Wear it up
-Braid at night

All of these steps are what help me. You can come back and reference them along with all the other advice. I think the three things you should do first are clarify, chelate and wear it up most of the time. Then strip your routine down to bare minimum products and add in one change at a time, giving each change at least a couple washes as trial. You should notice if something helps pretty fast, but some solutions cause problems over time.

queenbee1
October 18th, 2015, 01:15 PM
What helped me was the Tangle Teezer, oils and herbal essences hello hydration. :)

Panth
October 18th, 2015, 01:28 PM
Here's another option.

You say your hair is "mostly straight". How are you treating it? Specifically, do you brush or comb it when it's wet? Do you brush it when it's dry?

Maybe you're hair's not tangly, it's just curly and desperately trying to be its curly self? Perhaps try the curly girl technique for a while and see what happens?

Arctic
October 18th, 2015, 01:29 PM
Did you guys notice this is an age old thread that was bumped up?

lapushka
October 18th, 2015, 01:38 PM
I've been stalking these boards for a while now but this is my first post. I've been trying a lot of the detangling advice offered on here (clarifying shampoo, cone conditioners, braiding it at night, etc.), but my hair is still always a tangled mess, no matter how I wear it. It seems like I can brush out all the tangles of my hair, and then 5 minutes later I have new ones.
(...)
My hair is thick, mostly straight, and in between mid-back and waist length.


I think you also need to learn to leave your hair alone. Tangles sag out when you leave them alone for a longer stretch of time. I for example don't detangle for an entire week. I have wavy hair, so need to preserve my texture as best I can. So no combing, brushing for me during the week. Only right before a wash, which is every Sunday. This works for me.

If leaving it alone for longer periods of time is no solution and it gets worse. Then yes, braiding it is an excellent solution to keep the tangles at bay.

Also comb/brush from the bottom up. It might help you detangle.

EDIT: huh, now I get why it didn't go to the first post for me!

yahirwaO.o
October 18th, 2015, 07:15 PM
Did you guys notice this is an age old thread that was bumped up?

Yeah I see now, hope that girl found a nice solution to her problem.

Oils, cones, TTbrush, protective stuff and micro trim should do the job in tangle terms.

To be honest, Im a stranger to tangles, my hair gets knots only if I rub it insane or go in a super windy day still wouldnt be that bad. I ve tried teasing it and it came off after minutes looking like same. Wear my hair down all the time and still finger comb does the job just fine. My problem is Slipery hair and its inability to stay up! Dont even get me on holding curls or messy porcupine braids! :rolleyes:

lucifera
October 19th, 2015, 12:14 PM
Take some oil on your palm (just that little bit that was mentioned), rub your palms together so they have oily sheen, then section your hair into manageable sections (unless it is quite thin, then sectioning might not be needed - good quality of thin hair!) and run your hands over the sections quickly. The idea is not to get or try to get oil necessarily on every strand - with time all strands will get oiled. And oils travel by themselves on the hair cuticles too.

There are probably millions of methods, but this is what I used when I still oiled. I always oiled wet hair after washing.

Tried the above and got on much better - thanks! :)

lucifera
October 19th, 2015, 12:37 PM
I have very tangly hair. My routine is built around keeping the tangles at bay so I don't saw it off in anger. It is just brushing hip and part of me wanted to hack it off because it was forming baby dreadlocks that were nearly impossible to strangle. Turns out, I was accidentally adding protein which my hair is not a major fan of. In order to prevent tangles I must:

-Avoid protein
-Use cones
-Pre oil before a wash
-Wash with a sulphate shampoo
-Use a rinse out oil (I use mineral oil, it seems to detangle better than coconut oil for me)
-Double condition with good detangling conditioners (I use Ice Shine and Hello Hydration)
-Apply a drop of mineral oil and a pea sized amount of Hello Hydration to wet hair
-Wear it up
-Braid at night

All of these steps are what help me. You can come back and reference them along with all the other advice. I think the three things you should do first are clarify, chelate and wear it up most of the time. Then strip your routine down to bare minimum products and add in one change at a time, giving each change at least a couple washes as trial. You should notice if something helps pretty fast, but some solutions cause problems over time.


Thanks. Last evening (after reading your reply) I found some cone tresemme conditioner lurking around and gave it ago. Then I braided my hair before sleep.
Have to say, it was a lot easier to detangle with the cone conditioner, though the tresemme is too heavy for my hair (just undid the braid). Do you find the Ice Shine and Hello Hydration products you reference light conditioners.

I know what you mean about baby dreadlocks, haha. What amazes me, is how when they'e 'unpicked', how at their core, there's usually just two hairs that have wrapped themselves around each other, with all the rest building on top of those!

Your hair looks beautiful btw