How to wear fine tangle prone hair down?

[celelu]

I'm always wearing my hair up in a bun or (sometimes, never in winter) in a braid, mostly because my hair gets messy and tangled in a second when it's down, and I fear breakage, damage and faerie knots from clothes, bags, purses, wind, chairs, and so on.
But I'm wondering how I could wear my hair down or half up for a special occasion, probably not in winter but as soon as spring comes. (It's -15˚C here today, so I try to distract my mind and think about warm breezes and flowers...) I didn't do that since I'm BSL or so. I've tried a coconut oil leave-in, and I felt it was to heavy and stringy for me. I thought that I could use a coney detangler, since I fear no cones, but I haven't bought anything yet. I'm ready to try something un-orthodox with LHC recommendations, which I follow as much as I can, since it won't be for a routine and I'll use it maybe three or four times a year.
So, do you use products in your hair for wearing it down comfortably?

[clichepithet]

Nope. No products. Though I try to make it be on a silky-shirt day, in a halfup. And then I get annoyed with it after an hour or two and put it back up all the way. Unless I have curled it somehow, but that's another story.

[manderly]

I would recommend something nice and coney and slippery :) I like CHI Silk Infusion.

[Olde Soul]

I really like FX Silk Drops when I'm wearing my hair down, gives it plenty of slip.

[AlleyKitten]

I find that CO, a vinegar rinse, or both when washing make my hair much less tangly. You could also try a very small amount of jojoba oil as a leave-in.

[AnitaThorn]

I have hair like this, too. I find that it's less tangly when it's down on the day that I wash it. FX Silk Drops do work, I would try that first.

[eternallyverdan]

I would say wash with a coney conditioner (get a travel size bottle of something), use a cone serum like John Frieda or Garnier Fructis, and make sure you wear something silky that it won't catch on. On my "down days," my hair actually spends a lot of time in a bun that's easy to put up and remove.

If it's just for a special event, I'd say put it in a bun for the commute, take it down the second you arrive, and keep a comb in your purse so you can run to the bathroom for quick detangling sessions. Good luck! I personally love wearing my hair down, and do it at least 1-2 days a week.

[spidermom]

I can only wear my hair down when I know I'll be still, then I wear something silky. Oh, and I generally do wear it down for meets but plan on major detangling later. Good luck finding your best solution.

[rags]

Well, my hair is baby baby fine and when I want to wear it down, I load it with cones. Coney conditioner, then a serum. That usually does the trick! Since I use shampoo, (and SLS shampoo at that! :p) cones aren't a problem when used occasionally.

[Kristin]

I would say something with cones, too. I have CHI silk infusion, but it's a bit too heavy for my hair and I only use when I MUST blowdry. I recently bought a tiny bottle of Argan oil, which is really a coney serum mixed with a little Argan oil. That stuff is awesome. The brand is "One n' Only," if you're interested.

[Fiferstone]

If you're not using an ACV rinse already I'd very much recommend that to you. I find my hair much less tangle prone now that I use that as my final rinse (I started using ACV rinses to combat the mineraly hard water deposits I was getting.) I'm also a no-cones finey, and I wear my hair up or in a braid 90% of the time these days, it's just easier. If I want to wear it down I resign myself to detangling, but I find the tangling problem has lessened quite a bit since I started with the ACV rinses.

[Elbereth]

We seem to have same hairtype, and approximately same length (though your hair seems to have much thicker hemline than mine). I do not use any cones in my routine.

I wear my hair down a few times in a year- and that is the absolute maximum it can take. After wearing my hair down I find splits and breakage, so it's something I won't do often though it sure looks good! I also make sure the circumstances are good for wearing my hair down: no rough fabrics (eg. bulky wool cardigans), avoiding things that might cause friction or catch my hair. Also, I would not wear my hair down if I had to spend long time in sunlight, since sunlight is not good for hair. My hair is fragile, and IMO, a few hours of fun are not worth dealing with damage.

I always make sure my hair is clean and well conditioned before I wear it down. I don't use any special products, but I carry my comb with me and comb my ends quickly every time I go to bathroom.

[heidihug]

If it's just for a special event, I'd say put it in a bun for the commute, take it down the second you arrive, and keep a comb in your purse so you can run to the bathroom for quick detangling sessions.
I agree with eternallyverdan (hi, EV!). If you are going to wear it down take the time to detangle occasionally to avoid that nasty rat's nest later on.

[indigonight]

I would avoid cones which can 'hide' splits and actually make the problem worse.
I would do a deep conditioner treatment, maybe soak methi (fenugreek) for 6 hours and add it to your mix, this will give loads of slip and is cone-free natural stuff, works better than cones in my opinion. Then I would wash out. I would brew lavender tea and mix it with ACV, wait for it to cool, pour it on hair as a your last rinse. Then I would take a fingernail's worth (ie a very small amount) of macadamia oil and spread it evenly through your hair once it is dried. This oil is very light, moisturizing and gives slip without leaving a greasy, stringy look, in my experience. Make sure you comb the oil all the way through several times preferably with a bone comb or at least wooden. I would add oil if you think you need it.

My hair is not like yours but I do get a lot of problems, split ends, breakage from tangles. It is very thick and coarse and also gets very tangled and is super hard to detangle- I often end up coating stuff out- as there is so much of it, I try to only wear my hair down on non-windy, still days when there is some humidity to avoid the dryness making it even more tangley -unless of course it is a special occasion.

Of course having lovely long hair, we dont want to wear it up always! we want to enjoy it, show it off and have it float around us on those special days, so I understand your dilemma!
try the methi it just might be what you need!

[Leneveu]

On my "down days," my hair actually spends a lot of time in a bun that's easy to put up and remove.

If it's just for a special event, I'd say put it in a bun for the commute, take it down the second you arrive, and keep a comb in your purse so you can run to the bathroom for quick detangling sessions. Good luck! I personally love wearing my hair down, and do it at least 1-2 days a week.

This is just what I do. I like a lazy wrap or another simple, single-stick bun which takes all of two seconds to "dismantle". For me it has the added advantage of nice bun waves ;)

[celelu]

Thanks a lot everyone! There will be several occasions for me to wear my hair down of half down this spring, including a wedding in my close family, and I'm glad that there are solutions! And I have time to try them all before I'm in a rush. So, what you guys seem to agree on (and I agree too) is: ACV (which I already do regularly, with a lot of lavender EO), FX Silk drops (if it even exists in Canada... otherwise I'll order it online, I've heard to many great things about it to just not try it) and a comb in my purse. I've never heard much about methi and macadamia oil, but I'll see if I can find them and give them a try.
:cheese:

[jojo]

Another tip which I started doing is to spray a little hair spray on a brush and brush through hair, this helps with tangles for me.

I also second the CHI serum, wonderful stuff!

[celelu]

I have another question... I heard somewhere about someone putting a bit of aloe vera gel in her hair as a leave-in, but I can't remember where. Did you try this? Would you recommend it? I have a bottle of J/A/S/O/N Aloe Vera 98% moisturizing gel here, and I'm a bit afraid to use it without more info... :o