New Member... in need of advice

[BrightEyes7]

Hello... I am a long time reader... but I just registered.

My hair is currently waist length. It is for the most part pretty healthy as I don't wear it down often. But it has been breaking a lot lately. I am going to get it cut today, I think I'm going to chop off 3 inches!

I have seriously the most tangled hair I have ever seen, especially when wet. It is wavy/curly and it tangles no matter what I do. I brush before getting in the shower, then when I get out I put in serum (Bumble and Bumble defrizz) and then brush. I do a deep condition twice a week and only wash every other day.

Does anyone have advice on making it not so tangly and also to help with the breakage.

Thanks in advance! :cheese: (<<<this is for no real reason... who doesn't love a dancing cheese wedge?!?)

[xoxophelia]

Well the first thing I would do is be very careful in the shower to not push it around more than you need to and to not use warm water.

And then, at most, comb with a wide tooth comb when wet but try to wait until it is dry. This will cause less breakage. Lastly, if you have tangles up so badly when you wash maybe you could try to do so every third day instead?

[MotherConfessor]

Have you considered catnip rinses? They help alot with splits and breakage.

[Pierre]

Try using a comb instead of a brush. Get in the shower, and while the water is running down your hair, comb it. When you hit a tangle, stop and pull the bundles of hair apart with your fingers. When you finish showering, let it air dry, and when it's dry enough, put it up.

[Madame J]

Yeah, I would say with 2b/2c hair you don't need to use a brush. Brushing is probably breaking up your wave pattern and making it look like "frizz." Try to find a seamless, wide-toothed comb (or any wide-toothed comb for now) and use that instead of a brush, just to get some of the tangles out. Wavy hair isn't supposed to lie flat and smooth like straight hair -- that's part of its appeal!

Also, have you tried going longer without washing? For longer hair, natural oils take longer to move down the hair shaft, so plenty of people around here find they do best washing only every 3, 4, or more days. And, have you read Teacherbear's wonderful article about handling hair gently (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8)?

[christine1989]

Try combing conditioner through with a wide tooth comb when you are in the shower. Using less shampoo works too.

[GoddesJourney]

I'm going to have to tell you no more brushing for now. Wide tooth comb in the shower with conditioner, otherwise finger comb. Also, if your hair is at waist length, it's quite possibly rubbing or catching on all kinds of stuff. How are you wearing your hair? Does it get caught on things often?

[Rhiannon7]

Use a wide tooth comb, no more brushes, brushes will kill your curls and can make curly hair more tangled. my BBB makes the tangles worst, have noticed this since i started using my wood comb, less tangles, more wave. when i brushed my hair can matt together and get tangled, and i am a 1B/1C. no curls at all! also use less friction when you wash with poo. don't bunch it up on top of your head, just mix the poo in your hands then softly rub it into the scalp, let the suds drift down the length and use more condish. (start smoothing the condish from ends to roots, that way the ends get more time with the condish. ) also use a wide tooth comb on wet hair or your fingers, finger combing helps detangle quite well for curly haired people and it is less damaging.

Also have you tried clarifying? do you use products with cones? sometimes hair gets tangled alot because it needs clarifying.

Hope i could help.

[countryhopper]

It addition to what everyone else said (no brushes!), does your brush have little plastic balls at the ends? It could be that everytime you brush, ESPECIALLY when wet, your hair is breaking off from those little balls catching on it.

Also, try wearing your hair up more if you're not doing that already. It will help protect the ends a lot more. I've only just begun to do some of these things since I've forund the site, and already it's making a difference!

[jojo]

I am the same hair type and get this problem for me whats worked is;

throw the brush away and use a wooden comb-body shop does a great one
oil the ends daily
DC as often as you can find the time
wear hair up in a style which contains the ends
clarify hair once a month
no heat
and I wear a sleep cap every night this has really helped with the tangles.

and finially welcome to LHC, you have certainly made a wise move in registering and will learn plenty on here from the experts (which I am not by the way) x

[JamieLeigh]

Wow, you've had a lot of great advice already - and welcome to LHC! :flower:

I'd also recommend letting go of the brush and grabbing a wide-tooth comb. Something that's also helped me was going cone-free and conditioner-only, but that doesn't work for everyone. I'm assuming your breakage is caused by your tangles - a good way to reduce tangles during the day is to wear your hair up as much as possible. Updos also reduce the amount of rubbing against other objects, such as your hair being between your back and a car seat or a sofa. There are a lot of great styling ideas in our articles section, also sprinkled throughout the boards. :)

This site is awesome and full of great ideas, there's sure to be something here for you! Just don't get overwhelmed and start trying everything at once. Try one thing and give yourself time, and try something else. ;)

[Kya]

I have a mixture of all sorts of curls and waves on my head -- and it can get really tangled if frizz sets in. This might help (and some of it has already been mentioned) - no brushing, use a gentle wide tooth comb, use a little oil on the ends, and this works best for me -- twisting -- it tames my curls and waves (they are very manageable afterwards). :pray:

[BrightEyes7]

Ok... I don't use much shampoo. Like a nickle size for my mass of hair. I just shampoo the roots. I can't go longer than everyother day or I look homeless :knuckle: I try on the weekends when I don't have anything to do.

Also I mostly wear my hair up. I reserve wearing my hair down for special days or if I'm going out and have an extra hour to spend! But I must admit... I've been a bad girl!! I use elastics only. I am going to get hairsticks/forks today because I now know that I've been damaging my hair by getting it caught in elastics(even though they are the "damage-free" kind).

I went and bought a wide tooth comb last night and will be retiring my brush. I think one thing that was drying my hair and I didn't even realize was that Bumble and Bumble defrizz. Because I got the Silk N' Smooth strengthening serum and my hair quality has already improved since yesterday. This stuff is miracle oil :crush: It has like everything in it... jojoba oil and a bunch of other oils. It was in the african-american haircare section so it works really well on my dry hair!

Anyway... thanks for all your tips! I've reached my length goal, I'm just trying to make it as healthy as possible!