Another fine hair problem!

[Tovah]

I have super fine "fairy hair" and I noticed that now that it's longer, I'm getting more tangles and lots of breakage to the point of distraction.

I'm looking for advise for what to do after I wash my hair. Is it better to let it dry down? My hair is curly so it now tangles on itself...or should I twist it up while it's wet? I am losing so much hair that I'm getting quite distressed. On top of that I'm going through a big shed.

I use a wide tooth comb to detangle after conditioning while it's wet and usually the comb goes right through without catching or tugging. After my hair is dry I only finger comb. What am I doing wrong?

Ach!

[Xi]

I am sorry to hear about your hair woes! My hair is not as fine as yours (mix of fine and medium strands), but I usually find tangles are minimized when I leave my hair down until it is only damp (no longer dripping wet, but not bone-dry), and then braid and/or bun it. I find keeping the hair up in gentle updos is protective -- and where possible, avoid using hair elastics (especially on the delicate ends).

I'm sure others will have more detailed advice for you! Best wishes :grouphug:

[frizzinator]

When you comb, start at the hemline and work your way up toward the scalp to remove tangles gently without breaking hairs.

Wear your hair up all the time (day and night) to prevent tangles.

[aksown]

I don't touch my hair at all until it's completely dry. I finger comb it and either bun or braid, especially at night. I finger comb, then brush my hair before showers to get the sheds out but don't brush or comb any other time.
I hope you figure out something that works. :grouphug:

[Dragon]

Maybe combing it a few times as its drying may help. And using a leave in conditioner.

[jackiesjottings]

I am a fine hair and I leave mine to dry naturally (wrapped in a towel for the first half hour so I don't end up in a puddle of water). I don't comb it at all until it is completely dry, then I start gently at the very ends and work upwards. Seems to work for mine.. good luck :)

[moominhapa]

I comb gently with a wide tooth comb while it's still wet, and then again once it's dry. If I'm worried about tangles, I put it up in a braid or bun.

If putting your hair up isn't your thing and if your hair tolerates it well, you can also try products with some silicone. The least tangly my hair gets all year is when I go to the hairdresser and they use davines products to wash and style it; these products are full of cones. I don't like to use them all the time though. That's just my preference. If you decide to use cones, make sure to clarify once in a while. Oh, and one more thing to prevent tangles: make sure to watch out for split ends or product buildup; these issues can make hair a lot more tangle-prone.

[Anje]

Mine's fine and also very tangle prone, if not so curly. Do you put anything in your hair when it's damp that might help give it slip to make combing it later a bit easier? For fineys, it's hard to find something that your hair likes and that doesn't weigh it down too much... Some like leave-in conditioners, some like a dab of normal conditioner, some like silicone serum, and some like oils. For me personally, I find a drop or two of oil (I like sesame myself, jojoba, camilla, and coconut are also good options) smoothed through my damp length makes my hair tangle less, until it attracts lint.

I've heard of some curlies forming their hair into a twist that hangs down their back til it's dry. That might be worth considering, since it can help preserve your waves and curls, but is less prone to tangles than leaving hair completely loose.

Braids and buns are great for minimizing the tangles whenever you don't want to deal with them later. Especially if you're out on a windy day.

[dropinthebucket]

I have superfine hair (barely 2 inch circumference in pony, so i think that's on the very fine side of fine!) and long before i found LHC, i discovered that i just could not touch my hair. I always let it dry by itself, without doing anything to it at all - no towel, no combing, no product, no touching, no nothing. No blow dryer!! my counter would be full of little, snapped ends if i blow dried, ever!! i gave mine away early in the game. I also gave up 'cones. I couldn't believe my fine hair would look so much thicker after a few weeks 'cone free, and not need the protection, but it was true! the 'cones just weighted it down, and didn't really give me enough protection to compensate for what i thought i needed to do to "fluff it up" (i.e., product - mousse - lots of it!) when i was using them. Last, i started using castor oil. Dunno why, but it fluffs up my hair, making it thicker and juicy. My superfine hair has nearly gone over into the medium category with 1) no combing, brushing, or touching, 2) no 'cones 3) castor oil, most of length (not scalp, too greasy). HT

[Tovah]

Thank you everyone!

I use a leave in conditioner-Ojon. Coconut oil weighs my hair down too much, but sometimes I do an overnight treatment with it. I have no tangles when wet, as I said the comb slides right through. Last night I gave myself a deep treatment with Ojon and braided it while still damp (didn't get to sleep till 2AM!) I just took out the braid and it feels good, and of course, no tangles.

I gave up cones and hair dryers last year at this time. I'm wondering if it's due to the minerals in my water. I guess I will just be determined not to wear my hair down at all. Well, maybe for special occasions. DH loves it down, but I'm sure if I explain how damaging that is to my hair, I'm sure he will understand. OK, done rambling.

BTW, how does castor oil make the length thicker?

[MissManda]

I know some fine-hairs who have had great success with the CO method. If you haven't tried it yet, you might want to give it some thought. I am currently experimenting with CO and have found that my hair is actually less tangly but is not weighed down. Some people find that CO weighs their hair down too much, but I haven't experienced this problem as of yet.

I agree that maybe you should lightly oil your hair while it is damp to help you get through your tangles. Jojoba oil is pretty light and I think sweet almond oil is light as well (please correct me if I am wrong!).

I don't recommend you use 'cones because I've noticed that they tend to make finely-textured hair very flat, stringy, oily, and sometimes more tangly. But then again, everyone's hair is unique and a cone-y detangling serum might work for you if used in the proper amount for your hair.

Best wishes. :) Hope that helps.

[Felix_D]

I have very fine hair as well. The "softness" of my hair has drastically increased in the last few months due to the following routine:

CO wash daily with Giovanni's TTT conditioner (http://www.amazon.com/Giovanni-Invigorating-Shampoo-8-5-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B001ET788S).
Night before shampoo, wet hair with hot water, apply generous amount of TTT conditioner, leave in overnight.
Once weekly shampoo with Emu Oil Shampoo bar (http://www.natural.ca/products/shampoo-bar-esp). I flip my hair upside down and slowly massage it in from the hairline gradually working up to the top of the crown. It usually takes 5 "handfuls" of lather from the bar to clean.
Once dry, I like to dip the tip of my finger in extra-virgin olive oil, rub it between my hands until hot, and loosely run it through my hair.

None of this helps with the thickness or my out-of-control waves, but my hair is so soft I just want to curl up in it and fall asleep.

[girlcat36]

My hair is fine thin and fragile. I had a terrible time with tangling until I gave up cones.
My routine:
I detangle my hair with a Tangle Teezer, then apply any VO5 moisturizing condish to my length while it is still dry. I leave that on while I get ready for my shower.
To wash my hair I add a drop of organic shampoo to about 16oz of water in a squeeze bottle.
In the shower I pour the shampoo/water mixture through my hair, let it sit a few minutes, then rinse.
I then apply a generous amount of Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner to my length(finger combing it in), and leave that in. I let my hair drip dry--no touching.
Even though I am a curly, I do not use product to encourage my curls. I find that on my fine hair it causes more tangling and frizziness.

[MissManda]

Oh, one other thing that I have observed: Cold water rinses seem to really help with tangles, especially if I have combed my conditioner-covered hair.