Help? Unbraiding causing tangles.

[shrimp]

(not sure that is an actual word :ponder:)

I have braiding down no problem and braid for bed every night, of late however when undoing my braid in the morning I seem to be causing quite a few tangles. These are defintely tangles which are from undoing the braid rather than tangles I'm coming across from putting the braid in.

Obviously I'm starting form the bottom up (is there another way) and going slowly. Does anyone have any tips?

Is this just another inevitable stumbling block on the road to classic (with fairytale ends)?

TIA :flower:

[spidermom]

When I had dry, thin ends, they would knot up easily. My blunt ends don't. So yes -- I think this is a part of having untrimmed ends. Perhaps dampen and put a bit more oil on the ends as you braid down. Have you tried wrapping a bit of ribbon or strip of cloth around the ends before you secure the bottom of the braid? This has made a huge difference to me; it prevents the end-kink.

[Gumball]

I agree with spidermom about how untrimmed and slightly more frazzly ends can tangle themselves up. I also notice that sometimes when I braid I accidentally get small sections from one strand and they get switched into new sections part of the way through the braiding process when I'm switching hands and regripping the sections. That causes them to be a little awkward position-wise when I'm undoing the braid and can sometimes get tangly, too. A little oil really can help. I hope you find something that works for you! Of course my hair's also curly so sometimes hairs just like to wind around each other anyway.

[shrimp]

Thanks both!

My ends aren't dry at all shockingly they are as soft and happy as the rest, I s&d them and trim the second they need it so it's not a velcro ends problem. I oil post wash and every day too.

The tangling is more towards the middle of my hair than at the ends (sorry - I should have made that more clear in my initial post)

I think gumball may have something with the stray strands idea as I guess I don't actually start seperating the hair out all the way down the length until I'm about 10 inches from the ends :ponder:

[spidermom]

Oh yes, it sounds like you've nailed it. When I'm braiding my hair, I run one hand down the strands frequently to make sure that everything is still separated. It does tend to cross up if I don't watch it.

[Ursula]

What are you doing as you unbraid?

I suggest two things.

First, detangle your hair before you braid. No need to start with tangles.

Second, comb through your hair as you unbraid. Begin by combing out the tassel. Then take out the elastic, and comb the ends. Undo a couple of twists, comb. Undo a few more, and comb. Continue until the braid is undone, then comb down the whole length.

Apply a touch of oil or detangling spray as needed.

This helps ensure you don't get a bunch of small tangles worked together into one big mess.

[Nevermore]

I have a theory about braiding and braid waves contributing to tangles, it may or may not be right, but it's what I've been thinking as I've been combing out my hair in the morning.

When I slept with it loose, it would sometimes get a big knot, but mostly it was just fine. Now that I'm braiding for the night, the morning comb out involves tangles that seem to form AFTER the braid is undone, in the tangle-free braided sections. I think the braid waves are conflicting with my own natural waves, so that my hair doesn't lay right and just...tangles up instead of falling into its own pattern.

That said, it may have something to do with the floaty-cleanness CO has been giving me lately and that wet bunning seems to keep my hair cleaner overall, because oily hair does just fine.

[CopperHead]

I have to be very careful to make sure each of the three strands is very smooth and brushed out or I will have tangles in the morning. It only takes a stray hair or two to ruin the whole thing.

[blue_nant]

I have the most trouble when I'm not paying attention, HTH. Mine happen most often in the last/bottom 14 inches.

I am *constantly* grabbing hair from one strand to add to the other as I braid, and it doesn't seem to make a difference, to me, to where it tangles.

But then again, early morning and late evening: I'm half asleep.

[OR Cowgirl]

I second what Ursula said. Combing as I go helps alot!

[spidermom]

I don't like combing out hair that has been braided. Mine gets too fluffy. A lot of times, I just take the tie off and let my braid unwind itself. The waves come out a lot prettier.

[Nynaeve]

The only things that I have found help me are to make sure my hair is completely tangle-free before I braid, put a tiny bit of oil in before I braid, put a tiny bit of it in as I start to unbraid, and sometimes I have to take a BBB or comb to my hair as I unbraid if I've left it in too long through too much activity.

[shrimp]

You mean I have to comb my hair twice a day!!!!! :scared: :run:

A very good point which I'd completely overlooked there, I do have a habit of braiding last thing at night after taking down my bun and not combing properly (errrmmm if at all). Bad shrimp, bad!

I like the idea of combing as you unbraid - I'll give that a go, though like spidermom brushing out braid waves leads to big poofy hair for me (but I oil striaght after, then put straight up, so it's not so much of an issue).

Thanks all!

[aisling]

Detangling before braiding is probably a good idea :) I've noticed recently that my braids don't come out as easily as before as well, finger combing after opening every "bump" seems to be a good idea. If I just loosen the braid without doing anything to the ends, they tangle, but already finger combing seems to help a lot and if you're a wavy/curly, I think finger combing is a good way to prevent the hair from fluffing up.

[shrimp]

For some reason I just can't get to like finger combing - it feels wrong somehow :ponder:
I occaisionally do it before combing in the mornings. Maybe I should try getting to like it more by practising at night.

I will make sure I comb before braiding, I've been working till late recently and just kind of falling into bed, it's a miracle I manage to braid at all some nights.

[shrimp]

update

I was good last night and detangled before nightbraiding.

This mornign I took things very slowly combing while unbraiding and it was so much better! It took a littl elonger overall, but it also seemed to reduced the dreaded combed out braid waves :magic:poof:magic:

Thanks! :flower: