tangly ends

[julliams]

My hair is just past BSL, wavy and I airdry it. My last trim was April 2010 so not that long ago but my ends are getting really tangly. I wanted to go a whole year without trimming to see how much growth I could get and I still intend to do this.

I S&D every other day and I constantly find bent ends (some all bent at different angles which I believe is causing the tangles) and splits both of which I cut of course.

It just seems like I put in a leave in, it feels fine for about an hour and then they just get tangly again. I know the solution is to trim but I'm pretty committed to growing until next April which is only just over 5 months away.

Should I just braid and forget about it? Use oil on the ends? Updos until April?

My ultimate goal is waist length so I'm not all that far away but there are some layers to catch up. When I trim in April it will be to my waist (whatever the "overhang", if any) plus a little trim of my layers just to even them out and make them blend a little more.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5049626787_0accd1f22b.jpg

[Astarte_1980]

I always use a tangler spray from Gliss Kur it really helped me.
Oil can also be a solution

[Pierre]

Do you usually wear it up or down?

[Sundial]

Sorry, I don't think I will be of much help because I have that 'bent hair' issue too. But I noticed that I get more of them when I bun too tightly. I don't know if that is a contributing factor.

Will be keeping an eye on this thread ;)

[Jezerellica]

Wait! Wait!! Before you trim that beautiful hair. I had the same problem and some seasoned LHCrs advised me to try an ACV rinse to remove build up. Yes indeed, it saved my ends!! Hope it will help you too. I LOVE all the things I have learned here!! = )

[chopandchange]

Do you wear it loose to air-dry?

If so, that might be part of the problem. Plaiting or bunning it would probably be better.

Otherwise, it may just need a trim. My ends get tangly frequently and I just trim them.

Trimming = slower progress, but in my opinion healthier shorter hair is better than damaged longer hair.

If you're one of those die-hard no-trimmers, you'll just have to live with the tangles you get as a result.

Edit: oh, yes, Clarifying. The person above just pointed that out. Hope that sorts it for you!

[julliams]

I wear my hair up for work (about 15 hours a week) and then I tend to take it out when I'm home or just going to the shops/picking up kids etc. So I would say a mixture of both. I do find more bent ends when I bun which I find strange as I'm very careful when I put my hair up.

I do regularly massage my roots and run my hands through my hair, but I have always done this and it hasn't really been a problem before.

Maybe I just need to braid my hair and leave it. I don't know if because I have more length now it's getting caught in things more (like bag, seat belt etc) and this could be a contributing factor. :shrug:

In regards as to how I dry? I used to airdry it out. In the last month or so I have been letting it dry for about an hour and then bunning or braiding and leaving it overnight. If I were to put it in a bun or braid wet, it would not dry for a whole day. Even with this method it's still wet when I take it out 12 hours later.

[Blandine]

I'd try oil. Just a drop. Works miracles on mine, and it is a quick and easy method which requires neither cutting nor shopping to try - start with whatever oil you have at hand.
You may have to try a few different oils to find which works best.

[julliams]

I had tried an ACV rinse before and didn't notice anything different but I might give it a go again. Maybe all the leave-ins, oils etc are causing the ends to get a bit sticky and I might have some build-up there.

Ok, so the plan is I'll clarify, do an SMT for about an hour, finish with an ACV rinse and won't use a leave in and see how it goes.

[podo]

I have this too, and I tend to find that it's an issue with splits further up the shaft than just the ends. Every time I do a serious S&D where I look along the whole of the length I'm utterly tangle-less for days.

The bent ends can be caused by braiding (or updos I suppose) while hair is damp - you know how when you twist and turn the hair some of it sort of sticks out (not the ends) in little curls or bumps down the length. It's just because the hair isn't straight and smooth, and isn't usually a problem on dry hair. This will make your ends especially bend. Also, when you tie off your braid, tie it high and push it down a touch - that makes it flatten any strangeness underneath.

Hope this helps.. good luck!

[Carolyn]

Have you done a clarifying wash? I would say try that followed by a nice moisturizing SMT.

[GRU]

Do you wear it loose to air-dry?

If so, that might be part of the problem. Plaiting or bunning it would probably be better.

I'm always in awe of how many people here can do that. If my hair isn't TOTALLY loose, I don't think it would EVER dry! Even loose, my hair will take anywhere from 5-12 hours to dry completely through! :shrug: It's funny how we all have hair, but it's all so DIFFERENT from everyone else's hair!

[kitschy]

I'm always in awe of how many people here can do that. If my hair isn't TOTALLY loose, I don't think it would EVER dry! Even loose, my hair will take anywhere from 5-12 hours to dry completely through! :shrug: It's funny how we all have hair, but it's all so DIFFERENT from everyone else's hair!


Yeah mine takes hours to dry...and another thing, I can never run my fingers through my hair without causing a knot - just not gonna happen no matter what shape my ends are in.

[growing2shine]

I don't know if the leave-ins you use contains cones, because then a clarifying wash sounds like a possible solution. Followed by the SMT.

And your hair looks great!

[Alexannee10]

When my ends are tangly, I just use olive oil daily during maybe 2 weeks, and normally, this help !

[Sundial]

I have this too, and I tend to find that it's an issue with splits further up the shaft than just the ends. Every time I do a serious S&D where I look along the whole of the length I'm utterly tangle-less for days.

The bent ends can be caused by braiding (or updos I suppose) while hair is damp - you know how when you twist and turn the hair some of it sort of sticks out (not the ends) in little curls or bumps down the length. It's just because the hair isn't straight and smooth, and isn't usually a problem on dry hair. This will make your ends especially bend. Also, when you tie off your braid, tie it high and push it down a touch - that makes it flatten any strangeness underneath.

Hope this helps.. good luck!

Yeah! It does happen more when I damp bun so now I make sure that my hair is dry before I put it up, and I try to keep the bun as loose as possible. Tight braids also cause weird kinks along the length

[julliams]

Update - I couldn't clarify as the whole bottle was out so I used a mild shampoo, did an SMT for an hour and did an ACV rinse.

Same results as before - ACV makes my hair a little fluffy. But the tanglyness was gone - great. I was bored on the couch so I brushed through my hair turning it into a bit of a frizz. Went looking for a leave in to make it settle a little - got Phyto 7 (my latest leave in) and put it in my hair. INSTANT TANGLES!!! So that's what it was. The Phyto 7 was making my hair tangly - it must leave a sticky residue that my hair doesn't like????

So I've had to condition my hair again (didn't like to wash it for the second time today) put in my normal Giovanni leave in that I know works for me and leaving it to dry. I'll test for tanglyness again tomorrow. If there's none, I know for sure it is the Phyto 7.

Annoying because I had bought 2 tubes - doh! I guess I can always sell the unopened one and get my daughter to try the opened one to see if it works for her.

[Dragon]

Glad you found what was causing it :)