Unusually tangly hair?

[bluesnowflake]

So we have the swimming unit in gym, and I've noticed my hair tangles WAY more than others'. It's weird- I'm the only one that braids my hair while I swim and one of the only one to use conditioner. I put a bunch on, and yet my hair is still way tangled. It takes me half an hour + to detangle- I use leave-in and everything! I comb my hair thoroughly before I shower normally, but it still tangles substantially. I have to comb it at least 3 times a day just to keep it reasonably neat! Is it just because my hair is longer than theirs? ( The longest among them is a little shy of BSL). My hair isn't damaged beyond normal weathering- I don't use heat or other damaging styles. Does anyone else's hair tangle this much? What might be causing it? Thanks :)

[little_cherry]

It sounds like you're getting build up from the chlorine. Do you wet your hair prior to swimming? There have been other people with similar issues to yours and Ktani suggests a club soda rinse.

[bluesnowflake]

Thanks! I'll try that. Unfortunately, it hasn't just been tangled since the swimming unit- it's always tangled easily.

[Wish]

Do you use leave-in conditioner? Or, maybe using coconut oil...might give you some extra slip

[pepperminttea]

I have the same problem; chlorine just turns my hair to straw. :( I break out the moisture treatments which helps a bit, and saturating your hair with water in the shower first really helps me. On the off chance it's just the ends that are tangling, I normally find that's my hair telling me to trim.

[torrilin]

Is your hair more on the super-slippery side, or more on the stays put side?

Mine is definitely on the slippery side (to the great amusement of the rest of my knitting group... they tend to laugh themselves silly at my idea of misbehaving hair). If I comb out my hair and want it to stay detangled, I need to style it very tightly. Firm braids or buns with lots of twist and tension to hold them together. But... if I start out with nice detangled hair, it'll be nice when I take it down. For about 5 minutes at least!

Mine also needs more moisture than pretty much anyone would even dream is possible. If I want comfortable hair that is possible to detangle, I really need to be careful. Some kinds of conditioner and shampoo may feel nice or smell nice, but they don't actually work for my hair and I end up with a tangled mess.

[Chiara]

Swimming pool water can have chemicals in it that deliberately makes hair form 'balls' as this is easier to clean up. This can have a baaad effect if your hair is tangle-tending. My hair does love to tangle (although it had improved dramatically since I cut to shampooing once a week with only WO or CO in between). So I know how you feel- I once gave up on combing my hair out after a swim, it was such a mess. I just somehow jammed it in a ponytail and then coated it with condition when dry, and combed it out.

[little_cherry]

How often do you clarify followed by a deep moisture treatment?

[bluesnowflake]

I clarify once a week and haven't tried a DCT yet- I do leave my conditioner on for about 15 mins usually, and I've been meaning to try a DCT.

[Anje]

Leave-in conditioner seems to contribute to tangles for me. Not sure why, but it does. Have you ever tried going without?

You might want to try a swim cap for the unit in gym class. Swimming just seems to encourage long hair to tangle, and if you can reduce the friction and waving around in the water, you'll have less to deal with when you get out. They also have the nice side effect of preventing you from inhaling your hair when you turn your head for a breath during crawl, and help keep you from ending up with a curtain of hair washed over your face during butterfly.

[feb26]

I find my hair, too, is very slippy and tangly. (it's a fine hair thing). I found ponytails to be much better than braids for tangles...wet the hair and coat with leave in, you should be ok afterwards.