Dry, tangled, knotty ends!

[letterstodes]

Help.
This winter has been rough on my hair and lately it has been getting worse and worse. I`m not really sure what to do. I take care of my hair, no blow drying, plenty of conditioning, braids when I sleep to avoid a mess. It seems that throughout the day my hair (mostly towards my ends) just gets tangled in places and get little knots here and there (painful when discovering this whilst running my fingers through my hair). The ends just seems dry. I`m going to give myself a little trim this weekend to clean up the ends a bit but I`m just a bit pouty about it. Anyone else have this trouble during winter (or any specific season)? Tips? Tricks? I started telling myself that maybe I need an actual trim since it has been about a year but I do not like going to hair dressers. I`ll try to manage on my own. Meh. :confused:

[Angel_099]

What method of washing do you use? I have recently started using Chagrin valley shampoo bars and my hair is so soft and tangles come out much more easily than they had in the past. I don't use conditioner now either, just and ACV rinse and my hair loves it! : )

[sunnyhope]

I think all long hair needs conditioner, when you shampoo the hair it opens the hair shaft and for them to be close the hair does need conditioner, even if you only use a spray leave in one.

if you dont do that your hair will be a lot more fragile and open to get more damaged...

[Angel_099]

Hmmm...from what I've gathered the ACV works as a natural conditioner and many who use it don't use conditioner or use a lot less. The ACV closes the shaft.

[monsterna]

Have you tried a clarifying shampoo?

ETA: Yes, I have the same kind of hair. It's pretty awful at the ends sometimes. I'm really hoping it's from past highlight and heat damage and it's growing out soon enough. If you have any previous damage, that could be a culprit, too. I haven't had a hair cut or trim since Dec. 09 (same time I got highlights on shorter hair). Have you tried S&D (search and destroy)? Just sit down with some sharp HAIR CUTTING scissors (that haven't been used for anything else and shouldn't be for anything but hair), and manually going through the hairs and snipping off split ends and damage. This is how I get out of doing trims, which I am avoiding like the plague.

[Madora]

Do you thoroughly comb out your hair every day with a wide tooth comb?

You might also try adding a little coconut oil to the last 2 inches of your ends.

Wearing your hair up will also help protect your ends and avoid problems with tangles.

[Anje]

I'd suggest that you start by clarifying your hair.

Use undiluted shampoo (preferably a clarifying shampoo) all the way to the ends. Maybe wash twice, just to make sure all the gunk is off. Follow up with some good conditioning, lots of moisture.

99% of the time, that fixes dry angry ends that get worse despite conditioning.

[CarpeDM]

My hair is a tangled knotty mess if I don't put it up or braid it...

[Annalouise]

It sounds to me like you probably need a trim.:) I couldn't go a year without a trim and have tangle-free ends. I can only go a maximum of about 6 months. And its better for my hair if I trim it every 2-3 months just to even up the ends. I find it helps a lot.

Madora gave me this link for how to trim your own hair:
http://community.livejournal.com/feyeselftrim/

[HairColoredHair]

Definitely try a clarify and deep condition (in that order) before you do anything drastic. ;)

Usually with my ends too much of a good thing (conditioning, oils, etc) results in 'dry' tangly hair that acts like Velcro and knots together.

[enfys]

Clarify then take a good hard look at your ends. Are they split? Really only trimming will help that. If they aren't split a deep treatment may salvage them.

If you don't already wear your hair up, I recommend it. Even a braid will help stop tangles appearing through the day. There are styles in the articles that cater to every length.

[trillian]

I like a dollop of mayonnaise on my hair occasionally during the winter. Rub in the ends, and rinse. I also will occasionally use flat beer.

Good luck!

[insomniac-uk]

I have the same problem :( The last 2 times I washed my hair I used a few drops of coconut oil as a leave in conditioner, its made my hair feel less dry and easier to brush. I'm hoping that this will improve my hair's condition over time.

[Cupofmilk]

I was really fed up with my horrid ends recently. So I tried SMT. And wow - my hair now looks pretty amazing. I did clarify first and now I am going to SMT once a week and use coconut oil on my ends

[letterstodes]

Thanks to everyone who responded.
Question- What is SMT? (as mentioned by one user)
I will give my ends a trim tonight although I see no splits (maybe one or two here and there). I used some coconut oil on my ends last night and they feel a bit better. I think I need to start wearing my hair up. I almost never do. I braid before bed of course but leave it loose during the day. Will have to experiment with buns, clips, and hairsticks as I have never been one to put my hair back/up so it`ll take some getting used to. Going to browse the site for styling ideas/ up dos! :)

[Cupofmilk]

SMT is snowy's moisture treatment. I am sorry I should have given you this link

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128

It really is worth a try after clarifying. Good luck

[Alvrodul]

I also have such a problem with my ends - or had. In my case, it is a matter of damaged ends - mainly the remains of old chemical damage.
Trimming and S&Ding is taking care of that. But I also strongly recomment Nightblooming's Panacea - that has worked wonders for my ends!