Is it possible to have such thick hair that...

[catarinalaree]

...that water and hair products have a hard time getting to the back of my head? Whenever I shower, I use up so much water just to get it wet and then I waste huge amounts of shampoo and conditioner and when it comes to washing out I never manage to get all the conditioner out which is gross. I literally spend more than 7 minutes trying to rinse out conditioner and it still manages to gather up grossly on the back of my head....

Once, I was at a water park and as I went down the ride I got thrust forward, so the back of my hair was all wet but as I flipped my hair back it was dry at the top! How is that even possible, everyone was soaking wet! All I'm saying is that my hair is just BSL almost midback and I'm already having a hard time managing it (some people might not find it that thick, it's just coarse and rebellious) I don't know if I could handle longer hair. Help?

[CurlyCap]

Yep. Mine is like that.

One of the reasons I hate getting my hair washed at the beauty parlor is that they never wash my entire head. Despite saying "My hair isn't wet. My hair isn't wet," they continue as if it were and I end up going home and doing the whole thing over again.

But love your thick hair. At least when you get older, thinning will be less of a problem!

[pepperminttea]

I had the same problem at my last house; the shower was low pressure and I used to have to brush my hair in the shower to get water down to the roots (pre-LHC, wouldn't brush wet now!). I have a much higher pressure shower here, which makes life so much easier.

Not helpful I know, but just to say; you're not alone. :)

[Signe]

Maybe try washing with your head upside-down, body bent at the waist, parting your hair at the center and letting it hang down in front. This exposes way more scalp to the water and will make rinsing easier.
Either that or you could try doing a mermaid soak by filling a bucket up with a bit of water and dunking your head in, then using a cup to pour water over the nape in back.

[Artsy]

I don't have super thick hair, but I also noticed that with some showers I had that problem. I've become very picky about showerheads:D. I now like only the ones where you can change waterpressure and you can hold in your hand. However, sometimes I stay over at someone else's house, I just rinse the front and then flip and rinse the back

[Niwa]

Yes, it is possible and that is how my hair is. I must part my hair into 6-10 sections before washing/detangling or only the top of my hair will see any product. :laugh: Powerful showerheads are also a must or I will be rinsing for an hour. On top of it all, my hair takes forever to dry at the roots, middle, and back. I wouldn't give up my thickness for anything though. I can do any style as a result and my hair stops traffic when I brush it out and wear it down.

[LornaDoone]

I have that problem. If I just stand under the shower with my hair down my back, it can take about ten minutes before my hair is entirely wet. This is how I deal with it:

I part my hair down the middle all the way to my neck and wash my hair one half at a time. Even then, I still use my fingers to further part my hair temporarily to get the difficult spots like behind my ears. I use a wide tooth comb in the shower while rinsing to make sure I am rinsing all the way to the roots.

It still takes me a while to wash my hair; which is why I only wash the length about once a week. :)

[MandyBeth]

Yup! I give up and wash my hair in sections. Top right, top left, nape. Also, best friend for the shower is a shower comb and a Tangle Teezer to work through my hair, so thus the shampoo gets rinsed out all the way. If I leave it uncombed, it just doesn't rinse nice.

[SolSara]

You already have some good advice, I just have one more that I found helped me a great deal. If you have a shower nozzle that is removable from the tube, try doing that and hold the tube against your head. It will use more water, but your hair will soak and rinse so much faster that it probably evens it out in the end. I also use my fingers a lot to separate the hair slightly at the scalp as I rinse, so it will reach everywhere. :)

[Intransigentia]

Another thing to do is dilute your shampoo/conditioner/etc so that it will be runnier, and put it in a squeeze bottle with a narrow tip. Then you can stick the nozzle through your canopy hair right down to the scalp and get the shampoo where you need it. Also because the shampoo or conditioner is already extra runny, it will be easier to rinse.

[MissManda]

Yes, i have that problem, too. There was one time when I'd shampooed my hair and I thought that I had gotten my whole head clean. I needed to go somewhere that day, so when my DBF was detangling my hair for me, he said that my hair was still dry. I didn't believe him until I went to feel the underlayers of hair and about a third of it was perfectly dry, not even damp.

I just do what some of the others have suggested and section my hair. I also find it helpful to kind of gently dig my fingers through the thick of my hair to my scalp and kind of lift the roots of my hair up and out when I wash and rinse. This keeps me from having to divide into even more sections and ensures that the products get to all my hair and get rinsed thoroughly.

[PrincessBob]

My hair was the same way when it was shorter- no joke. it actually became easier to wash and manage with length. Some things that may help is to section your hair with a split down the middle of your head front and back, then be sure to try to moisten your hair thoroughly before applying S&C, washing only one side at a time. I also go through a ton of water, though. Do you have a bathtub? you may want to mermaid soak (lay with your hair just floating in the water around you for a little while after you've washed(this will break up remaining S&C).

[UltraBella]

I do not have this problem and my hair is extremely thick. My shower head is pretty powerful and my hair gets soaked quickly. Someone said it takes their head ten minutes to get wet....is your shower merely a trickle ??? Water pressure can make a huge difference but that much of a difference is bizarre.

[BlazingHeart]

I have trouble like that. The only thing that helps for me is sectioning my hair - I do about 6 vertical sections to get everything wet, and repeat them for rinses. It's the only way I can get everything out and get my scalp clean. If I'm in a hurry, I fill up a big cup with water and pour it over my head slowly, cupping my other hand against my head to catch the water, which helps it penetrate. Dunking your head in a bucket or tub of water will get a similar effect, but my hair is so heavy when dunked that straightening up from that hurts my neck and back.

What happens to me is that the top layer of the hair gets wet and then water starts sheeting down it rather than penetrating it. I can walk in light rain without getting my scalp wet because my hair sheds water so well. Some animals have coats like that, where the top layer keeps the underlayers dry.

~Blaze

[spidermom]

If you have a tub, you could wash your hair by laying back in the water to wet it. It's easier to spread shampoo if you shake it up in about 1/2 cup of warm water so that you can squirt it all over your scalp (save a conditioner or shampoo bottle after it's empty). Use conditioner only from about neck level down. And you can rinse using a pitcher in the tub, either sitting upright or bending forward. It hurts my neck to bend forward, so I don't do it often.

[princessp]

Yes this is the case for a lot of us here. You just have to wash both sides.

[McFearless]

I don't really have this problem. Its easier to wet all of your hair if you divide it into two sections and bring each over one shoulder. Then apply your shampoo or conditioner that way. You'll get better coverage and less tangling.

[Ligeia_13]

I have this problem and I'm not even in the thickest category.

I put the shower head on top of me to wet the top and front, then I bend over so the water hits the back of my head. Then divide into sections :P

I've also never been able to use the suggested amount of shampoo ( back in the day when I used it ). Again, I had to apply some and lather up the front and then bend over to lather up the rest. And of course rinse off the same way.

My hair is freakin heavy when its wet too. I *thunks* on my back :rolleyes:

[ratgirldjh]

I have this problem and my hair doesn't seem very thick to me. However I have fine hair just a lot of it!!! I can almost never get the entire top back section roots or scalp oiled - and the only way that works is to pour a bit of oil under my hair! I have short hair (bob) right now and still have this problem! Also when washing I have to really concentrate on this section and make sure it really gets wet and cleaned or later find either oil or clay particles stuck here (I've been using clay to wash). I often find that after washing my hair that this section is still dry underneath! The water didn't even get to my scalp! ugh... Seemed that when my hair was longer that this was not as much of a problem. I have also had a LOT of new growth lately and I'm wondering if this is what has thickened up my hair... before I cut it - it didn't feel so thick everywhere. My pony is thicker now and its only been a couple of months since I cut my hair! But I still can't get all my hair into the pony tail and even so - it has actually outgrown a few of my hair elastics that I used to use when I had longer hair!!! very weird!!! (but good) :D

eta: guess I will have to try sectioning my hair or washing with my head straight up (I wash in the sink) because my hair might be too short to section right now... but seriously I have the dry underneath thing going on quite a bit lately and don't remember this happening when my hair was longer! :confused:

[Impulsive]

I have trouble wetting my hair, too. I've found that if I put conditioner on it and work it in a little and then rinse (and then begin my wash routine), it will become soaked much quicker than if I just stand under the water.

[slo2gro]

Yes it is. My hair is not that long but is thick n can be difficult that way. It is layered a lot now n so is a lot easier than it was but when it was longer n all one length I had a hard time with it. I had to have it thinned out a lot for this reason. Little did I know then thou that things like hair type n different types of damage play a role n lil things could have helped me a lot anyhow, I do understand.

[Delila]

Would diluting your shampoo be a help?

I like it, because I can squirt the mixture on the top of my head and feel it trickling down my scalp, so I know the shampoo's gotten where it needs to go.

I use a ratio of 7 parts water, 1 part shampoo, and put it in an old dishwashing liquid soap bottle with a flip top. Easy to hold and use even when wet.

[Megz]

I think it can be thickness, buildup (product/mineral), water type/quality, water pressure, hair porosity, etc. can all be issues. I try clipping half of my hair up when I'm applying products, including in the shower while rinsing. Wet comb has been helping a bit.

[ericthegreat]

I've actually had this happen with my hair as well, and I'm pretty much damn near close to being 1a! If I find myself caught in a quick thunderstorm without an umbrella, I really don't have to worry all that much because it will take some considerable time before all the rain water collects sufficiently to really wet all my hair. Usually the water will actually seem to slide off the top surface of my hair!

I also need to use a high pressured showerhead. The shower I have at home is perfect, you can adjust it to several different pressure settings. I always set my showerhead on the high massage setting, one because I like to feel the pressure of the water hitting my scalp, and two I can really feel the water being able to thoroughly clean my scalp and hair.

[pink.sara]

I find if I just stand there under the shower water kind of slides off the top layers and takes ages to wet the bottom layers so I just squish it together! With a decent water pressure and shower head it's no problem although I do find making sure I've rinsed all the conditioner out a bit of a pain.

[blue_nant]

Another thing to do is dilute your shampoo/conditioner/etc so that it will be runnier, and put it in a squeeze bottle with a narrow tip. Then you can stick the nozzle through your canopy hair right down to the scalp and get the shampoo where you need it. Also because the shampoo or conditioner is already extra runny, it will be easier to rinse.

This squeeze bottle is a great idea! I dilute my shampoo about 1:4 (shampoo:water) in a pint Mason jar. Make sure it's mixed up well. It lathers better than straight shampoo, cleans well and is less trouble to wash out.


I have trouble like that. The only thing that helps for me is sectioning my hair ... I fill up a big cup with water and pour it over my head slowly, cupping my other hand against my head to catch the water, which helps it penetrate. ~Blaze

I section from the nape upward, in a several sections to get wet. I also do not have thick hair. We are also at the end of the water line on our street and our water pressure can be ... unimpressive ... most times.

You are not alone!

[09robiha]

...that water and hair products have a hard time getting to the back of my head? Whenever I shower, I use up so much water just to get it wet and then I waste huge amounts of shampoo and conditioner and when it comes to washing out I never manage to get all the conditioner out which is gross. I literally spend more than 7 minutes trying to rinse out conditioner and it still manages to gather up grossly on the back of my head....

Once, I was at a water park and as I went down the ride I got thrust forward, so the back of my hair was all wet but as I flipped my hair back it was dry at the top! How is that even possible, everyone was soaking wet! All I'm saying is that my hair is just BSL almost midback and I'm already having a hard time managing it (some people might not find it that thick, it's just coarse and rebellious) I don't know if I could handle longer hair. Help?

yes it is possible!! I have to split my hair horizontally in two to get the underneath when i wash it otherwise the bottom layers would never even get touched by water even though i have fine hair theres just so much of it! the easiest way i have found is to do each part seperatly (clip them both up when i get in the shower, then let the bottom part down, shampoo, conditon, rinse well...then let the next part down and repeat) maybe four sections would work even better for you??
I also seconds the high pressure shower head, this made a huge differance when i moved.

[Clem_Dela]

I have this problem too! and when i do a prewash condition it takes FOREVER to shampoo the stuff out...