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Eirene
October 21st, 2011, 08:41 AM
Hi,

I'm still a newbie to this forum and I'm a little overwhelmed by all these useful informations. I've looked for an answer to my question, but got lost :D

Anyway, here it is : I've got fine, thin hair and breakage issues at the ends (this seems to be common for fine-haired people judging from what I read here). I think I'm increasing the damage when detangling. Here's what I usually do : I detangle right after washing, when still wet/damp (I'm 2 weels into WO and this already made detangling easier). I start on top of my head and the gently comb down to the ends. I really try to be as gentle as I can and use a wide-toothed comb, but in the end it more or less boils down to having all the tangles concentrated in the few last centimeters, and then it gets hard not to damage anything...

Do you awesome LHCers have any advice ? TIA ! :blossom:

moxamoll
October 21st, 2011, 09:03 AM
I've seen people advocate for detangling both when wet and when dry, so I think that's just up to experimentation. Let's see what the others say.

However, I do think that it's better to start at the bottom of the length and work your way up (carefully, of course!) when working out the tangles.

heidi w.
October 21st, 2011, 09:10 AM
Detangle in the opposite direction, from the bottom up, getting rid of tangles as you slowly and carefully work your way up. This seems odd, at first; but in time, you'll get it.

What you're effectively doing is moving the tangles down and thereby increasing knots in the lower/lowest lengths of hair that are very hard to get out.

Keep using a comb.

You might consider detangling, if you must detangle while wet, as in sopping wet, not merely damp, in the shower while your hair is coated with conditioner, and dipping over & over again the comb in conditioner, as needed, re-coating the comb with conditiooner constantly, and also use the shower water to help detangle. This may help to minimimze damage as well.

Consider detangling enough to rather organize the hair while damp, and then address detangling as your hair gets drier and drier until it's all dry and you can pristinely detangle then.

Generally curly/wavy/body haired folks MUST detangle while wet or they will result in a big kind of poof effect once dry. If you're straight haired, as I am, then you can detangle in steps or phases. That's how I do it.

I also found a great conditioner that improves detangling efforts because it makes the hair slicker and easier to get through after washing the hair. It's not a product line that I'm allowed to discuss on LHC, unfortunately.

If you have a lot of trouble with tangles, consider using a detangle spray. They do help, and they're not just for kiddies.

Do not confuse fine with thin hair. I have fine hair and one strand, by itself, is so thin that it's difficult to see that strand in daylight, but collectively I do not have thin hair. I have a fair amount of volume.

I hope this helps you out,
heidi w.

PS. I also discovered that most combs will not get through my hair's thickness/volume. I eventually ordered an extra-wide, wide tooth comb, and that made detangling with a comb a whole lot easier.

Also, I wash my detangle hair comb whenever I wash my hair so as to not re-introduce guk from former times into freshly cleaned hair and scalp skin.

FYI.

Welcome to LHC, too!

StormVixen
October 21st, 2011, 09:11 AM
This (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=8) article might help...

heidi w.
October 21st, 2011, 09:11 AM
When hair is is fully sopping wet, the hair is fully swelled in diameter and in length. So detangling tends to stretch the hair beyond its maximum length. When it dries, it has a bit more room to stretch if need be, and tends to not break off so easily.

Just an additional FYI as to why reconsidering not detangling while wet may not be the best idea.

heidi w.

els23
October 21st, 2011, 02:51 PM
I find that finger combing first, before using a comb helps me a lot. I also have fine hair and I think my fingers do a better job of detangling gently and getting tricky knots out without breaking hairs.

Madora
October 21st, 2011, 03:01 PM
I've found that slathering my hair with conditioner, then gently detangling (using a wide tooth comb) and working from the bottom of the hair up to the roots is the gentlest way to go.

The secret to detangling is to take SMALL, thin, sections of hair to detangle and work slowly up the strand. Your hair is at its weakest when it is wet, so take it easy when detangling.

You can lessen your tangles during the shampooing/conditioning process depending on how you shampoo and how you manipulate your strands.

Yozhik
October 21st, 2011, 03:24 PM
If you could say what your hairtype was, and whether or not you have curls, this might help in determining whether it's better to detangle wet or dry.

A lot of straight-haired people I know can detangle dry, but I'm a wavy, so if I do that, I end up with a lot of frizz, and it's best if I do it either in the shower with tons of conditioner (if I want my hair to dry in curls) or out of the shower when my hair is still damp (if I want my hair to dry in waves).

Getting a good comb can help, too, and don't forget to gently detangle from ends to root. What I do is gently grab the last 3-5 inches in my hand, and with my other hand with the comb in it, gently comb downward. If I encounter a knot, I slide the comb out and try to pull it apart with my fingers.

Hope that helps, and welcome to the forum! :flower:

Oh, and it might be useful for you to check out the Very Important Threads (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=32573). It's a good starting point if you get overwhelmed by all of the threads. :)

frodolaughs
October 21st, 2011, 03:27 PM
I think most people find it least damaging to detangle from the bottom up. Whether it's better to do it wet, dry, or somewhere in the middle really varies from person to person.

snowfitness1
October 22nd, 2011, 04:20 AM
My hair is the queen of tangles, so I hope I can help with what I have found works best for me! :) I may have posted in your last post....not sure....but I was looking for it in order to make a correction this morning and can't seem to find it! Anyway, here are my golden must-haves and must-do's for my hair detangling regimen! (My hair is baby fine, but is wavy-ish...and tangles EXTREMELY easily..very long OR shoulder length!) Ialways brush out my hair before getting in the shower btw.

1) This is where I made a mistake in my prior post. I said my #1 tool is a Denman brush. It's actually a Mason Pearson 'The Detangler' brush!!! BEST THING EVER!!!! It's ridiculously expensive, but it's the best thing since sliced bread if you have tangly hair!! I am on my second one...and will ALWAYS own one. THE BEST!!! AND the thing is, you can use it on wet or dry hair. It's incredibly fabulous!!!!

2) Terax conditioner is my #1 come-to-the-rescue conditioner if I get a stubborn tangle. I mean, the kind you would pretty much have to cut out otherwise!! It happened just last night when I was in the shower....I was washing my neck and a group of stray hair was caught up in the scrubbing action and got completely ensnarled and tangled! It was even completely tangled up in my necklace! So I put just a tiny dab of the Terax on the snarl....and OMG...it was like MAGIC!!!! It completely released within miliseconds!!! I have tried a zillion conditioners, and this one is the ultimate!!! But I save it for situations like that. I use any good conditioner (right now the Damage Remedy stuff from Aveda is in my shower), and I always, ALWAYS comb it out while in the shower right after application of the conditioner. It's the easiest was to effectively get the tangles out for me...period.

Here is a link to where I purchase my brush:

http://www.folica.com/tools/hair-brushes/mason-pearson-detangler-nylon-brush-handy-size

And here is one for the conditioner:

http://www.folica.com/hair-care/hair-conditioners/terax-crema-ultra-moisturizing-daily-conditioner

Folica.com has proven to have excellent customer service, and they run specials all the time! SIgn up for their email and they'll send you coupon offers.:cheese:

I really hope this helps! :D

Eirene
October 22nd, 2011, 06:58 AM
Wow, thanks a lot everyone for all these useful answers ! :flower:

My hair really is fine and thin. I'm also a wavy/curly. I'd say my hair type is 2b-2c/F/i. I don't have a lot of hair, my ponytail is a little thicker than a pencil. The little I have is quite tangle-prone, and dry detangling not only kills my curls and makes my hair poofy, but it feels like torture :D So I'd rather stick with wet detangling. But I'll by all means try to detangle from the bottom up. And also try gently finger-combing first.

Thanks also for all these useful links ! snowfitness1, do you have straight or wavy hair ? This brush looks great, but isn't it meant for dry detangling/brushing ?

As to conditioner : well, I'm going WO since to weeks, but my hair really feels (and looks) conditioned by the sebum. This already made detangling a little easier than two weeks ago :)

Yozhik, your hair routine sounds a little like mine. What kind of comb do you use and do you have a favorite detangling comb you'd recommand ?

Yozhik
October 23rd, 2011, 03:53 PM
Eirene, the most important thing about a comb is that it not have seams which can rip and tear at the hair (picture how you can use scissor blades to curl ribbons).

So you can use a plastic comb (these are good if you're detangling wet hair) as long as it does not have seams or you can sand them smooth using sand paper. Or if you like dry detangling, you can use wooden combs or horn combs. The wooden comb from the Body Shop seems to be really popular on LHC. I use a horn comb from Heavenly Harvest (which I find is probably best for stimulating my scalp).

Other than that, I use a tangle teezer, which is actually a type of plastic brush that has bendy teeth of varying lengths that are supposed to make it easier to detangle hair. I like this option because I don't like just using combs all of the time, plus I can use my tangle teezer in the shower or on wet hair if I want. :)

Lostsoule77
October 23rd, 2011, 05:23 PM
First off start detangling from the bottom up everytime and that will eliminate your main problem.

If my hair is really knotted (like if I've been wearing it down) then I brush before showering. Then I finger comb in the shower with conditioner in and finger comb again once I get out to style my hair. Since you are doing WO it might me hard to detangle in the shower. I would try gently brushing, combing, or finger combing before the shower. "Wash", your hair without scrubbing it or piling it on your head. Afterwards don't rub your hair with a towel. You can squeeze to get excess water out. Then gently comb with a wide tooth comb and be done. :) Good luck. :)

archel
October 23rd, 2011, 05:25 PM
I have fine hair that breaks easily and here's what I do. I gently comb it before I wash with my Kent seamless wet/dry comb. When I'm in the shower, I wash and then comb the conditioner (mine has a lot of slip, which helps) through with a Babyliss shower brush (it's got big wide nubs that don't pull). When I get out of the shower, I add a little aloe vera gel and comb that through in small sections with my Kent wet/dry comb starting from the bottom and working up in small increments. I then let it air dry. I never ever comb from the top and I only use my MP brush on dry hair.

Hope this helps!

ktani
October 23rd, 2011, 05:49 PM
You are right in your analysis of the problem to a point. When you detangle vertically from the top, the pressure puts more stress on the ends.

I do not use a comb or a brush. My hair is treated with catnip. You simply need something to condition it enough for slip.

I separate my hair horizontally with my hands as if I was going to braid it. I separate small sections and I start from the middle although I have started at the ends too. Hair is at different lengths because it grows at different lengths. In other words not all individual hairs are the same length even if you have no layers.

At the ends if there is a group of hairs that are entwined, hold the section and pull invidual hairs up, so that the action is going in the same direction as the cuticles. My hair does not tangle but I can get hairs that can get entwined. I find that they release easily if I do the above, wet, or dry.