my hair is just getting more tangly by the day

[jojo]

Hi all,
My hair is driving me crazy at the moment. Mainly when I have just washed it. I am doing just one poo wash and 3 CO washes a week, plus a cassia treatment with either catnip or burdock root rinse a week.

I wash in warm water but rinse in cold water, which in the past has really helped with the tangles, but now as soon as I have combed it, it matts. I couldn't not, not comb it when wet, it would go a frizzy mess.

I comb from the bottom and I am very gentle, I can't finger comb it when wet either, as I would seriously break my fingers!

I have used cone-free conditioners for nearly a year now but i am wondering if because my hair is 1) fine and 2) getting longer it is getting damaged which is causing it to tangle? I clarified on Saturday and it didn't make a scrap of difference, do you all think cones might help with this problem? I know Katze had a great improvement moving back to them and I have no problem doing this, if it saves the 40 minutes it takes now to de-tangle my hair.

Suggestions please! TIA

[Riot Crrl]

How are ya with oils?

It may be true that cones could be the answer, but I would try the oiling first as an intermediary step.

I also wonder if cassia could be a culprit. IMO it is strengthening but not moisturizing. You might consider to skip it a week and see if that changes anything.

[girlcat36]

Do you need to clarify?

[Riot Crrl]

Do you need to clarify?

The OP said that she clarified Saturday and it made no difference. Before I got to that part I thought of that too :silly:

[girlcat36]

Thanks, Riot Crrl, I missed that sentence!:rolleyes:

So how did you clarify?

[jojo]

Riot Crrl yes I use oils mainly coconut or camillia and the results are great. I also like olive oil as a deep treatment, may do this and skip the cassia this week.

Girlcat- Yes I thought too it needed claryfying so did one on Saturday with Tresseme claryfying poo, but it still feels crap when wet, once its dried it looks completely different.

I am going to get some cone condish, dove I think was the one Katze tried and see what happens. My hair is also getting thinner, the longer it gets (you heard me like Im tripping over it or something!!). I am under huge stress at the moment too, which has probably contributed to its thinning.

Thanks for giving me some good advice ladies xx

[girlcat36]

I've always been told fine hair tangles more easily(I have fine hair).
I use a baking soda rinse to clarify, and it works really well for me--although I know some people don't like baking soda.
Good luck with the Dove, I hope it works for you!

[jojo]

I first tried baking soda last year and my hair turned into cotton candy, it just didn't work for me unfortunatelly. Will get some dove tomorrow, fingers crossed it works!

It seems a lot of trial and error with fine hair too, my hair seems to like a product for a while and then gets funny with it!

[VanillaTresses]

I am wondering if it isn't the cassia as well, because I just read someone else's blog or post (I wish I could remember whose it was!) that was using cassia and complaining of the same thing for the first week or so after the cassia...

It's worth a try, maybe it needs time to "settle in?"

[manderly]

It kind of sounds like you're just doing "too much" to your hair right now.

Doing all that weekly sounds like it could be causing some problems.

But I find that my hair is a big tangly mess right now, and you and I are around the same length, so maybe it's just this new length? I haven't had any trims, just S&D and micro trims where I've had problems.

[Tangles]

(chuckling at the irony of someone named Tangles attempting to give you advice on this)

You know, jojo, whenever I have this sort of problem, it's usually because, as Manderly puts it, I'm "doing too much" to it. It also sounds like (please don't kill me) you may need a trim. Perhaps stick to your current routine but oil only the very ends of your hair and do cassia only once a month. I am a firm believer that too much of a good thing is always bad.

[shellblue1]

Are you using a leave-in when you detangle? The L'oreal Kids detangler contains some cones and really helped me detangle.

[jojo]

I have never used a leave in but I will hunt that one down and give it a try! i have put a little conditioner on the ends when its wet though in the past, which has helped. Thanks x

[Alaskanheart]

Hi JOJO, I was having alot of tangly problems the last 2-3 months, and no matter what I did they just got worse.I was planning on going a whole year without a trim, but I bit the bullet and trimmed a few weeks ago 3 months early.It solved the tangly problem completly, and Im happier with my hair.I did a whole inch in length and about 1/4 through the layers to even out my hemline, shape my hair, and help the layers catch-up but you could try 1/2 or even 1/4 and have good results.If that isnt an option, maybe just washing it and deep conditioning and keeping it bunned will help.Ive been bunning almost everyday and at night for a few months and it has helped alot.

Good luck, and dont get to down about it, it may be just going through a phase with the summer weather also.

[Curlsgirl]

I used to brag about not getting tangles when my hair was shorter :o Then as it got longer and especially since hot weather happened this year, I started getting a lot of tangles. I had been cone-free and loved it but decided to try some Dove (the dark blue bottle) just for fun. I only used the conditioner and it is wonderful. I hope I won't find it drying or anything in the long run. So far even three or 4 days after a CWC I am getting much less tangles. I am wearing a lot more updos too and wearing it up at night too which really helps. Why not try cones and see? I may not always use them or for every CWC but it sure is better than tangles which can easily equal breakage!

[xrosiex]

Hi Jojo, Darn those tangles! It was happening to me too. I did clarify. And still had lots of tangles. Wet and dry. So I did go back to cones. I tried Dove intense therapy CO. I'll say I saw instant results. Now I clarifly about every 2 weeks. But my hair is alot happier.

[chloeishere]

I'm not sure what's causing your tangles. But! Here's a few cents, anyway.

After I started cassia, I really stopped doing heavy oilings, and I think it was causing breakage. Stronger hair doesn't help if it's drying out between washes! I've started doing less cassias (I would probably bring it down to once every 2 weeks, and see what happens), and started doing heavier oilings again (instead of just a few drops of a leave-in oil), and it's already helping a lot. I'm also doing a 30 day hair-up challenge, which is helping quite a bit.

I don't think that cassia was causing my hair to break, however I used cassia as an excuse to take less good care of my hair-- I started wearing it down almost all the time, and stopped doing deep treatments (except for cassia), and my hair started acting less happy. My hair still needs moisture, and it's still fine, so it still needs to be protected.

Just my two cents! Hope you can figure out the problem!

[Blueneko]

I would suggest an ACV rinse that you do not rinse out too well. Then do not wring your hair out. Let it literally drip dry from soaking wet. That works for me when I have mistreated my hair.

[nutsenmai]

The one product I can't seem to drop whenever I change my routine is my placenta leave-in treatment (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AS5KZ6?smid=A373OLXC1CUTPM&tag=nextag-hpc-20&linkCode=asn). It detangles and helps with static too! I lived in a very dry area (think desert!) with bad water quality, and this stuff was my saving grace!

[jojo]

(chuckling at the irony of someone named Tangles attempting to give you advice on this)

You know, jojo, whenever I have this sort of problem, it's usually because, as Manderly puts it, I'm "doing too much" to it. It also sounds like (please don't kill me) you may need a trim. Perhaps stick to your current routine but oil only the very ends of your hair and do cassia only once a month. I am a firm believer that too much of a good thing is always bad.
I only trimmed last week and do monthly micro trims, my tangles are more mid way up my hair, rather than the ends if that makes sense and its only when its wet too.

I also agree the length has a lot to do with it, but did a coney condish today and yep! a lot better!

[lora410]

I am wondering if your burdock and catnip rinse are to blame. My hair is odd and will only like one thing for so long and then have a hissy fit. Just like Eo's and chamomile rinses etc. really dry my hair something fierce even after a regular water rinse. Try the non rinsing first and then if that doesn't work try using cones again.

[jojo]

Yes Lora my hairs a bit like that sort of gets used to stuff. Anyway I have tried cones today and it works, still some tangles but no where near as bad. I think the length has a lot to do with it and another thing which (duh) I just realized, I have been washing my hair with my head tipped over the bath, normally I wash it stood up in the shower but my showers broke, so been having baths.

I bet this is why I am tangling! just came to me!!!

[lora410]

Yes Lora my hairs a bit like that sort of gets used to stuff. Anyway I have tried cones today and it works, still some tangles but no where near as bad. I think the length has a lot to do with it and another thing which (duh) I just realized, I have been washing my hair with my head tipped over the bath, normally I wash it stood up in the shower but my showers broke, so been having baths.

I bet this is why I am tangling! just came to me!!!

Yup that could well be it. I am wondering when my hair will get sick of non-cones. Somehow not anytime soon because even a 1 time cone use leaves my ends super tangly when dry.

[MissHair]

It sounds like you are putting too much stuff in your hair and that contributes to the tangling. Sometimes shampoo and conditioner is the best. Less is more. Really.

[jojo]

I am thinking the same Miss Hair, more is less from now on!

[heidihug]

I have been washing my hair with my head tipped over the bath, normally I wash it stood up in the shower but my showers broke, so been having baths.

I bet this is why I am tangling! just came to me!!!
I was going to ask you about that, jojo. Us fine long-haired people should never flip their hair over to wash - I found that out long ago. Also, when you get out of the shower, make sure to not flip it over forwards when wrapping it in your towel to dry - that helps immeasurably when untangling.

[nutsenmai]

I just realized that I had a similar problem a while ago. My hair was getting longer (yay!) and my old shampoo wasn't cutting it. My hair needs cones (dry weather here), so I switched to one with some (Paul Mitchell Moisture shampoo and conditioner) and it's helped a lot. A light oil like coconut oil might help too, applied to still-damp hair.

[missy60]

Have you tried Camilla oil it really leaves my hair soft feeling and helps greatly with the tangles. You can also use a little more because it isnt oily like other oils. You can apply it to wet or dry hair so it helps with frizz also.

My hair has been getting alot more tangles lately I think its the humidity it always gives me poofy frizzy hair. I had forgot about the Camilla oil and have been using it as a leave in lately and my hair is doing so much better with the tangles and frizz.

[Isilme]

Jojo, if changing routine doesn't work. Try to keep your hair in the same position when drying, my hair will be a tangly mess if I flip it over or change the position until it's dry. I'm sure this is, if not the whole problem, then a big part of it. Good luck!