As you comb your hair, do you have to stop very often for tangles?

[shikara]

Im just curious what this is like for many people. I was fingercombing only for about six weeks but I find if I comb after, my hair is easier to section for my go to style, otherwise, altho I may be able to fingercomb with no big tangle problems, when sectioning, the hairs stick together, so its back to including combing. My hair is fine so naturally I really want to minimize breakage. What is your combing exoerience like? Does your comb slio right thru? Do you have minimal number of places where you have to stop and detangle, or many? Do you feel like its been a clean sweep? or that youve probably done a little damage along the way?

[sbhonda]

I never have to stop and detangle. I have spots where I have to slow the comb down, but usually it just glides through. I guess I'm pretty lucky. But my hair isn't that long yet, so tangles could become more of a problem with time.

[Vanille_]

My comb and brush don't really need to run through a section more than once - my hair doesn't really tangle badly. However, when I'm doing something like a dutch braid, I find myself having to constantly brush the sections again. For some reason, my hair just doesn't like it when I braid it.

[Zesty]

It depends, but I'm going to answer based on my hair's state after being down for a while. If I just straight go at it with the comb, then yes, I have to stop often or it snags on tangles. What I usually do is fingercomb first until my fingers are gliding through with little problem, and then I detangle with the comb from the ends up.

[KwaveT]

I gently comb through with a wide-tooth comb. If it catches tangles easily comb out by finger combing the section of hair. My hair is not that long yet. I may have more problems as my hair gets longer. I very rarely get more than one or two small tangles at this point.

[shikara]

One of my biggest problem area is where the hair is that would be tucked behind the ears but I dont really consciously do that; however, that would be an area that is so often brought back in updos.

[HappyHair87]

I can only comb my hair when wet and saturated in conditioner. I use my fingers first and then my wide tooth comb to get whatever i missed. Once a week i will use my Denman brush in the shower in sections to get rid of all tangles and shed hairs. I like that after the use of my Denman...i can run my fingers through my hair without effort...except for when it dries.

Because my hair is extremely curly...shed hairs are the Devil!:laugh:...so its a MUST for me to have them removed very frequently. BUT...to minimize manipulation...i comb my hair every 3 days and wear it curly most of the time...and simply refresh daily with water and a moisturizer.

[Nedertane]

It depends. Sometimes it glides through very easily and quickly, and other times I have to make a pit stop. I'd say on average, though, it runs fine (fingers or regular comb), but I may have to simply slow down a little bit.

[RapunzelKat]

Me! ;) My hair is SUPER tangly, although thankfully quite a bit better than before I joined LHC. I'm always having to stop while combing it out to prevent breakage. Right now I'm doing a sort of cross between finger combing and using a wide tooth comb... When my comb hits a spot I can't easily slide through, I finger-comb that section and then go through it again with the comb. It seems to be working OK, but I still break a few hairs when detangling after a wash :(

My hair does NOT appreciate being sectioned for updos, and especially for French or Dutch braids... I have to stop and comb after I separate each section, or I get huge out-of-control tangles :rolleyes:

I'm thinking of getting a Tangle Teezer. From what I have read it seems like they might work well for my hair. Supposedly they're easier to pull through your hair smoothly than a comb would be.

[xoxophelia]

If I have left my hair down after let's say.. two days.. when I finger comb it, I might have those really small knots (you know, the ones with 2-3 hairs). I will stop for those maybe 2-3 times.

It is always best to stop more than you need to than rip through so there is nothing wrong with stopping! It is also definitely a problem that becomes worse with longer hair if it mashes around more when you sleep.

[BunnyBee]

Oh yup, me! When i was cone free this was worse, i'd stop every few seconds at a tangle =/ The only way i could comb smoothly is if it was oiled (the amount of oil i needed meant it did NOT look good down!). Now i've stopped being scared of cones, it is a LOT better, maybe one or two tangles, and lots of times none at all!
Braids are always a pain in the bum, my hair just likes to do it's own thing i guess XD

ETA: I've started wearing my hair down for sleep (in a silk scarf) since braids would always end up destroyed and tangled :confused: It's working much better anyhow!

[Pierre]

I comb in the shower and stop fairly often for tangles. Often the tangles have shed hairs that got scrunched by the comb, since I wear my hair up for 4-7 days at a stretch.

[pepperminttea]

I fingercomb, then use with a wide-toothed comb. I have to stop a few times with the wide-toothed, but my fingers do most of the work. :) I'd rather do it slowly with stops and starts, and damage fewer hairs.

[shikara]

Ive thought of trying out cones again but Im really diggin' the much fuller hair that I get without them:eyebrows: Also, my dos seem to hold a little better without. Regarding tangles in the last five or so inches of my hair, I must remember to do the following - I often forget about this completely: If I hold my hair down and lay my ends on, say, my thighs or some other surface and slowly use a finer tooth comb for that part, it always surprises me how easy it is to comb through! Hmmm, maybe a sticky note on the mirror:rolleyes:

[ericthegreat]

YES, YES, and YES this fits my hair to a T! :steam

At my current length right now which is almost 4 ft long, knots and tangles automatically form themselves on my hair. Its just unavoidable, like a pile of dog excrement that is a mile wide, you just can't avoid stepping into it. :poop:

The only 2 ways to fully detangle and comb out my hair are either:

A) Naturally without heat. I will use up to three different products including a deep conditioner, a conditioner, and a moisturizing shampoo, and often also include applying coconut oil onto my hair. If my hair is just being extremely belligerent with me, then I will pull out the big guns :guns:. First I'll apply the coconut oil from my neck all the way down to my ends. My scalp hair is already naturally very oily, plus I never get any tangles or knots on my scalp so I don't apply any oil there. I'll let the coconut oil sit for at least 15 minutes, then I will take a shower to wash it all out. I usually use the CO method to wash the oil out, altho sometimes I also like to use shampoo to do this job as well. If I am using shampoo, it MUST be a top of the line quality salon brand. MY favorite brands for shampoo are Frederic Fekkai and Paul Mitchell. If I am using the CO method to wash the oil out, then usually I will use my Suave Tropical Coconut conditioner to do this job. Sometimes I will first apply a deep conditioner into my hair, leave that on for 15 minutes, wash that out, and then apply my regular conditioner. For my deep conditioner I will also use Frederic Fekkai. Only after my hair has fully been washed, wet and then drowned in conditioner, can I easily glide my big wide tooth thro my hair and take out all the knots.

B) With extreme heat. Yes, I'm proud to admit that I am a devoted worshipper of a professional, salon styled blowout. I will go to one of my favorite salons (I have two that I frequent regularly, and others throughout NYC which I like to dabble in) to get "a wash and blow". I'll get shampooed and conditioned like normal, then get my hair professionally blown out by a good and competent stylist. Being a sensitive and highly intuitive person like myself has its perks, I can tell who is good at what they do and who is horrible at it. I will only let a stylist who I feel clearly cares about me as a person handle my hair.

My chosen stylist of the day (I usually pick handsome, tall male stylists, I mean I am gay after all :D) will diligently and thoroughly blow out my extremely long and thick hair in small sections using a round brush made up of boar bristles. I only allow boar bristle round brushes on my hair because they are the most gentle. After my stylist has thoroughly blown out my hair straight section by section, he or she will then use a flat iron to finish my look. I love how a flat iron gives my hair that ultra shiny glare.
I know that its of course a bit damaging, but I MUST admit that this blow-dryer & flat iron combo really does transform my hair into a perfectly straight, shiny, knot free and tangle free head of silk!! :toast:

[sfgirl]

I get tangles all the time! If I don't wear my hair up when I got to bed, I wake up with about 6 matts that are impossible to get out.

[MonaLisa]

Yes, every few seconds. My hair is very tangly.
I used to just brush/comb through them...Now I know better.

[hanne jensen]

ericthegreat, you are so fortunate to have hair so strong that it can take blow drying and flat ironing! If I did that to my hair, I'd be bald! (Good thing you can't see how green with envy my face is now!)

I have to stop often to de-tangle when combing or brushing my hair. If I blink my eyes I get tangles!

[MaryMarx]

It kinda glides right through.

But actuallt I would appreciate some tangles, because the reason why my hair has no tangles is because it is so thin due to not being very nice to it... :(

[wandlimb]

My hair tangles so easily I can't wear it down except at home and even then I always have a bobble at the ready!

[Amber_Maiden]

Maybe every second day I get very bad tangles, some of which I have to cut out! :(

[Vallena]

Yes, I use a wide tooth comb but I still have to stop for frequent tangles when I first comb it. I've tried finger combing, but it doesn't work so swell for me, and sometimes my hair gets caught in my rings and breaks! :shudder: I used to get impatient and just tear through the snags with a comb or brush, but I've been doing much better at being patient lately. Its still tempting sometimes though... :rolleyes:

[jojo]

My hairs wavy and tangled terribly no matter what I did. Baby oil has prevented all tangles for me.

[Long_hair_bear]

I used to till I got my tangle teezer. Now, my life with tangles is a lot better. :D

[Madora]

Im just curious what this is like for many people. I was fingercombing only for about six weeks but I find if I comb after, my hair is easier to section for my go to style, otherwise, altho I may be able to fingercomb with no big tangle problems, when sectioning, the hairs stick together, so its back to including combing. My hair is fine so naturally I really want to minimize breakage. What is your combing exoerience like? Does your comb slio right thru? Do you have minimal number of places where you have to stop and detangle, or many? Do you feel like its been a clean sweep? or that youve probably done a little damage along the way?

http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb328/lmarie29/th_2a283f57.jpg (http://s1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb328/lmarie29/?action=view&current=2a283f57.jpg)

Combing is easy for me. It's just a question of gentle detangling first.

What I do first is to use 3 fingers and gently fingercomb down the strands (in the bent at the waist position).

Once the hair has been fingercombed, then I detangle slowly with my wide tooth comb. I have found that if you detangle in SMALL, thin sections, you have greater control over your strands when encountering any snarls. Also, since I'm detangling from the ends up to the scalp, this approach also helps isolate any tangles I may find so that I can undo them with my fingers.

Going slowly--in small sections--aids in limiting breakage.

Also, HOW you hold your comb contributes to how much breakage you have. I always hold my comb as lightly as I can and do not exert much pressure on it until ALL the hair has been detangled. Once it has, then I can sweep through my mane with my comb with no problem.

On average, it takes me less than 2 minutes to detangle my hair in the morning.

[adiapalic]

It really depends-- if I keep it up in a bun for a braid for most of the day, then maybe a couple of snags (sometimes even none!) mostly caused by lint.

If it's been down, then friction against my clothes (or chairs, etc.) and the wind blowing it means I'm going to have to spend some time patiently detangling the length. A few spots of Jojoba oil really speeds up the process.


YES, YES, and YES this fits my hair to a T! :steam

At my current length right now which is almost 4 ft long, knots and tangles automatically form themselves on my hair. Its just unavoidable, like a pile of dog excrement that is a mile wide, you just can't avoid stepping into it. :poop:

The only 2 ways to fully detangle and comb out my hair are either:

A) Naturally without heat. I will use up to three different products including a deep conditioner, a conditioner, and a moisturizing shampoo, and often also include applying coconut oil onto my hair. If my hair is just being extremely belligerent with me, then I will pull out the big guns :guns:. First I'll apply the coconut oil from my neck all the way down to my ends. My scalp hair is already naturally very oily, plus I never get any tangles or knots on my scalp so I don't apply any oil there. I'll let the coconut oil sit for at least 15 minutes, then I will take a shower to wash it all out. I usually use the CO method to wash the oil out, altho sometimes I also like to use shampoo to do this job as well. If I am using shampoo, it MUST be a top of the line quality salon brand. MY favorite brands for shampoo are Frederic Fekkai and Paul Mitchell. If I am using the CO method to wash the oil out, then usually I will use my Suave Tropical Coconut conditioner to do this job. Sometimes I will first apply a deep conditioner into my hair, leave that on for 15 minutes, wash that out, and then apply my regular conditioner. For my deep conditioner I will also use Frederic Fekkai. Only after my hair has fully been washed, wet and then drowned in conditioner, can I easily glide my big wide tooth thro my hair and take out all the knots.

B) With extreme heat. Yes, I'm proud to admit that I am a devoted worshipper of a professional, salon styled blowout. I will go to one of my favorite salons (I have two that I frequent regularly, and others throughout NYC which I like to dabble in) to get "a wash and blow". I'll get shampooed and conditioned like normal, then get my hair professionally blown out by a good and competent stylist. Being a sensitive and highly intuitive person like myself has its perks, I can tell who is good at what they do and who is horrible at it. I will only let a stylist who I feel clearly cares about me as a person handle my hair.

My chosen stylist of the day (I usually pick handsome, tall male stylists, I mean I am gay after all :D) will diligently and thoroughly blow out my extremely long and thick hair in small sections using a round brush made up of boar bristles. I only allow boar bristle round brushes on my hair because they are the most gentle. After my stylist has thoroughly blown out my hair straight section by section, he or she will then use a flat iron to finish my look. I love how a flat iron gives my hair that ultra shiny glare.
I know that its of course a bit damaging, but I MUST admit that this blow-dryer & flat iron combo really does transform my hair into a perfectly straight, shiny, knot free and tangle free head of silk!! :toast:

You know, I totally agree. When I used to blow dry and sometimes flat iron, I found my hair hung silky and straight and stayed knot-free for the most part.

Since I pretty much always have braid waves now, and wear my hair with its natural wave, it knots up a lot easier.

Of course, my hair can't handle much routine heat without breaking off. Lucky you!

[zina]

Oh yes. I have to stop for tangles right where my virgin hair ends and bleached/damaged hair starts. I have dyed and bleached my hair several times before but I've never had problems with tangles until about two years ago. :/

[Jessykins]

Well i normally wear my hair down, and also sleep with my hair down. But i never really get tangles. i take a big ole paddle brush and brush from my ends to my roots and it goes through fine. I suppose im lucky that i don't get these big tats that take a while to undo. The only time i have to stop everything is why i blow dry my hair (which is about once a month if that) but i suppose that's because my hairs getting blown about on its self and i do go wild a bit
But that still doesn't explain the phenomenon of why sometimes one of my hairs makes a knot on itself, like if you tied a knot on a piece of string.

[UP Lisa]

My hair is extremely fine, and tangles horribly. I don't know if the waves have anything to do with it, or not. My hard water probably doesn't help, either.

I can't ever comb with hair with any kind of comb, except in the shower with conditioner. Even then, I have to be careful.

Sometimes I think the Tangle Teezer is good, and sometimes I don't. I can't decide. I do hate the sound that it makes.

It is very difficult to separate my hair into sections. It wants to stick together. If i try to do a French braid, for instance, I feel like I am breaking so many hairs that I hate to do it.

[kitschy]

I haven't been able to get a comb through my hair since I was 10 years old.

[rakueru]

I don't have a very good comb, but with the one I have, I do have to stop and detangle a LOT. It also makes my hair poofy, which I don't like. It's why I stick to brushing, though my hairbrush isn't very good, either. T.T I can't win, without spending money I don't have.

[lacefrost]

My hair is hypercurly and loves to exist in a tangle. Even if I've detangled all my hair in running water, soaked with conditioner, it will still be tangled. Even as I take a section of hair to braid it and detangle it, halfway through braiding, I have to redetangle. After a few days of my hair being braided, wrapped up at night, and put in updos during the day. . .when I take my hair down and unbraid it. . .voila! Tangles!

They're just unavoidable. I don't really mind tangles except for when I've been detangling the same section of hair for 10 minutes. Then I want to cry. So I always do the detangling steps I mention above.

Some people just have tangly hair.

[JDzWife]

I used to struggle horribly with a comb and/or brush, but not any more. Not since I found the Tangle Teaser.. this thing is a heavenly miracle! I have less split ends, less shedding. Best thing since sliced bread!

[tokitoki]

I could just be terrible at combing but I could never ever get to the point where I no longer found tangles. My hair stopped being straight around high school and since then I've avoided combing my hair (otherwise I look like first-year Hermione). So I know my hair is never totally detangled, but as long as I can get my fingers through with no problem I'm satisfied. I don't attempt intricate styles yet though, it could become an issue if I try to do one.

[arith]

Now that my hair it’s nearing waist, it’s tangling a lot more, so when I comb I start slowly at the bottom and it helps a lot. The only time I can slide the brush/comb right thru its right after I shower, but now I’m experimenting with finger combing to see if I can minimize damage.

[hairyfan21]

My hair has never been long at all lol. I always buzz it. I think now that I plan to grow my hair to a little past my shoulders, I will have to prepare myself for tangles.

[Bedhead]

I ddn't get tangles until one day, I moved to a new neighbourhood and my hormones started changing a bit. I'm not sure which it was, but once I stopped using SLS shampoo and conditioner, I haven't had a tangle since.

[Avital88]

i always need to stop a few times and get the knots out ,going from down to up,my hair tangles a lot especially at the nape and from my ear down, the layers get stuck in eachother..

By wearing my hair up since a few days i try to reduce this in order to have to do less detangling(and so less damage) its working

[heidi w.]

It's not tangles all the time.

It's more that the ends are kind of holding the majority of tangles because of lint or dust that's in the hair. Then I have to get the lint out to get the tangle out, and I have to kind of comb the hair in sections.

But basically, yes.

A lot of times I have to work a tangle out with my fingers as opposed to keep downstroking and thereby tightening the knot of hair.

Dust or lint is the major reason I have tangles at all.

heidi w.

[UP Lisa]

I have a very dusty house. I wonder if that is the cause of some of my tangling?

[heidi w.]

I don't have a very good comb, but with the one I have, I do have to stop and detangle a LOT. It also makes my hair poofy, which I don't like. It's why I stick to brushing, though my hairbrush isn't very good, either. T.T I can't win, without spending money I don't have.

Do you have curly hair? I assume so. Working with the hair while still damp will probably help manage that poof better.

Fingercombing may also work better for you.

Have you investigated Conditioner Only hair washing, and not using sulfates in a shampoo? Have you heard of Curly Girl book and the handbook companion by Lorraine Massey. Have you heard of Devachan Salon, which offers shampoos and conditioners for curly haired people.

If you're curly haired, I expect you might need a little more information regarding how to care for your curls.

The "poof" problem is a fairly common experience for curly haired folks.

heidi w.

[jacqueline101]

I use detangler to get out the tangles and it works.

[EdG]

It depends on how oily my hair is. Right after washing, I will need to stop for tangles very often. A day later, I'll stop only occasionally. Two days later, there are almost no tangles.
Ed

[lacefrost]

I have a very dusty house. I wonder if that is the cause of some of my tangling?

Probably. With my worst tangles, I find the center of it is fluff or a strand of cat hair.

[SpinDance]

Fascinating thread. I find it very interesting that people with fine, thick, straight and curly hair all have issues with tangles.

I find that dust, lint and shed hairs are the primary cause of my having to stop when combing, whether I'm using my fingers or a comb. Splits or damage can also cause hairs to catch, when a hair gets caught in the split hair and gets stuck. I try to find and cut the culprit whenever possible. Once in a while I'll find 2 or 3 hairs that will twist around each other and thus cause a blockage. I carefully unwrap these, and if any of them seem to be damaged will cut the damage off if possible.

I don't consider my hair to be tangly, but then I wear my hair up most of the time. When I have it in a bun held by a stick, fork or Flexi I'll usually take it down several times a day and sort of fingercomb it to remove shed hairs. Then back up it goes to keep it out of trouble. This also reseats the bun reducing strain on whatever place held it up before. I almost never use a comb when redoing my bun, just my fingers.

I do usually use a comb before I wash to remove lint and shed hairs, and once after as a final detangling after putting in my leave-in (currently argan oil), to help spread that around a little more. I never use fine tooth combs. I don't see the point. Wide tooth combs, or even 3 or 4 prong forks do a fine job for me and I believe cause less possibility of damage.

When my hair is wet I'll try to catch shed hairs as well, both to keep it from tangling and also to keep them out of the drain. Removal of shed hairs is my primary objective almost any time I mess with it.

[longcurlygirl<3]

My hair is tangling unless I have kept it in all types of braids. Buns give me more tangles :p lol except some.