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A. Correira
March 17th, 2012, 09:03 PM
Today I went over to my parents' house and I told my little sister that I wanted to do her hair. She is 10 and has waist length hair, which is longer than mine that sits at shoulder length. I want so excited because in all honesty, I have been a little jealous of her having such long hair! I have been trying out new updos and wanted to practice.

When I started combing it out, I was so disappointed!! Her hair is in TERRIBLE shape:(. It is so unhealthy. She rarely detangles and lets it rat up like crazy! There is breakage where some hairs are only a few inches long and every, and I really mean, EVERY strand that I saw on her head had splits! She had splits on hairs that were shorter than shoulder length!

It made me SO sad to see this! When I was her age I had longer hair than her, and it made me wonder whether that was how my hair looked when I was that age! I would hope that it wasn't, because my mother regularly trimmed my hair, and I used leave in, so in my head, I would think that it wouldn't be that bad. Plus, I detangled often then too....

Just... seeing her hair in that condition broke my heart because in order to get rid of that damage.... she would have to literally cut it all off. It looks so pretty from far away but up close... it's just sad...

I figured you fellow LHCers would understand. I think I'm going to offer her some help because she really tries to take pride in the length... it just needs to be way more healthy. Combing it out was awful. She hadn't detangled in so long that I was full of all her shed hairs that she never bothered to comb out be the time I was done! I bet that there were hundreds all over my lap!:(

Carrie Ingalls
March 17th, 2012, 09:57 PM
That can be really hard. My goddaughters used to have really nice hair when my sister and I were taking care of them several days a week. Sadly, there mother doesn't take care of their hair really well so now every time that I do babysit them I always give them "spa time" and gently comb, wash and deep condition their hair. I also gave the older one a Tangle Teezer for her birthday (instructing her how to take good care of the TT so it would take good care of her hair). I have to be very careful about how I talk about their hair though, I don't want them to feel that their worth is in the appearance, and I don't want to put them or their mother down for the condition of their hair. So I just try to stay positive and encouraging them to take good care of their hair and other things that they have (toys, pets, etc).

A friend of my Grace's has wavy/curlyish hair that was in really sad shape and broke my heart to see/touch it. Splits everywhere like you described. So one time Grace was having a sleepover and I sat for hours S&Ding the splits and damage out of her hair, and I didn't even come close to finishing. We also gave her tips of how she could take better care of her hair to prevent the splits. I have been a while since I really looked at her hair, but I think it is starting to get a little better than it was. Don't give up!

I don't think that she would have to cut such a large amount of the length to get rid of the damage. Sure that would eliminate it but it wouldn't deal with the cause of the damage. You may want to try some different damage trimming methods to get some of the splits out (there is a twisting sections method, and general S&D...others?), also dusting or micro trims to maintain her current length while getting rid of the damage gradually. It didn't get that way over night and it won't suddenly be healthy and in great shape over night either, but it can be done!

I highly recommend getting her a Tangle Teezer. Also are there areas of her length that she has trouble reaching to brush? If so maybe you could help her figure out how to brush those areas.

I didn't really start paying attention to my hair's condition until I was in high school. But I did start wearing it up sometimes when I was 10 and that did help protect it a lot (there are some pictures of my hair at about ten years old in my hair history album.) Maybe if she had some easy updos she could wear just a few days a week that would help protect it and prevent some of the tangles.

Wishing you all the best as you encourage your sister in this journey! And remember to stay positive about it all, this is exciting! :)

jeanniet
March 17th, 2012, 10:28 PM
I think getting her a TT is a great idea. She may not be detangling because she doesn't know how to do it properly, it takes too much time, it hurts, etc. A TT will help her in terms of both time and pain, and when she feels how nice her hair is afterward she may be more willing to keep up with it. Just show her how to start from the bottom and work up.

A small trim may be enough to clean up her hair, and then maybe you can help her with deep treatments from time to time. At her age, I wouldn't expect miracles yet. In another few years she may be more interested/capable of keeping her hair in better shape, but getting her to keep it reasonably detangled now is a good start.

lolot
March 17th, 2012, 11:15 PM
she is a little girl let her be, at that age is better that she doesnt care for those things so young, is better that she plays and have fun instead of getting worried that her hair get tangled

Oksana
March 18th, 2012, 11:50 AM
My younger sister (12) has just below waist hair. A couple of years ago she wouldn't brush it for a week and it would be a huge tangled mess. I bought her a tangle teezer for her birthday and she is now much better at keeping in knot free.

Beckstar
March 18th, 2012, 11:54 AM
She will be getting to the age soon enough where she'll be more interested in taking care of her hair. Perhaps you could get her a basket together of better hair care products and make weekly 'appointments' to be her hairdresser. Teach her to use them and take better care of her hair. She probably will have fun and her hair will be in better condition. It probably needs some moisture as well as protein. Don't worry about the splitends and breakage. That's someone that can only be fixed by a trim but you can help prevent further damage by using the products.

BrightEyes
March 18th, 2012, 12:05 PM
I also recommend getting her a tangle teezer. My DD5 used to hate having her hair combed because of tangles. I got her a TT and now she loves having her hair brushed. She'll even brush it herself, and now she is asking me to put my "yummy smelly" panacea in her hair too. Baby steps:D

Amber_Maiden
March 18th, 2012, 12:33 PM
yep, I think getting her a Tangle Teezer is a great idea!

PrincessBob
March 18th, 2012, 12:57 PM
I agree with buying her a Tangle Teezer. In my family, I have saved my niece's hair by handing her mom (my big sis) my TT and having her try it on the little one.

My niece's hair is baby fine, but lots and lots of it (thick hair is a family trait) because she's a toddler, and her hair feels/tangles like spun sugar/ aka candy floss/ aka cotton candy. She gets mats in her hair if she smiles.

It's a difficult thing. But she wants to have hair "like 'Punzel" and now she has a Tangle Teezer of her own, no other brush or comb can get near her. She even brushes her hair on her own. I think that's pretty nifty.

You could also teach her some simple braids that look complicated like TorrinPaige's Hawser Braid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y3LvWpncQQ). She'll like that it's easy and will keep her hair from tickling her on the playground in the wind, and it will giver her a bit of protection without being totally invasive to her own routine.

lapushka
March 18th, 2012, 01:25 PM
I agree on getting her a TT. Maybe she'll get the hang of taking care of her hair that way, if only for the scalp massage... Maybe she'll learn to brush it out that way, less tangles, less damage in the long run.

pink.sara
March 18th, 2012, 03:09 PM
She's 10... Whats the big deal? At 10 I usually had scabby knees and muddy clothes from being up a tree or in a lake. Get her a tangle teaser in the meantime, but chances are she'll grow up and start to be concerned with her apearance all too quickly.

sun-kissed
March 18th, 2012, 03:56 PM
Everybody chant now... tangle teezer, tangle teezer!! :p

My little sister(11) also has amazingly thick, straight hair, just above WL -- and she's now growing it out to solid waist length. Up until recently she could go a full week without brushing out her hair, unless her mother commanded her to. In my household we've always used nubby-bristled, round brushes, that are torture to long hair, so I could understand her frustration. :rolleyes: She just hated how long it took and how much it hurt trying to get the matted tangles out. She would have to brush it soaked in detangler spray, and even then it was tough.

As a part of her Christmas gift I got her a tangle teezer, and now she brushes her hair at least every other day on her own, without detangler, and even asks me to brush it for her sometimes because she likes it so much! As she said, "it doesn't hurt anymore, and it's sooo much easier!" and "I like the feeling of you brushing while I read, it's relaxing.."

Huge improvement!

pepperminttea
March 18th, 2012, 04:02 PM
She's 10... Whats the big deal? At 10 I usually had scabby knees and muddy clothes from being up a tree or in a lake. Get her a tangle teaser in the meantime, but chances are she'll grow up and start to be concerned with her apearance all too quickly.

Agreed. Unless it's an issue health-wise (if nits go round at school or something), don't worry about it. A Tangle Teezer is a great idea, but I'm sure she'll start obsessing about her appearance on her own soon enough. No need to hurry her. :flower: