Help with My Tangly Hair

Updated on July 22, 2011
M.O. asks from Corpus Christi, TX
23 answers

I have long thick curly hair and it always tangles badly. I shower everyday and when I get out of the shower it has huge knots in it. It takes me about 15 minutes just to brush my hair. I use shampoo and conditioner (garnier fructis or pantene) in the shower. I've tried biosilk and currently use It's a 10 to help comb the tangles out. I use a pick, a bristle brush and a regular brush to get all the tangles out. I love having long hair, but hate all the tangles my hair makes. Is there anything you have tried that works on hair like mine??

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R.D.

answers from Richmond on

I'm the same way; I use Fantastic Sam's brand spray/leave in conditioner, it's wonderful!! I also bought Mane and Tail conditioner, you can apply it to towel dried hair, that helps a lot too!!

1 mom found this helpful
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N.H.

answers from Austin on

I have fine hair (thicker but fine) & it tangles ALLLLL the time so I understand how you feel. I like the Herbal Essence conditioners for 'dry to normal' hair. I try to stay w/conditioners that are 'thicker' or milky looking rather than thin or watery type conditioners or spray in types...those don't work for me. My theory is if I can see thru it, it's not thick enough. Works like a charm for me but I hafta condition every day then use a hair pick rather than a brush or comb & just run it thru before I dry but I also have knots I hafta pick out but not as bad when I condition it. I just forget it when I don't condition b/c it's a worthless effort trying to untangle so I end up just putting it in a ponytail. I hate conditioning everyday b/c it just gets my hair grimy feeling but that's the only way I can keep the knots at bay. Hope this helps, good luck!

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J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Do you have to comb it out after you get out of the shower? I make sure there are no tangles in my hair getting in and then either use my fingers or a loose brush to pull the conditioner through my hair. After I get out I don't dare brush it because of the frizz. I just use product, and dry with a difuser leaving it a bit damp.

I never have knots or frizz. Well unless it is windy but I defy anyone to not frizz in the wind. :p

1 mom found this helpful

C.D.

answers from Columbia on

My daughter's hair has always been very curly and long. What I always did was gently brush it while it is dry before you wash and condition it. Remember to use the conditioner on the length of your hair and not so much on the scalp. Use your fingers or a wide toothed comb to distribute the conditioned through the hair. Leave it on for a few minutes and gently rinse. Then when you get out of the shower don't rub your hair in the towel. Just wrap it and let the towel do it's own work. When you take the towel off, spray the length of your hair with detangler and then again use a wide toothed comb to detangle. A brush will pull too much hair in from different directions and can really tangle wet hair. I also would recommend a moisturizing shampoo and not one that adds protien like Pantene.
Good luck! :)

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A.J.

answers from Killeen on

First off, don't wash it too often. Washing hair too much can strip it of its natural oils, making it even more dry. Try washing every 2-3 days. Also, brush your hair before your shower, then don't agitate your hair too much while shampooing, use a good amount of conditioner and then after you towel dry your hair, use a leave in conditioner. Also, if you don't have lots of layers in your hair, go get some put in! That right there will help with tangles tremendously =)

1 mom found this helpful

A.W.

answers from Kalamazoo on

When I have long hair I only wash it every other day. I swim in the pool alot in the summer and it dries my hair out so about once per week I put regular old conditioner on it while it's dry and wear it up in a bun for a few hours or longer than jump in the shower and wash/cond as normal. Seems to help the dryness and the tangles. Maybe try some other conditioning treatments as well?

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M.D.

answers from Austin on

My hair is long and very curly. It is even more so since I had my son. It completely changed texture after I had him and I lost a lot. It has finally grown back but tangles much more. I finally decided to splurge and have been using Morrocan Oil products. They are fantastic. I also do not wash my hair every day. My hairdresser has told me to not wash it more than twice a week. It is much softer now. I also use Bumble and Bumble leave in, rinse out conditioner and I leave it in. They seem expensive but if you don't wash your hair every day they last a long time. Good luck!
Here are the links
http://www.moroccanoil.com/
http://www.bumbleandbumble.com/product/56/204/Products/Cl...

T.K.

answers from Dallas on

Get a good trim. I used to have hell with my daughters very curly hair. If I didn't seprate it into braids or ponys when it was wet, it would get all matted and nappy, expecially when she slept. I finally got brave enough to give her a good solid trim and haven't had any more trouble with her hair tangling. I believe it's those dry, dead ends that cause the problem.

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C.M.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter has curly, tangly hair. We started with a good haircut, her hair tangles more easily when the ends are very dry. Because her hair is thick we got long layers put into it and that helped a lot.

I do a deep conditioning treatment on it every once in a while. We like the Hot Oil treatments.

She likes the Aussi brand shampoo and conditioner. We detangle her hair with a wide-toothed comb when she's in the shower and the conditioner is on. Then she rinses. We do NOT wrap her hair in a towel, that makes it tangly again. We just pat it dry with the towel.

She only washes her hair every-other day and on the day she doesn't wash she uses the detangle spray. At night we braid it so it doesn't get so tangled in the morning.

Good luck!

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G.G.

answers from Austin on

I have long, fine, curly hair and have the same problem!! Over the years, I have mastered it. I keep a plastic bristle brush in the shower (the kind where the bristles aren't extremely close together, if that makes sense). I squeeze as much water out of my hair as possible and use a lot of conditioner; always let it sit for at least a minute. Then, As I am rinsing under the shower, I brush it out (starting with the tips and working my way up to the top). Much easier to get through with the conditioner in it. When I get out of the shower, I pat dry lightly and add a leave in conditioner and a little bit of biosilk. Then, comb it out again (starting with the tips). This process works quite well. Make sure you are using a good quality conditioner for your curly hair (don't skimp on the conditioner). Curly hair is dry and dry hair is tangly hair. You might also only wash with shampoo ever few days. Maybe only rinse it out really well and then condition. The shampoo is drying too. Oh, and I just saw you are from Odessa. Doesn't Odessa have really hard water? Look online to see if there is anything you can add to your shampoo to soften the water while you wash. Hard water makes for tangles too.

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B.C.

answers from Joplin on

they make spray detangler for kids, and it works just as well on adult hair. If you want to not feel like you are using a product for kids I am pretty sure they make a version of it for adults ( purple bottle, forget the brand name) Also leave in conditioner works great, that comes in a spray form as well.
My hair is so short running my hands through it is all I have to do, but I know from first hand experience because my daughter has had long hair and hers has a natural wave.
I would agree with other posts that washing your hair daily is h*** o* it, when I had longer hair and wanted to shower but not wash my hair I would either put it up in a pony tail or under a shower cap.
If you have stripped your hair of its natural oils you might try a VO5 hot oil treatment, I used to love those when I had long hair.

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C.S.

answers from Houston on

paul mitchell also makes "The Detangler" it works really well.. my little one has curly tangly hair and I mixed some conditioner and water in a spray bottle and applied it after bath time and it worked WONDERS!!

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G.B.

answers from Houston on

Try washing while your hair is in loose big braids. It still cleans the hair but keeps it from knotting up. Also, Sally's Beauty Supply now sells the Tangle Teezer. It works really well: http://www.sallybeauty.com/tangle-teezer-pink/SBS-685001,...

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B.O.

answers from Grand Rapids on

I use Nexxus Humectress on myself and my daughter who has long curly crazy hair. After the normal shampoo and conditioner in the shower, when I get out before I brush our hair I put this in and leave it in. Our hair combs out easily. Wal-mart carries it in the shampoo/conditioner isle.

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E.B.

answers from Houston on

Pantene make a good spray in detangler to use on wet hair. I've also used my horse's Mane N Tail detangler which works GREAT! Comb out wet hair with a wide tooth comb , not a brush. The brush just breaks your hair-making the problem worse over time. Trims always made my daughter's very tangle-y hair easier to comb.
Good luck!

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J.M.

answers from Houston on

Aussie Conditioner (purple bottle) is great for really make hair soft and managable. Good luck!

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S.K.

answers from Dallas on

I don't have curly hair but it is long and gets tangled easily. What helps the most is a good trim and rinsing a couple times a month with either baking soda and water or vinegar and water. I mix it up, pour it on my hair and let it sit on my hair for a couple minutes. Then I wash my hair with Suave daily clarifying shampoo and condition with Pantene. Combing the conditioner through before rinsing helps too. I got a couple inches cut off yesterday and was amazed how much easier it was to comb after I washed it. It is still long but getting rid of the dry ends made a huge difference.

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K.A.

answers from Portland on

I have long, wavy hair, but the strands themselves are thin (there's just a lot of them!). I tend to put a "smoother" in my hair (Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum or Relaxing Balm work great) and then braid it before going to bed since I tend to toss and turn. I comb or brush it before I get in the shower, and then comb conditioner through my hair IN the shower and then put the serum on again after the shower. There are still quite a few tangles, but definitely makes it easier to deal with. Here's a link to info on Paul Mitchell's products...

http://www.paulmitchell.com/en-us/Products/PaulMitchell/S...

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S.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Your problem is what you are shampooing with. Pantene and garner are nothing but glycerine and wax, cheap fillers. Your hair is probably lacking both protein and moisture as well. Also the ph balance of your shampoo is important. Some ph of store brand shampoos are as high as a perm!
My favorite reccomondations for my clients with your hair type are Biolage Hydratherape shampoo and conditioning balm, or the Superskinny Line, from Paul Mitchell. They also have some awesome leave in tonics as well. Hit me up if you have anymore questions.

J.S.

answers from Jacksonville on

I got a bottle of Biolage conditioner and use it about once a week or so.

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K.T.

answers from Houston on

Shampoo is not such a big deal, but use a quality conditioner. Try a couple of different kinds until you find one that feels great. I use a sleek and shine. Here's my big tip - I run my fingers all through my hair while the conditioner is in. If I am in a hurry and don't run my fingers through all the tangles, I have a mess when I get out of the shower. It is much easier with the conditioner in. (I do end up with lots of hair on my hands after doing this - don't be alarmed:) Then I leave it in while I'm washing my face so it stays on a little bit - the longer the better. While towel drying, I just "squeeze" so I don't make any more tangles. To comb it out, use a pick- start at the bottom and work your way up. Also, try not washing your hair every day. I know some days you have to, but the more days you can skip the better - curly hair is dry and washing it dries it out more.

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L.G.

answers from Austin on

Do you brush from the bottom? I have long hair and it never takes that long to get tangles out. I brush the bottom two inches or so, then the bottom four inches, then the bottom six inches, etc. It seems to pull out most of the tangles as I go.

I thought this was common knowledge but I have never had a hair stylist comb or brush out my hair this way. They always start from the top (which tightens the tangles) and then they have to try and go to the middle of the newly tightened tangles and pull the comb through. All the while they are apologizing for pulling on my hair. I don't go to the same person each time so I don't tell them how to do it right.

I do a light brush this way before I wash my hair. Then I wash with more of a downward mashing motion on the head and then rubbing the longer part of the hair between my open palms as I go down. I don't use a swirling motion at all so my hair doesn't get tangled in the shower.

You probably already do this, but I wash and condition my hair first. Then leave in the conditioner while I wash the rest of me and shave. My hair is long enough to tighten into a wet bun while I wash. Otherwise, you could have a large clip handy.

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K.D.

answers from Houston on

we tried that "its a ten" onmy daughters hair and it really didn't help.....left it with a sticky coating. what worked so much better is a leave in conditioner that we put just on the ends, made by either granier fructus or herbal essence, can't remeber which one, as we just finished the bottle after having it for several years. i think pantene makes one too that has worked well.
hope is helps!

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