Seriously though Naturals, how detangled can it get?

[Nerd.]

Honestly, how detangled can a natural head be, 100%?

I know everyone talks about how they detangle and the methods that work, but are you really getting all of the tangles out...from the ROOT?! (shudders)

I am 6.5 months into my transition, and I know detangling for me is completely different than it is for a natural head, but I am just not seeing a tangle free head possible in my future. Someone mentioned in another thread of "velcro-like" hair, or curls that just fuse back together. This is very real.

I have a thousand and one scenarios that just stump me. One being:

1) You wore a twistout for an entire week, wash day comes. I am assuming you did not detangle your twistout daily, so how in the world do you tackle this process come wash day? How do you comb out a head full of curls..I can only imagine that being not only a puffy disaster, but painful as well

So is learning to be content with tangled up hair and roots just part of the natural territory, or are you walking around with a head full of tangle-free curly succulent goodness..

Thank you all.
All thoughts are welcome

 

[maysay]

So is learning to be content with tangled up hair and roots just part of the natural territory, or are you walking around with a head full of tangle-free curly succulent goodness..

Well I have a head full of tangle-free curly succulent goodness lol. I am diligent about detangling/deshedding. I generally don't have to worry about tangles since my hair is braided almost all the time now. But, it hasn't always been this way, things that have helped are:

-Never wash my hair loose. My hair is always braided up before any water hits it because water+shed hair+curls=shrunken up tangled hair.

-Don't detangle in the shower. I have to take my time in order to be thorough without extra breakage, so I usually detangle/deshed each braid after I've done my washing and conditioning.

-If for some reason I've worn an out style (like a wash n go or twistout), I detangle my hair thoroughly before washing. Basically, I sit down, take a section, slather with conditioner (v05 is perfect for this) so that it's dripping with it, and then get out all the tangles and shed hair.

So, no tangles over here. I make sure I thoroughly detangle/deshed when the time comes and then keep my hair in a style where it stays detangled. Easy peasy.

 

[ms.blue]

I detangle as much as I can around 95-100%. I do this b/c not doing it cause me a huge setback. Since my natural is dense it can't always be 100% as long you could comb your hair w/o tangles you should be fine (using a wide tooth comb)

 

[tatiana]

Tangle-free succulent curly goodness.

You twist your hair at night in 4 to 8 twists. I usually rewet my hair with a little water and when retwisting, finger comb it or comb in needed. in the morning take twists out and that is how one can do a twistout for an entire week and not have problems on wash day.

The above way is not the only way.

 

[MizzBrit]

i try to keep my hair:

1.) stretched all the time
2.) in a style that helps decrease tangles(usually a ps style)


puffs usually gives me tangles as much as i love them.but...i believe in the right product. it plays a BIG role in detangling your hair..the slip and softness you can get with the right conditioner makes everything SO much easier. sure my arms hurt and my finger are numb when im done, but i expect that considering how thick my hair is..esp the crown area.

 

[JustKiya]

Tangle-free succulent curly goodness. I love this turn of phrase.

My hair is usually 90% tangle free - from the roots. That's largely because I keep it stretched 99% of the time.

For your particular scenario, I would soak my dry hair in conditioner for at least an hour, pulled back into as much of a 'ponytail/bun' as I could (that prevents it from shrinking like it wants to from getting wet). Then, I part my hair in usually four sections, and detangle half of each section at a time. The other sections are each two strand twisted, or I twirl them (one strand twist, I guess) and use a haircomb to secure it to my head.

Starting with my fingers, I work from the tips of my hair to the roots - that lets me gently catch all of the larger knots, which I tease apart, hair strand by hair strand. Then, I use a wide tooth rake - tip to roots, a medium tooth comb - tip to roots, and my denman - tip to roots.

By the time I'm done, my hair is COMPLELTELY detangled. I put the detangled section back into a two strand twist, and repeat.

Works like magic, no matter WHAT hair style I've worn - the above is actually my 'normal' process. The only difference that having worn it in a twistout would make is that I would have a LOT more knots/tangles, and it would take me three times (at least!) as long to do it than it does when I'm putting conditioner on straight from a 'stretched' style.

 

[Chameleonchick]

Not to hijack the thread, but those of you who wash in braids, how long was your hair when you started doing that?

Also, at what hair length did you start to always keep your stretched at all times?

 

[JustKiya]

Not to hijack the thread, but those of you who wash in braids, how long was your hair when you started doing that?

Also, at what hair length did you start to always keep your stretched at all times?

I guess I wash in braids - I cowash, and I 'scrub' my scalp as I detangle.

Hrrrrmmmmmmm. I think I started doing it as soon as my hair was long enough to be able to put it into 6 two strand twists.

I started keeping it stretched most of the time by the time it was a little below ear length, I think. Once my TWA/ponypuff was getting 'unwieldy' I switched to pure protective styling.

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

while i was transitioning, my hair never stayed detangled unless i had straightened it.

now that i'm natural, i can detangle, but it will shrink back to my head. soon after detangling, i have to style. i'm sure once it gets longer, i will be able to detangle and braid my hair up to keep it from tangling again. ♥

 

[Chameleonchick]

I guess I wash in braids - I cowash, and I 'scrub' my scalp as I detangle.

Hrrrrmmmmmmm. I think I started doing it as soon as my hair was long enough to be able to put it into 6 two strand twists.

I started keeping it stretched most of the time by the time it was a little below ear length, I think. Once my TWA/ponypuff was getting 'unwieldy' I switched to pure protective styling.

I'm not sure how much longer I have left until I can do that. I can't wait though!

 

[JJamiah]

My son's hair isn't tangled at all.

With his twist in, we rinse it until most of the gel comes out.

I then put ample amount of V05 conditioner in his hair, move it around the head.
Comb it out and the twist just fly out and there is no resistance.
I wash his hair with paul mitchel
then with a conditioning Shampoo HE HH
Put a DC in his hair put him under the steamer or dryer for 20/30 minutes
I then take him and comb him through again and rinse.
Argan oil and herstyler serum.

he is definitely tangle free! His tender head would have it no other way.

 

[JustKiya]

I'm not sure how much longer I have left until I can do that. I can't wait though!

I think I messed around with it when my hair was long enough to put into 8, but it wasn't enough of a payoff, detangling wise, to make it worth it.

 

[maysay]

Not to hijack the thread, but those of you who wash in braids, how long was your hair when you started doing that?

Also, at what hair length did you start to always keep your stretched at all times?

I have to say the length where I should have started washing in braids and keeping it stretched all the time was around 8 inches. But, I went through a period of hardheadedness (lol) where I tried to convince myself that wearing my hair loose all the time and washing loose were viable hair care options. That plan did not work out and I know that because my retention was way less than what it should have been.

I've become diligent about wearing my hair stretched all the time and washing in braids in the last 6 months. My hair was about 10 inches when I started and it's 12-13 inches now.

 

[PPGbubbles]

So is learning to be content with tangled up hair and roots just part of the natural territory, or are you walking around with a head full of tangle-free curly succulent goodness..

Thank you all.
All thoughts are welcome

Not to hijack the thread, but those of you who wash in braids, how long was your hair when you started doing that?

Also, at what hair length did you start to always keep your stretched at all times?

Hey OP! I run around with tangle free curly (well in my case kinky) succulent goodness

like others I wash and DC in braid and I always rock a stretched style.

I never allow my hair to shrink and get tangly....honestly my "detangling" sessions are mostly to remove shed hair.....not really tangles.

This only became a way of life once I learned the beauty of washing and DC'n in plaits


@chameleon chick I started washing in plaits around shoulder length...only because that is when I discovered this method....I started w/ twist but I found my SL hair was too short to hold a wet twist and I had to redo them often midwash/DC

I just find that the longer my hair grow the fewer braids I need to use... I started w/ 12 now im down to 8

 

[I Am So Blessed]

when i was natural, the tangles were never out 100%. i actually think its impossible. maybe 89% is possible. but im talking about my hair

 

[Carrie A]

I live with tangles. I detangle on wash day completely but I know that within a few hours some more tangles are going to appear. My main goal is to remove shed hair. I prevent massive tangling by braiding at night (I'm not always consistent).

The past 2 weeks I completly neglected my hair. I just kept it in a bun, spritzed and re-shoved the ends under with a bobby pin. Not a comb went through it. I faked the funk by smoothing the top of my head. I was really come wash day 'cause I couldn't get my fingers to my scalp -it was that matted. Amazingly once I got under the running water and started separating with my fingers, the hair fell apart. Next, the wide tooth comb plus Knot Today and voila! I could comb from root to tip. I was pretty shocked, because I thought I was headed for a set back.

 

[FlowerHair]

No, I think you just have to come to terms with the fact that even if you manage to get all tangles out perfectly, it only takes minutes for the hair to tangle again (if not seconds )

I've learned to live with the tangles here and there. Thank goodness, natural hair is so forgiving

 

[adw425]

During the first two years of my transition, my hair was impossible to detangle. Now I CO wash and detangle daily. It takes me less than a minute to detangle 100% these days with a shower comb (and my hair is much longer now) because it never shrinks up densely/tightly nor tangles like it did before I discovered this forum. I mean just something simple like adding castor oil to Lustrasilk herbal cholesterol or adding a little honey and coconut oil to any conditioner and going under the heat cap are some very simple tricks for total detangling. Food grade aloe vera gel is something that will take tangles out instantly. I was sick this week and actually slept in wet hair without first detangling and braiding or twisting it first, as I always do, so this was the first time in about four years I have had to put any effort into detangling my hair -- and it was not only tangled, but matted. I thought I would have to mix up a concoction of Giovanni smooth as silk condish with some honeyquat, coconut oil, marshmallow root powder and silk amino acids, but I just dampened with rosewater, saturated with food grade aloe vera gel and I detangled in about five minutes.

 

[Lyoness]

When I was transitioning and had waves rather than curls my hair was 100% detangled 100% of the time..

Now Im natural my hair is 100% detangled whilst wet and the comb is going through it.. as soon as it dries in clumps of curls there is no way on earth I'd comb those out it would take forever... With my hair type I don't expect it to be detangled 100% or even 50% of the time unless I wanted to fight against my natural pattern

 

[carib_n_curly]

i wish my hair could stay untangled 100% of the time

as long as my hair doesn't matt up or i let it tangle too much i'm cool
i just don't comb my hair often , only detangle when i i co-wash. in between detangling i fluff my hair and brush it. i don't finger comb because i swear my hair feels sharp sometimes lol and my hair snaps easily

 

[Shay72]

OP thanks for this post . I'm 8 months post and detangling has not been fun. I learned early on wearing braidouts and twistouts for extended periods of time does not work for my hair (2 days max is best). My curls like each other too much. They like to stick together . I sleep in braids, wash, dc, cowash in braids,etc but sometimes just taking the braid out to detangle it makes my hair get tangled . The long transition has been beneficial to me because each day I learn more and more about my hair.

 

[Chromia]

No, I think you just have to come to terms with the fact that even if you manage to get all tangles out perfectly, it only takes minutes for the hair to tangle again (if not seconds )

I've learned to live with the tangles here and there. Thank goodness, natural hair is so forgiving

I agree. I get my hair 100% detangled from root to tip in the shower, but by the time my hair is dry I have tangles again.

 

[BrandNew]

I have very course 4B hair and I never have a problem getting all the tangles out. I detangle in the shower and I don't lose a lot of hair. In my down time I keep my hair in big braids that I unbraid and comb through regularly. I have never had problems with matted hair.

 

[Hair2Here]

Detangling my hair is not bad. I began to co-wash and spray with DOO-Grow detangle spray. I also use Silk Elements in my dc mix and this helps a lot. My hair gets really soft and manageable with this regimen.

 

[Nerd.]

Wow, Very helpful you guys! I am frantically taking notes

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Tangle free succulent goodness over here

As was mentioned earlier..I simply never allow my hair to get tangled....its stretched in a detangled state at all times including when I wash. I wash/condition/DC in 8-9 braids that I keep in for the duration.

I NEVER EVER wash my hair loose.........EVER. This has been pivotal to retention for me.

I braid my tangled hair in the braids...wash then one by one I'll take the braids down, slather with slippy condish and detangle from tip to root rebraid and repeat.....by the time I'm through the comb slices through my strands like hot butter. I've been doing this routine for so long that it takes me maybe 15-20 minutes to detangle......and I rarely have to detangle anyhow.

As for when I wear twists, my hair goes into the twists fully detangled so its not very difficult for me to comb through it to get the few shed hairs that may be in there.

Tangles are not an issue for me, detangling is as easy as 1-2-3....I almost never get ssk's and I am a true type 4a/b

Don't worry OP just adopt the tips you got in this thread see what works best for you and you'll no longer have this issue at all. I've been where you are way back when I was in my transition I had zero idea how to deal....luckily, you have what I didn't a support group chocked full of tips and ideas!

 

[Nonie]

In response to OP's question, I couldn't have explained it better than Maysay. I do it the way she does.

Not to hijack the thread, but those of you who wash in braids, how long was your hair when you started doing that?

Also, at what hair length did you start to always keep your stretched at all times?

I learned of this method from Robin of C&G and I have done it as long as my hair could be put in braids since then. I never sleep without my hair in braids and the shortest I've had my hair since joining the forum is this:

At that length, I always braided my hair at bed time, and likewise, I always braided it when I washed, undoing to comb through one braid at a time, during shampooing, during conditioning, during both rinses and during the final ACV rinse.

 

[winnettag]

My hair is NEVER fully detangled :-(
Even if I manage to get my denman or a wide toothed comb through it, from root to tip, by the time my sister tries to part it to put in cornrows she's complaining about how tangled it is..... and that is after having put in twists or large box braids in the meantime.

 

[classychic1908]

For me, curly hair is tangly hair. They just come with the territory...

 

[Ms Lala]

when i was natural, the tangles were never out 100%. i actually think its impossible. maybe 89% is possible. but im talking about my hair

I have to agree. When my hair clumps together to form curls I think some tangles are formed. Especially if you airdry, the hair is going to dry in whatever shape or pattern you put it in while it is drying and combing hair while it's bone dry doesn't tend to work too well for most naturals. I would say that my hair is about 80-90% detangled. I really don't see the need to have tangle free hair unless I"m wearing my hair straight and I haven't straightened in years. I wear my hair in stretched styles all of the time now. I don't let my hair completely shrink up, even when washing. This has prevented alot of tangling issues and makes it easy for me to detangle.