detangling = set back each week

S

Spongebob

Well-Known Member
I'm really frustrated. My 4 year hair anniversary is end of this month and I am not even full APL. my hair is extremely fine and prone to breaking. Every wash day is palpitation inducing, because I end up with so much breakage after detangeling. I usually just condition all my hair together and then take forever to detangle bit by bit, it can sometimes take a whole day. So i'm kinda sick of it now. All the breakage is quite heartbreaking (yes i know its just hair but still :()

How can I prevent this? for the fine haired ladies? I thought of keeping my hair permanently in braids, even when shampooing and conditioning, and tackeling each braid individually in the shower, to remove shed hair, and braiding it back up in the shower? lol. please advice
 
Try cutting detangling down to every two weeks instead of every week. Detangle section by section with oil and/or conditioner, then loosely braid it up and shampoo with the loose braids. Dc in the braids as well. When you dry your hair, add some type of protein like Aphogee Green Tea & Keratin under your leave in.

Sent from my Snow White Frost Galaxy S4
 
Fine strand lady here. My tips are:

1.Up the protein, your hair may be breaking because your strands are weak and need strength. Protein will and always will be a fine haired girls best friend. Without it my hair would surely suffer. I have to make sure that my conditioners contain some form of protein whether it be a light protein like Wheat Protein or a Heavy hitter like Hydrolyzed Keratin. Its rare that my moisturzing conditioners be completely protein free. Even if they are I usually do a reconstructive treatment before hand. You may want to invest in a slippy(helps with detangling) balancing conditioner like Aubrey Organics GPB and ORS Replenishing Conditioner.

2.Detangle in shower under running water with a cheapie slippy conditioner like V05, Suave, and Tresemme. The combination of the water and conditioner will increase slip. This will help ease the comb through your fragile strands.

3.Detangle before washing. This step in my opinion is the most important. ALWAYS DETANGLE BEFORE WATER TOUCHES THE HAIR! Not doing so can cause tangles to turn into knots, knots into matting and matting to into dreads (and not the good kind either :nono:).

Also you may want to invest into a seamless comb. A good seamless comb could help ease the detangling process. I actually modified my comb to make it seamless, however I do have seamless combs that I love.

I got them from Hotcombs.Net and Hairsense.com

If you're not comfortable purchasing online the sell a seamless comb at Sally's Beauty Supply. It use to be the Jibere Shower Comb, now its the Plugged In Shower Comb. I used it all throughout college and fell in love. I eventually upgraded to the other two vendors I mentioned above, but not because I had to. My Plugged in Shower Comb was perfectly fine :yep:.
 
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^^I agree with EnExitStageLeft and the suggestion to do everything in sections. I put my hair into sections using barrettes before I ever wet it and it stays that way until it is styled.

Is there a reason why you aren't doing your hair in sections? Also do you remove shed hairs before you start your process?
 
Op, I highly recommend finger detangling in sections with EVCO drenched fingers. This will keep your hair pliable and prevent it from snapping. Follow-up with a seamless jumbo rake to get the remaining shed hairs out, before you start washing it. Wash in 2-4 sections depending on your density. Squeegee each section and use your seamless jumbo rake in the shower after applying a slippy r/o.

In addition, we fine haired Afro-textured ladies have to keep our hair stretched via braid out, flexi rods, or roller set. This minimizes our fine strands from lovin' on each other and getting all intimate with each other, which creates a tangly HAM.

Good luck!

ETA: While detangling put on some good music or a good movie to entertain yourself during the process.
 
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My hair was in a similar situation, These are the things that worked for me.

1. Protein DC Medium amounts, often. Get a decent mid strength protein treatment. Not eggs and henna either. A Hydrolyzed protein one. My favourite is tigi dumb blonde reconstructor. Its thick, comes in big bottles and smells like pineapples. Your hair will feel nice a strong afterwards, maybe even a little hard (that's just the protein working) I use a curl activator to moisturise to balance it out. Different proteins work for different people but most people seem to like keratin. Aphogee green tea restucturizer works great during the week for a top up too.

2. Long term protective style. Ideally you want something that works for at least a month. If you have fine damaged, breakage prone hair detangling every week just doesn't work, Minibraids or canerows work nicely. If your hair is especially coily i would stick to plaits and canerows as opposed to twists as plaits dont shrink up.

3. Keep your hair stretched. Its easier to find tangles.

4. Try detangling on dry hair. Me personally I detangle on dirty, oiled up hair with lots of cone-y serums. The serums actually melt away tangles but oils work as well. (if you don't like cones) With wet hair i end up with little coils on the floor as my hairs not as strong

5. Finger detangle in small sections (This method works especially well for minibraids for styles with big sections, not so much). Do it with a scissors nearby as well. If your hairs been breaking, You'll probably have alot of ssk and split ends. cut out any you see as you go along

6. Shampoo the scalp, condition the hair (you probably know this already but i've found that it helps with tangles a great deal)

You dont have to do all of them all the time but, the protein, dry finger detangline and longterm protective styling for at least a month helped me the most.
 
Finger detangle before washing and remove shedded hair starting from the ends and working your way up with oil in hand, after finger detangling, fully detangle with a wide teeth comb and separate into 4+ sections twisting or breaking and clipping each section up. Wash in shower and remove each section one at a time apply shampoo and twisting each section while twisting and braiding each section up. Pat dry with a shirt to not cause friction or tangles (I use a old work shirt that's made out of some slippery material kind of like absorbent satin) let wit on head for ten minutes to absorb some of the water so it can absorb the conditioner. And I play apply that in the sections and twist back up and deep condition and I jump back in the shower and rinse out in the same sections applying a slippery conditioner like tresemme or Aussie moist after I have rinsed the previous conditioner out and detangle under running water with my wide teeth comb(still working in sections), detangling is a breeze and you use waaaay less hair! . So when I put shirt on my hair after getting out the shower and apply my products and go to style, when I untwist my hair, my hair is already detangled and because its not soaking wet, and I'm moving carefully i loose barely any hair
 
I learned never to comb conditioner in my hair when it is damp, under running water with a slippery conditioner is the best thing that has ever happened to my hair
 
I'm gonna tell you what works for me. I never detangle dirty hair. I wash my hair, in one direction, in the shower only. I apply my leave-in on damp hair and wait until my hair is completely dry before detangling in sections. I use my cutter comb and a fine tooth comb before using my flat iron to the roots only. I did a protein last month and will do another protein in October before/after my next touch-up. Hope this helps.
 
fine lady here too. natural or relaxed, i have to use my fingers first and i detangle and remove shed hairs with oil, before i wash. after rinsing conditioner out, i dry with a tee shirt. i apply my serum and leave-in. next, i gently detangle my hair with my fingers, pulling strands apart like string cheese. once my hair is 80-90% dry, i go over it with a detangling comb. i move very slowly, working my way up.
 
EnExitStageLeft said:
Fine strand lady here. My tips are:

1.Up the protein, your hair may be breaking because your strands are weak and need strength. Protein will and always will be a fine haired girls best friend. Without it my hair would surely suffer. I have to make sure that my conditioners contain some form of protein whether it be a light protein like Wheat Protein or a Heavy hitter like Hydrolyzed Keratin. Its rare that my moisturzing conditioners be completely protein free. Even if they are I usually do a reconstructive treatment before hand. You may want to invest in a slippy(helps with detangling) balancing conditioner like Aubrey Organics GPB and ORS Replenishing Conditioner.

2.Detangle in shower under running water with a cheapie slippy conditioner like V05, Suave, and Tresemme. They combination of the water and conditioner will increase slip. This was help ease the comb through your fragile strands.

3.Detangle before washing. This step in my opinion is the most important. ALWAYS DETANGLE BEFORE WATER TOUCHES THE HAIR! Not doing so can cause tangles to turn into knots, knots into matting and matting to into dreads (and not the good kind either :nono:).

Also you may want to invest into a seamless comb. A good seamless comb could help ease the detangling process. I actually modified my comb to make it seamless, however I do have seamless combs that I love.

I got them from Hotcombs.Net and Hairsense.com

If you're not comfortable purchasing online the sell a seamless comb at Sally's Beauty Supply. It use to be the Jibere Shower Comb, now its the Plugged In Shower Comb. I used it all throughout college and fell in love. I eventually upgraded to the other two vendors I mentioned above, but not because I had to. My Plugged in Shower Comb was perfectly fine :yep:.
Click to expand...

Fine haired lady also checking in.

Everything she said, is what I do. ^^^^^

I would only add, I put oil on my dry hair and let it sit for an hour or I put it in my hair the night before wash day. Then I put oil on my fingers as I finger through and remove shed hair.

I always work in sections.

I would also add, do not do your hair when you are frustrated. If you get anxious while you are doing your hair, braid it up and stop. Come back to it when you calm down.
 
I second...third, fourth or fifth what @EnExutStageLeft says. I'm relaxed but my DD is natural and it was definitely a learning curve when I took over doing her hair myself. I was so out of my element with natural hair. As for the combs, I rarely user them but when I have to I use my seamless bone combs and you'll have to use at least 3 different sizes to get the job done. I also have the Sally's showe comb she mentioned and that thing is the BOMB! I favor it over my seamless combs any day, it glides through her wet and conditioner soaked 4b\c hair. AND NEVER, EVER WASH/CONDITION LOOSE HAIR AND NO BRUSHES ON FINE HAIR!! Do everything in sections, no less than 4 of them.

Also, you might want to mix yourself a batch of Kimmaytube leave-in. It even worked really good on my relaxed hair.
 
Misseyl said:
I'm gonna tell you what works for me. I never detangle dirty hair. I wash my hair, in one direction, in the shower only. I apply my leave-in on damp hair and wait until my hair is completely dry before detangling in sections. I use my cutter comb and a fine tooth comb before using my flat iron to the roots only. I did a protein last month and will do another protein in October before/after my next touch-up. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

What is a cutter comb? My fine strands cannot even look at a fine toothed comb.

I can't see any mentions on my IPhone. PM me if it is a must see. Allons y
 
llan said:
My hair was in a similar situation, These are the things that worked for me.

1. Protein DC Medium amounts, often. Get a decent mid strength protein treatment. Not eggs and henna either. A Hydrolyzed protein one. My favourite is tigi dumb blonde reconstructor. Its thick, comes in big bottles and smells like pineapples. Your hair will feel nice a strong afterwards, maybe even a little hard (that's just the protein working) I use a curl activator to moisturise to balance it out. Different proteins work for different people but most people seem to like keratin. Aphogee green tea restucturizer works great during the week for a top up too.

2. Long term protective style. Ideally you want something that works for at least a month. If you have fine damaged, breakage prone hair detangling every week just doesn't work, Minibraids or canerows work nicely. If your hair is especially coily i would stick to plaits and canerows as opposed to twists as plaits dont shrink up.

3. Keep your hair stretched. Its easier to find tangles.

4. Try detangling on dry hair. Me personally I detangle on dirty, oiled up hair with lots of cone-y serums. The serums actually melt away tangles but oils work as well. (if you don't like cones) With wet hair i end up with little coils on the floor as my hairs not as strong

5. Finger detangle in small sections (This method works especially well for minibraids for styles with big sections, not so much). Do it with a scissors nearby as well. If your hairs been breaking, You'll probably have alot of ssk and split ends. cut out any you see as you go along

6. Shampoo the scalp, condition the hair (you probably know this already but i've found that it helps with tangles a great deal)

You dont have to do all of them all the time but, the protein, dry finger detangline and longterm protective styling for at least a month helped me the most.
Click to expand...

We are hair twins!

Finger detangling on dry, but well lubricated strands (wet hair is more vulnerable to breakage for me) has become my saving grace.

Also, never ever wash your hair loose! I had to learn this lesson the hard way because it feels so great to run your fingers thru your strands and scalp. Washing in braided sections will save you from lots of work and heartaches later during the detangling process.
 
Spongebob I dealt with this for years...I bought two sageman combs (seamless combs) and started using fenugreek powder. Both has helped me big time:grin: i think I will finally reached my goal hair length next year. I never realized how much hair I was losing until I saw how much I should have been shedding.

It's worth a shot!
 
Superfine 4b+ here too!

As my hair is growing (touching SL from my BC) its getting harder to detangle. Those spiderweb fine tangles at the root are the worst and no amount of finger detangling can get those out of my hair.

Detangling on wet hair is asking for breakage because my hair is also porous. IT gets soggy fast and breaks like a champ when wet even with weekly protein treatment.

Best detangling suggestion I have is to NEVER detangle until it's 80% dry. That means leaving it alone after you wash it. Then use fingers first, then a wide tooth seamless comb (because fine hair loves mid-shaft splits with regular combs).

If your hair is tangling REALLY bad, it might need a trim. How often do you dust? It is recommended fine hairs get trimmed every 6 weeks. This has been my retention savior! 1/4" off has saved me from having see-thru ends and massive breakage due to split ends.

Other suggestions for fattening up those strands like everyone suggested is the protein reconstructors. Use one every week if you have to at first. I did at first for a month. Then moved it to every 2 weeks. I use henna as well.
 
Well none of these suggestions work for me.

My hair strands literally stick/mesh together. I cannot detangle on dry hair with oil/conditioner/comb/fingers whatever. It just breaks off and I get horrible build up from all the gunk I've put in it.

Right now my only option is to gently pull out the shed hairs whilst in the shower, pulling my hair apart to detangle adding loads of conditioner as I go. I eventually get to a point where I can rake my fingers through my hair.

Any comb at any stage of my routine will produce a ton of broken hairs.

I'm no longer on a mission to remove every single shed hair on wash day because all I'm doing is causing major set back every time I 'detangle'.
 
I start off by thoroughly wetting my hair in the shower. While my hair is under the showerhead, I separate it into two sections. I'm not worried about making parts, even sections, etc. Where ever my hair will naturally separate is where the sections will be.

I clip one section up, then put the loose section under the running water. I smooth down the section between the palms of my two hands. This helps me remove shed hairs. After I do that, I apply shampoo to my hair and scalp and smooth down the length of my hair using the same method I used to remove the shed hair.

After this, I apply coconut oil to the length of the section. I pin up the section I was working on, then I repeat the steps for the other section of hair.

I rinse the coconut oil from the sections, one at a time in very warm water. I then apply conditioner to each section. From there, I divide each section into two sections so that I have four total sections.

I start detangling each section using my Wet Brush. I apply more conditioner as I am detangling if I feel I need it. When I am finished detangling, I twist the section up and move on.
 
It could be the products being used. If my hair doesn't agree with a product I know it's going to make my hair tangled.

Also do you have to detangle often? Last year, I often washed, dc'ed then just took sections of my hair with a leave in to place in twists. I would detangle sometimes, but not after every wash. It worked well for me. I only stopped when I read some posts on here about hair being matted, so I stopped. I got great retention with that method. Thinking about it I might return to this method.
 
-pre-detangle hair with hands/fingers only if needed
-braid hair in 4 sections
-wash & condition with the braids- water should not touch your hair before hair is put into braids (the goal is to not add more tangles to the mix by piling hair in bunches while washing- you know like how they wash their hair in commercials- we CAN'T DO THAT)
-conditioner should be a super moisturizing and hydrating with lots of slip
-when applying conditioner please make sure to get all in the roots- sometimes we get so focused on baby'ing the ends we forget the roots
(i use an applicator bottle with and angled tip which i cut more of the tip off and filed the rough edges
-i personally do not detangle under water because i always come out of the shower and want to give my hair a final comb thru which means more shedded hair- i detangle 1x only and that is out the shower
-gently detangle each section... you might have to break the 4 sections into 8- i find it easier to detangle smaller sections:yep:
HTH
 
Hi There!
I wouldn't really call my hair fine. Some sections are, however the majority of my hair is medium to coarse strands. I use to hate detangling because not only did it take forever (up to 4 hours!) but I always lost a ton of hair! you would think coarser hair could stand up to the beating but not so in my case. I use to wet detangle with tons of conditioner and a wide tooth comb but then I realized that wasn't helping at all. wet knots and tangles are no fun :((
So one day I tried dry detangling. Basically what I do is I divide my hair in about 6 sections (2 on each side one in the front one on the one in the back 2 at the nape) and start at my nape. all I use is some pro line hair food and my fingers. take some hair food, spread it on a SMALL section (divide and conquer my friend!) and just pull apart my curls , GENTLY, as to remove the shed hair. My hair is about waist length now. I only detangle and wash my hair every 2 weeks. the detangling takes a little over an hour which is lovely for me as i said earlier I use to spend 4 hours detangling wet hair. I always detangle before I cleanse and while cleanse I have my hair twisted and banded in a pony tail. I take one twist out at a time so I can condition each section. when I'm finished my hair is well detangled and prepared for any style I choose to do. oh and by the way, the shedding I get now with dry detangling doesn't even rival the size of a USA half dollar! Praise Jesus!
 
I second the suggestions to add more protein to your hair. I had a section of hair that broke horribly from even the slightest manipulation and is now noticeably thinner and brittle compared to the rest of my hair. The breakage stopped some time ago after back-to-back mild protein treatments (kenra MC + yogurt); the horrible roughness and dryness are just now beginning to feel supple thanks to yet more protein (Nexxus Emergencee).

I hope you find something that works. :)
 
Spongebob

I always thought I had fine strands but after my Komaza Hair analysis I now know that I have medium strands. However, my hair is not dense so it still seems like I have fine hair.

Anyway, the suggestion from Komaza after looking at my hair under a microscope was to up my protein. I have mid-shaft splits and I was in need of a trim at the time. I suggest a trim and upping your protein. I have been using Aphogee 2 minute but ordered the Komaza Protein Hair Strengthener yesterday - 25% off sale today and yesterday - coupon code is SUMMER.

I gave away a lot of my stash and kept the protein rich items.

A great detangler (and cowash) that I'm using now is Shea Moisture Purification Masque. It probably wasn't meant to be used as a detangler and cowash but that's how I use it. I filmed my 10 minute entire detangling process here - sped up the video though: http://youtu.be/StUxXTfsAgs

I finger detangle on dry hair before washing. I have seamless combs that I sometimes use as well but for this video I just used my fingers.
 
There are some great tips in here. Detangling my hair is a nightmare sometimes, but I know what I'm doing wrong. I know I should always wash in sections, but when I'm tired or lazy I don't bother.
 
Co signing with EnExutStageLeft has said, up protein usage but I tend to focus on my ends and shaft. But don't over do it on the protein and follow up with a Deep Conditioner making sure that does not have protein in the ingredients. In my previous past natural lives, since my hair was fine it would hang by a certain point which was at shoulder length and then start snapping because of no protein now I get it and understand it.

I don't do extension braids or sew ins. If I wear protective styles for something different I will don a wig. For my protective styles which are big cornrows I am careful at how I catch my braids I do them very gently.

I use my fingers to detangle. And I am very careful with how I handle my hair when it is wet.

Since my hair is always stretched, I don't have the problem with detangling as I used to in the past.

I make sure to wash my hair weekly. I do my protein treatments every two to three weeks.

Best,
Almond Eyes
 
I only comb my hair in the shower once throughly wet and drenched in condioner, and ONLY with a wide tooth comb. Keep hair in one direction, don't ruff up by wildly shampooing. No sexy tv commercial style shampooing here with mile high bubbles and lather. Leaves hair a tangled mess. With a super wide tooth comb , still in the shower, I begin detangling my conditioner drenched hair. After 3 mins, rinse, wrap in a towel to remove excess water. I swear by Make it Healthy leave it conditioner. Instantly removes tangles. It's hard to find, but look on Amazon. Makes the last part of my detangling process (again woth a regular wide tooth comb) so easy. Virtually no breakage.

Also, be certain what you see is breakage and not full length hair shedding.
 
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