Detangling

[melahnee]

How do you guys do it and how often?
I've seen some girls on here say that they only do it once or twice a week. How much of a difference would it make if you detangled everyday/every other day? would there be a noticeable difference?

I tried waiting longer between tangles because I really want to retain better and was hoping it would help. I'm not sure if I was doing it wrong/didn't use the right products before/during/after, but it was not a very good idea for me.
I can do it every other day and be fine, but I tried waiting three days and it was bad. My hair was so tangled from top to bottom. I used a lot of moisturizer, but I still think I could have lost less than I did.. anybody have any tips for me? Or should I just stick to what I'm doing. Also, detangling my hair while wet is a recipe for disaster for me, so after I wash it, I put it in bantu knots or braids and take it down to detangle once it's completely dry.

 

[Evolving78]

i detangle whenever i wash my hair, so it's twice a week. i use my fingers first and detangle dry, to remove shed hairs and knots. i finger detangle again after i wash on damp hair, and when it is 80% dry, i use a wide toothed comb, detangling small sections.

 

[Lilmama1011]

How do you guys do it and how often?
I've seen some girls on here say that they only do it once or twice a week. How much of a difference would it make if you detangled everyday/every other day? would there be a noticeable difference?

I tried waiting longer between tangles because I really want to retain better and was hoping it would help. I'm not sure if I was doing it wrong/didn't use the right products before/during/after, but it was not a very good idea for me.
I can do it every other day and be fine, but I tried waiting three days and it was bad. My hair was so tangled from top to bottom. I used a lot of moisturizer, but I still think I could have lost less than I did.. anybody have any tips for me? Or should I just stick to what I'm doing. Also, detangling my hair while wet is a recipe for disaster for me, so after I wash it, I put it in bantu knots or braids and take it down to detangle once it's completely dry.

do what works for you because i'm pretty sure your going to get all types of answers on detangling. some detangle before washing, some detangle with conditioner in their hair, some only tangle after deep conditioning on wet hair, so towel dry for a couple of minutes and detangle and some detangle after washing after it has air dried. Wet hair is a disaster on me as well, i loose lots of hair when detangling with conditioner in my hair and detangling when soaking wet after deep conditioning. but if its wet i can detangle in smaller sections but have to be very careful but detangling before washing on dry hair works better for me, eve though i have slight tangles after washing but would of been worse had i not detangled before and i'm to impatient to wait til it fully drys to detangle or it will be a disaster. i wash weekly and i finger detangle through out the week and occasionally run the comb through probably once that week before washing again but mostly when i moisturize and seal daily i finger detangle

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

I can't comb my hair while wet either.

But why is your hair tangled after only a few days? Are you doing daily activities that causes your hair to tangle; upside down aerobics or something? Lol

 

[tiffjust2002]

Before I wash I just do a light dry finger detanlge and remove any shed hairs then I do full finger detangle with condish in shower and then go over it with a wide tooth comb. After that I am got to go until next I wash day.

 

[melahnee]

I can't comb my hair while wet either.

But why is your hair tangled after only a few days? Are you doing daily activities that causes your hair to tangle; upside down aerobics or something? Lol

lol! I don't know why it gets so tangled! I don't wear it down a lot or anything. The weather here is real dry idk if that has anything to do with it lol. I really am not sure why it gets tangled easily erplexed

 

[Lilmama1011]

lol! I don't know why it gets so tangled! I don't wear it down a lot or anything. The weather here is real dry idk if that has anything to do with it lol. I really am not sure why it gets tangled easily erplexed

Unless you have a lot of shedded hair, do a tea rinse or garlic shampoo treatment, because shedded hair causes tangles

 

[Misseyl]

I detangle everyday and on wash days on dry hair. My hair does not like to be manipulated when wet.

 

[Nonie]

But why is your hair tangled after only a few days? Are you doing daily activities that causes your hair to tangle; upside down aerobics or something? Lol

That was going to be my question too melahnee

I keep tangles at bay so never have to detangle by combing my hair well in the AM when wearing it loose before putting it in a puff. Then I don't mess with it till evening when I comb it again before braiding it for the night. Shed hair is removed during the manipulation so I never have to deal with tangles.

For the last 5+ years I have been in twists which hold my hair in a detangled state. Redoing one twist at a time and finger combing to remove shed hair keeps tangles from ever coming to be.

Detangling to me is not the same thing as combing. Detangling to me means you already have tangles that you are now removing. I just don't let tangles happen.

 

[mshoneyfly]

Unless you have a lot of shedded hair, do a tea rinse or garlic shampoo treatment, because shedded hair causes tangles

lilmama
melhani
I have tangles from a lot of shed hairs. I think because I use a growth aide (brahmi oil). I did a garlic oil prepoo on sunday and it worked really well to strengthen and stop the shedding and tangles.

When I have protein overload, which can cause tangles too, i use vo5 xtra body in a spray bottle mixed with water to get right to the knots. It works like a charm to release the tangles. I get them out with my fingers.

I always detangle before washing or cowashing. Lately I have been combing in the shower under running water as I rinse the conditioner.

 

[melahnee]

That was going to be my question too @melahnee

I keep tangles at bay so never have to detangle by combing my hair well in the AM when wearing it loose before putting it in a puff. Then I don't mess with it till evening when I comb it again before braiding it for the night. Shed hair is removed during the manipulation so I never have to deal with tangles.

For the last 5+ years I have been in twists which hold my hair in a detangled state. Redoing one twist at a time and finger combing to remove shed hair keeps tangles from ever coming to be.

Detangling to me is not the same thing as combing. Detangling to me means you already have tangles that you are now removing. I just don't let tangles happen.

Nonie Thank you, that's a really good idea. I'm going to have to try doing twists. how do you make them stay?

Lilmama1011 I did a tea rinse last time I washed! I used a tea called herbal tea..it was my first attempt and what I did was deep condition my hair for almost an hour, then pour the tea over my head and let it sit for 10 minutes under a plastic cap..hopefully i did it right lol. there were many tangles but I think I did a good job at untangling them..there wasn't THAT much hair, but I saw a lot of small pieces on the sink and stuff

 

[melahnee]

@lilmama
@melhani
I have tangles from a lot of shed hairs. I think because I use a growth aide (brahmi oil). I did a garlic oil prepoo on sunday and it worked really well to strengthen and stop the shedding and tangles.

When I have protein overload, which can cause tangles too, i use vo5 xtra body in a spray bottle mixed with water to get right to the knots. It works like a charm to release the tangles. I get them out with my fingers.

I always detangle before washing or cowashing. Lately I have been combing in the shower under running water as I rinse the conditioner.

how exactly did you do the garlic oil prepoo? how do you know if you have a protein overload? I don't think I do..I deep condition every time I wash, I also use a leave-in conditioner, and i moisturize everday, but who knows.

 

[mshoneyfly]

how exactly did you do the garlic oil prepoo? how do you know if you have a protein overload? I don't think I do..I deep condition every time I wash, I also use a leave-in conditioner, and i moisturize everday, but who knows.

melahnee
I used a 2 teaspoons minced garlic from the grocery store in a nonstick skillet with about 4 ounces olive oil. I let it heat up on med for about 5 minutes. Let cool, strained the garlic and poured oil into an applicator bottle.

Oiled liberally and massaged scalp making sure to put on hair shaft and ends too. Put on a grocery bag, plastic cap and scull cap for about three hours (I think 20 minutes is enough).

I am protein sensitive. I tried Wen gardenia green tea as a DC for the first time along with a tea rinse so I think that was too much protein at once. I am 11 weeks post and my hair seems overly strong right now when dry.

 

[Nonie]

melahnee, I am about to flush my phone down the toilet. I had just typed a whole essay with images then accidentally hit my back button and lost it all. I am too angry to type now. I will answer you later from a PC when I have calmed down.

Is there a way to go Forward within the App if you accidentally hit back while typing a response or am I the only idiot who is clumsy enough to do that?

Arrrgh...I am so mad I could spit nails!

 

[EnExitStageLeft]

I detangle thoroughly under running water in the shower, I tried detangling outside the shower and it just didn't work out for me. I also comb daily to remove shed hairs so that I won't get tangles throughout the week. I agree with Nonie the best way to prevent a tangle is not to have them at all.

 

[myronnie]

Nonie I'm sorry hun :hug: that's my pet peeve with the app..it's so easy to accidentally hit the back button and lose all of your post!
Do you re-moisturize your hair when you retwist Nonie? Do you twist dry/wet? I'm worried about mid-shaft splits because I heard that twisting can cause tension and breakage.

 

[KittyMeowMeow]

I currently need to detangle at least every other day. I don't have tangles or breakage if I do it daily (with a wide tooth comb), and it takes less than a minute to do my whole head. Every other day takes about 5 mins with the occasional tangle. More than that and it is tangle city and takes forever!

 

[MileHighDiva]

How to Avoid Getting Matted Afro-Textured Hair

Matted hair is an enemy to gaining length and retaining that length on afro-textured hair. Getting tangles at the root, middle and ends of hair are big problems for afro- textured hair. I am going to teach you in three easy steps how to avoid getting matted afro textured hair.

Detangle Hair Daily Before Retiring: When wearing your hair in loosened styles such as twists outs, braid outs, and puffs, be sure to finger comb them at night before retiring. Gently rake your finger tips through the style to remove any tangles. Make sure to go from root to tip or from your scalp to the ends of your hair. If possible, try to gently and loosely place the free and loose hair into large sections. Secure the hair with a satin or silk scarf. Retire for the evening.

Address Small Tangles Immediately: Small tangles only become larger tangles if you ignore them. As with any problem or challenge, the sooner you nip it in the bud or address it, the better it is for you in the long run. A tangle usually begins with a broken hair or hair that has shed and mixed in with some type of styling product or even lint or dirt. If you can't address the tangle right then, try to keep the addition of any styling product to a minimum.

Do Not Increase the Tension or Tightness of a Tangle: Rushing to get ready for your work or school day or for an evening event may not leave time for you to provide the attention your hair needs. If you have tangles in your hair that you cannot address at that moment, try to fix your hair using your fingers. Try not to use a brush or comb to smooth the hair down when you have a tangle in your hair. Why not? If you brush or comb your hair and smooth it up to the tangle, you run the risk of squeezing the tangled hair even more tightly together. In addition to this, any residual product that is intertwined within the tangled hair will be pressed down and will spread out to engulf more of the tangled hair into the knot.

By keeping your eye on tangles when they start, addressing them immediately, or styling to not make them tighter, this should go along way in helping you to avoid getting matted afro-textured hair.

Would you like to know more about the care and feeding of beautiful afro-textured hair? Stop on by at BeautifyBitByBit.com

Chicoro

 

[Nonie]

Nonie I'm sorry hun :hug: that's my pet peeve with the app..it's so easy to accidentally hit the back button and lose all of your post!
Do you re-moisturize your hair when you retwist Nonie? Do you twist dry/wet? I'm worried about mid-shaft splits because I heard that twisting can cause tension and breakage.

myronnie, I have fine hair and I use no products when I twist; not before, during or after. I do wonder sometimes if the overmoisturizing people do (daily, several times) isn't part of the problem. Wet hair is weak and most moisturizers get hair wet so...

I think you would have to be twirling your hair too much to cause tension tears. If you twirl two strands in the same direction, you will notice they will automatically tend to wrap around each other in the opposite direction. That's how little you need to twirl. Not too much tension. If you are not sure what I am talmbout, when I get on a PC and try the post I lost again, I will have it in there.

My growth rate is slow because I don't moisturize, seal or PS, but I don't believe twists have given me mid-strand twists. My natural hair was BC'd to under 3" by a scissor happy stylist in 2007 and I put in my twists in August 2010. In November 2011, while redoing a twist I was elated to see my hair had reached this length--longest hair of my life. If twisting was really that bad, I should not have been able to go from under 3 inches to that.

I do not twist wet. I plait my hair to airdry and stretch it. Then I undo the plaits and twist my stretched hair dry. You can see all of these steps represented below: braids to stretch, stretched hair, twists I put in after hair is stretched:

I hate how skinny and wonky the twists are so once I am done twisting, I CW the twists (I don't let condish get on scalp) to fatten them up and so the weight of water can get them to hang down straight:

As I said, I do not use any leave-in. Hate product hair touching my body. I get my moisture from baggying and washing.

 

[myronnie]

Nonie your hair looks fabulous!! I think you've retained a good bit of length for your hair to be BC'd so short in 2010! Thankyou for the explanation and the pictures. I agree that wet hair is the weakest and twisting should NOT be done on wet hair. My hair is very short however and I don't see how I am going to braid it quick enough and in large enough sections. I see a lot of naturals with longer hair and it really does seem like it's so much easier to care for when it gets long Did you do the same regimen when you had a TWA? I think I'm moisturizing too much and it's causing my hair to get weighed down throughout the week. Thanks for the great information again!

 

[melahnee]

thanks Nonie and everyone! KittyMeowMeow - that sounds like my hair! is your hair fine?

 

[Lilmama1011]

lilmama
melhani
I have tangles from a lot of shed hairs. I think because I use a growth aide (brahmi oil). I did a garlic oil prepoo on sunday and it worked really well to strengthen and stop the shedding and tangles.

When I have protein overload, which can cause tangles too, i use vo5 xtra body in a spray bottle mixed with water to get right to the knots. It works like a charm to release the tangles. I get them out with my fingers.

I always detangle before washing or cowashing. Lately I have been combing in the shower under running water as I rinse the conditioner.

mshoneyfly yeah under the water while rinsing conditioner helps but sometimes I wonder am I pulling hair out and can't feel it under the water but it be too late because I assume it goes down the drain

 

[Lilmama1011]

lilmama
melhani
I have tangles from a lot of shed hairs. I think because I use a growth aide (brahmi oil). I did a garlic oil prepoo on sunday and it worked really well to strengthen and stop the shedding and tangles.

When I have protein overload, which can cause tangles too, i use vo5 xtra body in a spray bottle mixed with water to get right to the knots. It works like a charm to release the tangles. I get them out with my fingers.

I always detangle before washing or cowashing. Lately I have been combing in the shower under running water as I rinse the conditioner.

I like to see how much I loose every wash day and compare to the last

 

[Nonie]

Nonie your hair looks fabulous!! I think you've retained a good bit of length for your hair to be BC'd so short in 2010! Thankyou for the explanation and the pictures. I agree that wet hair is the weakest and twisting should NOT be done on wet hair. My hair is very short however and I don't see how I am going to braid it quick enough and in large enough sections. I see a lot of naturals with longer hair and it really does seem like it's so much easier to care for when it gets long Did you do the same regimen when you had a TWA? I think I'm moisturizing too much and it's causing my hair to get weighed down throughout the week. Thanks for the great information again!

You got that wrong. My hair was BC'd in Feb 2007 not 2010. August 2010 is when I put twists in (the nape was a little past APL). That length on the side--which is from a higher point than nape--was in Nov 2011. So that was 4 years 9 mths from under 3 inches. To give you perspective, my ear is 2 inches so after my BC, my hair in that area might've just reached the bottom of my ear stretched if you consider this length stretched:

I was just pointing out that while I had only had twists in a little over a year (08/10 - 11/11), if they were so damaging, I would not have retained so that the area above my ear reached about where nape had reached a year before.

When I had a TWA, I still braided every night without fail and baggied. Because I was combing my hair every day, I needed something to provide slip for that, so I used S Curl. I don't think I washed my hair in braids when it was under 3 inches after the BC, but I did comb it during the wash and while still wet grab chunks of hair and braid it to ensure it dries in a somewhat stretched state. At around 5 inches stretched, I washed in braids w/o fail.

If I needed to be somewhere, I didn't airdry in braids first but would towel-dry hair and apply S Curl (relaxer style: part small section, spray product on fingers and smooth it from base to ends then comb through...and so on then when all hair had product, comb through and style.

If you do that (S Curl on damp hair) shrinkage will be crazy and when hair fully dries, it will feel hard. This was my shrinkage when hair was SL/CBL if I didn't first airdry:

But that hardness at the end of the day was temporary. Before bed, I would repeat the S Curl application relaxer style: grab a chunk of hair with fingers, and part out a small section of that to apply S Curl stretching it with one hand as I combed it out (think chase method) with a seamless fine-tooth comb. I repeated that till that chunk was moisturized, then combed through the whole section kinda like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCcoXph8tF4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Then braided it up in that detangled state. I did that till all my hair was in newly softened, well combed Celie braids, then put on a baggy and went to bed. In the AM, take baggy off and let hair dry some, then undo and comb the soft fluffy mane. A metal pick as you saw in that clip was my afro puff styling tool. My hair felt soft cotton wool and oh so moisturized w/o being icky sticky and it stayed that way all day.

Notice the puff was bigger on dry and baggied previously braided hair than on damp hair, but I still had shrinkage coz of moisture in S Curl. (I actually love shrinkage coz it keeps hair off my skin...plus I love the surprise folks get when I stretch it.) That night, the night regimen is simply combing as before only no need to apply S Curl. Plait, baggy and enjoy another day of easy to comb soft fluffy hair the next day.

BTW, this is a little OT but I just saw this pic of how versatile our hair is. I wore my hair in these different lengths within the same week! Shrinkage gives me magic hair that is short one day then long the next then short again. Yes, Hogwarts School of Magic is where I learned the spell for dat!

Unless you have high porosity, there really is no need to keep moisturizing your hair, especially if you baggy. I only apply S Curl on wash day in the AM on damp hair then at night on dry hair when wearing my hair out, that's it...until wash day. My hair stays moisturized for days. I have normal porosity.

I will admit, I found my hair less work the longer it grew. When it was a TWA, it involved many braids and daily styling. When I got tired, I put in extensions braids and redid them one at a time over the course of 14 mths till I got to SL/CBL.

 

[KittyMeowMeow]

@KittyMeowMeow - that sounds like my hair! is your hair fine?

Yes! You read my mind- I was about to mention that! I noticed a lot of people in the fine hair thread also said they needed to comb regularly.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=679863

I think fine hair has a tendancy to get matted. Also, tangles are sooo damaging to fine hair.

About half of my head is fine, half mediumish. It's the fine part that *really* needs the regular combing now that I think about it...hmmm....

Also, I notice differences based on hair type for wet/dry detangling. The very loose areas (3b & lower- anything that gets super straight/limp and stretches a lot when wet) I can't detangle wet or the hair stretches and breaks if it meets any resistance. It is also nearly impossible to remove tangles from wet hair. I need to comb dry first. I can comb it wet, it just has to be perfectly detangled. The 3cish(?) areas I can detangle dry or under running water.

 

[Nonie]

melahnee I haven't forgotten about you. Getting on a PC shortly....

 

[myronnie]

Nonie
You're a huge help thankyou! I'm still getting used to the whole natural thing..I think my hair is 3 inches stretched to the max (tried to measure) but I don't think that I can gather it enough to braid it in large enough sections so it'll pretty much be like twisting my hair while wet because I have to use such small sections..
Your hair is very pretty and thick! I'm going to take your advice and not over-moisturize my hair. I have normal porosity hair and it is 4a defined coils all throughout my head. Thanks for the advice and the nice pictures!

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie Thank you, that's a really good idea. I'm going to have to try doing twists. how do you make them stay?

Here we go (second try).

I believe the way I twist (twirling the two strands first in one direction before wrapping them around each other in the opposite direction) helps them stay in. I demonstrate how to do it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-PPsh1_Np0

It may look like it'd take forever but only when you're learning it. Once you master the technique, you can do it at normal braiding speed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm0c7KPcj08

Notice how I smooth out/stretch my hair as I twist so that the hairs are held parallel and in a stretched state. The twirling keeps the hairs in each strand separate from those in the other so there's no tangling. Which is why undoing is as simple as this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jff-Uqfb_SA

Now not all twists stay in. Some will unravel when I wash as you can see before but as you can see, most don't. Also the few that unravel are not tangles so easy to finger comb and redo--I find redoing my twists fun and relaxing (I love feeling my hair in my hands):

A few twists end up with a two-pronged fork end like this:


But I usually retwist as much as I can or/and then roll the end between fingers to get one end like this:

Before putting the twists in, I will usually braid my hair to stretch it (without products) as I showed upthread.

Now I only wash in twists coz I live in twists. If this is not what you're planning to do, I suggest you wash in braids. I explain how I do that in the thread below. Before you wet your hair, section out a narrow area and then starting from ends, comb through using a seamless fine comb...moving lower down your strands and making sure comb can go through to ends...and continuing this till you can comb from base to ends. Once that section is fully combed, braid it up to keep it from tangling while you make another part and work on another section. Once all your hair is braided, undo it and quickly part it into Celie braids for the wash I explain here: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=584699

It may seem like a lot of work, but honestly the fact that you won't have to deal with tangles is such a weight off your shoulders. And as some people shared in that thread, this way of washing changed their lives.

I hope I didn't forget anything. I'm a little tired now but I did try to recall all I had written.

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie
You're a huge help thankyou! I'm still getting used to the whole natural thing..I think my hair is 3 inches stretched to the max (tried to measure) but I don't think that I can gather it enough to braid it in large enough sections so it'll pretty much be like twisting my hair while wet because I have to use such small sections..
Your hair is very pretty and thick! I'm going to take your advice and not over-moisturize my hair. I have normal porosity hair and it is 4a defined coils all throughout my head. Thanks for the advice and the nice pictures!

@myronnie, if your hair is 3 inches stretched, it means you can put it in Celie plaits that are 1 inch high and 4 inches across. To me that's worth doing for the night so when you baggy and go to sleep, you don't wake up with a flattened 'fro. You don't have to braid to wash, but you should braid for the night. So what if you have 12 or 15 plaits. The idea is to make hair easy to deal with. You can do this as you watch TV and you don't need the parts to be straight.

To give you a visual, here's what I would have if I baggied w/o braiding for the night when I had a TWA (I think I tried to twist like many people do). My pulled back puff looked like this:

Yes, that's a puff. Kinda reminded me of a little bald baby with a bow on her head. From the front I didn't look like I had a puff.

The difference in the puff I got when I braided and baggied was remarkable:

Not only was the puff more visible but it was fluffy and was as soft as it looks

Here's another do I did w/ my TWA. Every night I would do Celie braids in the back and baggy because if I didn't, the shrinkage would make the hair coil back on itself and hence combing hard and of course the do didn't look as cute or fluffy as this:

I honestly have never gone to bed without braiding my hair. Even when my hair was under an inch long and I was in boarding school. As we sat in bed chatting, I braided many plaits as big as I could get them, baggy and then have a nice fluffy TWA in the morning. I didn't use S Curl then; I used Paltas BKC Treatment but only once a week. It's very oily but it made my hair look like my mom's looks below after S Curl.

Here's another example of how braiding at night is really well worth the effort. Below is my mom's hair after she applied S Curl to it damp:

That night she braided her hair in Celie braids (as big as her hair would allow--this is something she has done all my life and I learned from her which is why I'm horrified whenever I hear there are type 4 people who are not wearing straightened hair who go to bed w/o braiding their hair or having it twisted. It's almost blasphemous to me!). So she braided her hair for the night after applying S Curl to soften it--coz hair dries up hard when you apply S Curl to it when damp, so you need to reapply when dry to soften it again. She then put on a plastic cap so the product would not soil her pillow case or get on her face. In the morning, her hair was so easy to comb that she was blown away. This is what it looked like the next day:

A beautiful mane of fluffy softness. Night regimen: plait. Day time regimen, comb out. No breakage, no tangles. manageability, quick to style...(Did I mention never needing to detangle?) IMO this ease of haircare so much worth braiding at night.

 

[myronnie]

Nonie
Are celie plaits cornrows? I literally just finished twisting my hair and it's taken me a couple of hours. I am livid and just done honestly. I do not know how to cornrow my hair (my mother does not know how to cornrow..so she never could teach me..believe me I used to ask her lol!). I wear my hair in kind of chunky messy twists 99% of the time. They look nothing like yours..most of them aren't very neat or as stretched out. Again, thanks for the visuals!

I used to be one of those type 4s to not wear my hair braided at all..I'd wake up with a shrunken fro, wet it, brush it out and slap a headband on it...I never moisturized it either.

How often do you wash? I think I'm going to try to go weeks without washing to cut down on all the manipulation and retwisting.

I feel like I've hijacked this thread......