question for natural ladies

[ms*x]

please tell me what helps the breakage (i think that is what it is) of combing out natural hair. i'm talking about with the little curly hairs that get on my shirt after combing my daughter's hair.

i wanted to put this in the children's corner, but not every natural-haired lady checks that forum.

thanks in advance!

 

[JustKiya]

Are you combing her hair dry? How wide are the teeth of the comb?

 

[BostonMaria]

Do you brush her hair dry? Because my daughter has 3B hair and I have to at least wet the brush and sprinkle some water in her hair before I even attempt to brush out her hair in the morning. I will usually put a quarter sized amount of conditioner in my hand and put it over her ends as well to avoid breakage.

 

[ms*x]

Are you combing her hair dry? How wide are the teeth of the comb?

i use an afro comb so that i can manage the waves before i braid. i don't comb her hair dry at all but i still get those little hairs.

 

[ms*x]

Do you brush her hair dry? Because my daughter has 3B hair and I have to at least wet the brush and sprinkle some water in her hair before I even attempt to brush out her hair in the morning. I will usually put a quarter sized amount of conditioner in my hand and put it over her ends as well to avoid breakage.

i don't even bother to brush it - she has 4b hair and i know it will do more damamge than good.

 

[JustKiya]

i use an afro comb so that i can manage the waves before i braid. i don't comb her hair dry at all but i still get those little hairs.

What's an afro comb? Is that like a pic? *nod* those teeth should be wide enough.
Are you combing her hair wet with water, or is there some sort of product in it?

Hrrm. I'd agree with BostonMaria - maybe a little conditioner in her hair, too? You can leave it in, if you use a small enough amount, but it might give you the 'slippiness' needed to be able to comb through her hair without breaking off the ends.....

I'd also suggest - I don't know how old she is - but maybe a weekly DC, if you aren't doing it already? That kind of breakage might indicate that her hair is a little dry, too.

 

[Poohbear]

what product(s) are you currently use to comb her hair out? and how do you style her hair after combing it?

 

[ms*x]

okay - i haven't been doing the dc...i will start that.
the products i am using? mostly s-curl activator because it's the only thing that keeps her from crying - she's a bit tender-headed. i apply the trader joe's conditioner on it once i've detangled it and coat it with castor oil.

maybe the fact that i don't dc is the problem eh? if so, what would be a good one? what do you all use that may have cut down on what i am getting from her?

 

[JustKiya]

Personally, I found that S-Curl made my hair soft, but it didn't give me any slip, at all - and it attracted lint, which made my hair tangle even more.

Urm, my favorite BSS DC is Elasta QP Intense Fortifying - it's a moisture rich conditioner, that you could use as a leave-in and as a DC. It's chem-rich, though, and I don't know if you are trying to avoid using them on her. I've heard nothing but good about Aubrey's Organic - and I think they have a couple of DC's, too.

I don't know how much time you have, but I've found that doing anything 'time consuming' to my hair while wet is an invitation for more tangles. All I do while wet is detangle (in sections), and then I instantly slap that section into a fat braid once I'm done. Let that braid dry, and then I can manipulate my dry hair without it retangling on me in the process. I don't know if you'll have time to let her hair dry (though, on a little girl, the fat 'drying' braids could be a style in and of themselves, depending on how you part the sections), but that might be a thought.

 

[Poohbear]

okay - i haven't been doing the dc...i will start that.
the products i am using? mostly s-curl activator because it's the only thing that keeps her from crying - she's a bit tender-headed. i apply the trader joe's conditioner on it once i've detangled it and coat it with castor oil.

maybe the fact that i don't dc is the problem eh? if so, what would be a good one? what do you all use that may have cut down on what i am getting from her?

I know that continual use of S-Curl can eventually cause breakage. Even though it's an excellent moisturizer, it can cause the hair to be mushy and prone to breakage.

And I agree that deep conditioning would help with the breakage.

How often do you comb out her hair? Try combing only during wash day. If you put her hair in twists or braids and need to redo them during the week, just unravel them, apply a little moisturizer and conditioner, and use your fingers to stretch it out and re-twist or re-braid. Don't re-comb it back out because that will cause those little broken hairs. Hope that helps.

 

[BostonMaria]

I know that continual use of S-Curl can eventually cause breakage. Even though it's an excellent moisturizer, it can cause the hair to be mushy and prone to breakage.

And I agree that deep conditioning would help with the breakage.

I would give the S-Curl a break and try something else just in case its causing the breakage.

I don't brush my daughter's hair with a regular brush, I use one that looks like this

My niece has 4a/4b hair and I've used it on her. If I wet her hair and add a little bit of conditioner, the brush just glides right thru her hair.

 

[ms*x]

justkiya...yes, i tries the fat braids but that adds another hour onto the 2 hours for the smaller braids!

poohbear...i only comb her hair when i braid it on washdays. i just don't know what to do at this point.

she seems to be getting length and her hair in the front is growing (that's another WHOLE thread by itself). she's got thin edges - it's hereditary and NOT from my side.

i'll just try the dc's and see what happens. and i'll try the elasta...thanks, ladies!

p.s. you know, bostonmaria, i think her hair may just not like to be combed! i will try a brush like that to see if i can get it at least manageable enough to braid next time, sans the s-curl that you all are warning me about.
thanks again!

 

[JustKiya]

With the fat braids, though, you can split up the work. So do the fat braids, let her run around in thsoe for a coupel of days until they start looking messy, then take them down (like PoohBear suggested) and redo the dry (and hopefully still detangled) hair into the small braids - but I do feel you on the extra time needed!

Oooh, yeah, the brush might help too! And I assume you are combing from the ends to the root? One trick that I learned (as a tenderheaded girl) is that if you start at the ends, you can 'hold' the hair a little below where you are combing, so that the stress/pull is ONLY on the hair, and not on the scalp, because the hair between your hand and the scalp isn't getting tugged on, if that makes any sense?

 

[ms*x]

makes a LOT of sense. thanks a bunch for that!

 

[JustKiya]

Anytime - us tenderheaded types have to share the tricks! Let us know how it all works out for you and the little one.....

 

[diligence]

I'm 4b and have the same problem with mine and my 2 girls' hair. The only thing so far that seems to be helping is using a detangler before combing. Otherwise all I hear is hair snapping off the ends. I just started using Mane and Tail detangler and I like it, though it's the first I've ever tried. I also just purchased the Mizani Rose H2O Nightime Treatment and I'm hoping that will help too. We're all in braids right now so I won't be able to tell if that works just yet. I've heard some really good things about it though...

Good luck to both of us!

 

[Sugar Brown]

I agree, nothing beats a good deep conditioner.

Also, Kids Organics makes a leave-in detangling lotion that helps the comb slip right through my peas when I'm having a hard time. I know a few mommies who were struggling with their little girls' hair and on the verge of using a kiddie relaxer. This product changed things for them.

HTH!

 

[ms*x]

*taking notes*

 

[ToyToy]

I agree with what others have said about deep conditioning.
Also, maybe try a detangling lotion or a spray detangler. You will be able to find these in the kiddie section. I think Just for Me does really good ones (if I remember correctly).
Alternatively, you could try and detangle with a wide tooth comb (in sections) while your daughter's hair is still in a conditioner, starting from the tip of the hair and working your way down to the roots. Also, have you tried Creme of Nature shampoos? They have excellent detangling properties (you almost don't need a conditioner). HTH