extreme tangles!!

celiabug

New Member
my hair is fine and tangles soo badly. im a type 3b and when i try to comb my hair every week its life trying to comb through a bunch of spider webs that have matted together. its nearly impossible and i have to take several breaks and i use up a whole big bottle of aussie moist in 3 washes. my hair is extremely thin by the way so its not like i have a lot of hair to comb through. i have tried protein treatments, deep conditioning i seriously dont know what else to do.

im soo sick of dealing with this that i feel like cutting my hair really short and forgetting about trying to grow it out. i need any other type of advice i can get.
 

Spongebob

Well-Known Member
Celiabug, I feel your pain. I keep my hair permanently in 10 braids or so, and wash and condition them as they are. Then afterwards I individually take out braids, comb out shed hair and rebraid one by one. Nobody got time for anxiety attacks that fine hair causes
 

OhTall1

Well-Known Member
I had the same challenge with tangles this weekend when I took out my crochet braids. I usually don't have a huge problem because normally after I take out the extensions, I drench my hair in coconut oil and baggy, sometimes overnight. This was the first time I skipped that step -- I was short on time, and I really wasn't sure that it was beneficial. Now I know. The tangles were epic.
 

KinkyGenius

Well-Known Member
Usually when my hair tangles to that degree it's a sign I need a trim, not a dust. Could be the case with you too maybe.
 

KittyMeowMeow

Well-Known Member
I think weekly detangling is too infrequent for fine hair, esp type 3. My hair is easy to detangle if I do it frequently- I once waited a week and it was a nightmare! My hair gets matted and forms actual tangles that need to be worked or cut out if I go too long, but takes just a few minutes if I do it every other day.

Have you read the fine hair thread? A lot of ladies felt the same.

I use a spritz of water, pull apart hair to demat, then comb with the magic star jumbo rake comb, seal, and set for bed.

Also, I think 3b & lower (any hair that gets straightish when wet) should not be combed wet unless its is already detangled and combed gently. The hair is very elastic when wet and can stretch and break.

Using oils and reducing buildup also help with matting. And I put my hair in loose bantu buns or braids for bed- I don't do pineappling or other loose hair sleep methods.

Don't cut! You can figure this out :)
 
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ManeStreet

Well-Known Member
My hair is very fine & very tangly too. I detangle wet with tons of conditioner. If I detangle dry when when hair is curly it will break & snap & keep tangling up as I comb it.

I love the tresemme naturals conditioner for detangling. I also decided to finally stop doing wash & goes because being waist length & fine haired & tangly is just way too much. Plus my hair is very dense.
 

freecurl

Well-Known Member
celiabug
I experience the same thing, especially in the nape area and it could be EXTREMELY frustrating. I know it happens a lot because I don't detangle enough and I always wear my hair down which causes my hair to lump together in a matted mess.
What has helped me the most is using aloe vera gel on slightly damp hair or with some conditioner BEFORE detangling. Its been a miracle worker. As the water from the shower head hits my hair, my hair falls apart much better. I also like the idea of keeping the hair separated prior to detangling.
 

BraunSugar

New Member
This may not be the most popular opinion among naturals, but in my experience using a conditioner with cones always gives me the best slip. Suave Professionals conditioners make detangling my hair pretty easy.
 

PatTodd

Well-Known Member
I used to have this exact problem. I did find that it was worst on my ends where I needed a major trim. My hair needs to be super moisturized before I attempt detangling. Actually my hair is not tangled, but filled with shed hairs.

What I do is I rinse my hair thoroughly with water first, then just rinse with a moderate amount of any slippery, non protein conditioner, to start the softening process. Next, I load it up with a more conditioner, and start to finger detangle each side. Then I rinse again, load up again. At this point the shed hair starts to slide down my length. Next I load up with conditioner once more, then work through each side with a magic star rake, then a smaller tooth comb, then an even smaller tooth comb. Then, rinse rinse rinse.

By the end, my hair is detangled root to tip, and no shed hair is left to cause tangles or (gasp) small dreads. I do this once a week in the shower and it only takes less than 15 minutes and LOTS of (cheapie) conditioner. It's easiest if I get a chance to deep condition for an hour with heat first, using a conditioner containing glycerin. Hope this helps you!
 

Kindheart

Well-Known Member
I m dealing with this problem now .I need a major trim ,I also noticed that my hair doesn't respond to products anymore ,everything just sits on top of my ends
 

IMFOCSD

Well-Known Member
I have this same issue and for a long time i dealt with it and lost tons of hair. Recently I have found that detangling in atleast four sections on hair thats about 50% dry works best, I cannot detangle on wet hair whether i have conditioner or not..its just all bad.

or

I detangle more frequently, like every few days on lightly spritzed hair in sections which has been the best method thus far so I will probably use this method from now on. I lose very little hair.
 

Crucible

New Member
From time to time, I experience that same hair issues as you described, but just as the problems seemingly occur suddenly I no longer experience the problems and my hair is back to normal without me really knowing what I used or what occurred to correct the problems ;-| I would luv to know what is happening with my hair so that I could avoid the whole scenario.
 

temfash

Well-Known Member
I've suffered from extreme tangles for years, the only recent solution that seems to be working consistently for me has been oil rinsing, my tangles seem to melt into to non-existence ever since I gave it a shot. OP give it a go see if it works for you. My tangles were mainly at the roots and were like spider webs.
 
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Fhrizzball

Well-Known Member
I've suffered from extreme tangles for years, the only recent solution that seems to be working consistently for me has been oil rinsing, my tangles seem to melt into to non-existence ever since I gave it a shot. OP give it a go see if it works for you. My tangles were mainly at the roots and were like spider webs.

I cosign on the oil rinsing. Not only is my hair shinier and softer, but my ends aren't so dry and my tangles aren't much of a problem anymore. I also only fingercomb in the shower as a comb and wet hair is just asking for trouble. If I must comb, it is on damp hair that has been moisturised with my leave ins.
 

divachyk

Instagram: adaybyjay
I have found for my hair, trims, protein treatments, etc. are not always the answer. My hair tangles badly and I've tried every possible option and explored every recommendation. What helps most is fully detangling before washing, wash in sections, apply shampoo to scalp with applicator tip bottle and gently massage hair -- no aggressive massaging.
 

LovingLady

Well-Known Member
celiabug, based on what you said I would suggest dry detanglling with grape seed oil before you wash your hair. Similar to freecurl my nape area can be frustrating especially at the roots. Dry detangling with oil at least once a week helps a lot.
 
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