new thread
i've been reading a lot on this board lately about what a difficult some of you have been having with detangling after washing. granted, my hair isn't as long as some of yours, mine is currently just past my shoulders by a few inches, but i always put it in a pony tail before i wash/shower. then i take it out of the tail and let it dry naturally. i never have any tangles. maybe when my hair gets to at least mid-back instead of shoulder length, i may have your problems, but, as of now, it works for me.
I think the most important thing I had to learn in washing was to keep the hair in the same orientation. I.e. no flipping my head over even though it is easier to wash...when detangling, trying to keep the hair laying as it does when it is dry and down.
The other thing was learning that the length just doesn't get very dirty, so it doesn't need much "washing"...my process focuses on my scalp and most of my length just gets the passing cleaning of the rinse proceedure...and then some conditioner patted on and squeezed in/through.
Drying is two stage, first wrapped in a microfiber towel lengthwise, which is then turbaned for convenience...once the towel has sucked the loose water out of my hair, I let it air dry while I am doing normal activities. When it is dry I either detangle OR put it up in my usual bun...I can detangle later at my convenience.
Caveat - my hair is coarse and durable and only somewhat wavy...finer, curlier hair may need different attention.
Hi Trolleypup,
I am wondering how often you wear your hair loose and down. At your length is it really difficult to keep your hair out of your face/ behind your shoulders when letting it hang loose without a ponytail? Does a person's hair actually get somewhat heavier when it gets say mid-back length? I appreciate your answers. Thanks also for the tips on washing-will come in handy for me later:) Your hair is spectacular I might add:)
Ted
I almost always wear it loose and down. I will tie it in a pony tail or braid it when it is windy or storming out or when i'm doing
something the hair might get caught in. 90% of the time it down
and loose.
Where the hair hangs down my back it stays out of the face and eyes. It's long enough now it hangs down the back.
Not really. I never notice any added weight.
Almost daily, for minutes to hours, not counting sleeping (I sleep with it down), usually when I go out for dinner or neighborhood errands...and intermittently otherwise...depends on the activity.
At my length it stays behind my shoulders very easily...not much difference between down and ponytailed. It takes more than a breeze to blow my hair around, and even if it is windy and it is down, and the wind is at my back, I can usually maneuver it so that rather than blowing over my shoulders, I can let it wrap around my side and trap it with my arm so it is still controlled.
Most of the weight is not the ends, they are much thinner than higher up, but at upper-back there is enough length and weight to keep most of the hair down.
Hi Trolleypup,
Thanks for the reply. Hopefully I can have nice long hair that blows in the wind. I am hoping the waves in my hair straighten out somewhat with length. Interesting to note most of the weight is not at the ends. I am glad to hear you wear your hair down most of the time. Keep it growin' and flowin' friend.
Ted
I would advise against that.
As much as it might feel nice to have hair blowing in the wind
you want to avoid tangles. So when it is windy I tie my hair
into a pony tail, braid it, wear it in pig tails (like willie nelson)
Point well taken. At least I don't have to worry about this for another 2 years or so. They say patience is a virtue. However, my patience with my hair growth is wearing awfully thin!
Ted
Your patience may be wearing thin but ultimately on average your
hair grows a 1/2 inch per month. That will give you an idea how
long it will take to grow your hair to it's desired length.
Yes I understand. I am not going to cut my hair again until I get to my goal length, which is at least mid-back length. I learned my lesson already when I let the stylist thin out my hair in the back. Never again.
Ted
Butbut...
It really is a amazing feeling to have your hair blowing in the wind. Even worth the trouble of the careful detangling afterwards!
The key is moderation, and if you don't have the time or will for a gentle detangling, keep it up and away.
That may work with gentle winds of say 5 mph. The real problem comes when you have a strong wind of 60 mph with gust even higher.
And i've found out the hard way that tangles can and do damage the hair.
I would slso warn that gentle detangling is not always possible. I also learned that the hard way. Which is why when
i'm out shoveling snow in blizzard winds/snow i'll have my hair
tied in a pony tail/braided/in pig tails and tucked under my
shirt and jacket to protect it from wind/snow/ice.
I hate tangles and have learned ways to avoid them.
No argument...not going to have my hair down out in a full on storm or in a convertible on the freeway. But I'm not going to stop standing on top of mountains with my hair being tossed by the breeze!
Most heavy activities it is either bunned or in a ponyscrub, and at least out of the way and not exposed too much...ponyscrub, of course, is full coverage and is my routine protection for trailwork, construction, convertibles, and heavy hiking.
My hair is tough enough that I am willing to accept the small amount of incremental damage from having it down.
The best thing I can do for tangles is to keep up with the split ends...S&D sufficiently and the tangling is much less and less bad.
ps: the worst tangles for me were the result of railfanning...I was leaning out the door of a baggage car behind 4449 hauling ass up towards Shasta including all the long tunnels for most of the trip up and back. Filthy dirty tangled almost dreaded, black bath water. Awesome trip through.
The key word is gentle. I've found mountain climbing though
is could be clear, calm, and great weather now and within an
hour you've got a snowstorm. Especially on the top of the white mountains in New Hampshire. That is why you have to be prepared f0r all types of weather. The weather can change and it can do it very fast.
"Bitter cold, dense fog, heavy snow, incredible wind... 6,288-foot Mount Washington is the Home of the World's Worst Weather. Since 1932, the non-profit Mount Washington Observatory has been monitoring the elements at one of the planet's most extreme places, the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. We invite you to be a part of it."
Hiking with my hair down? Not so much! But a pleasure hike with a stick bun so I can let it down at the top? Of course!
The Whites in NH are TOUGH! The Whites out here...well, you can see the weather coming from a very long way away and it is simple simple mountain and desert weather. Although I hiked up one morning after a summer thunderstorm and there was 4-6 inches of snow stuck to the windward side of the summit hut.
Always be prepared for sudden weather...which is why my daypack runs 12 pounds (weather and surviving an overnight).
After I shampoo and condition the hair (or on days when only condition it) I never dry it. I just let it dry in the natural
room air. And I comb it with a wide tooth comb after finger
combing to remove the tangles. Now i'm very careful with the hair
now so the tangles are very rare,