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Hi,
I have had long hair for a couple of years now. It is down to my shoulders.
I am finding it really hard work to look after. It gets tangled really easily and takes ages to brush.
I try to brush it every day but don't. Its such a big job and in the end I just tuck in a pony tail to go to work.
I seeking advice regarding what you do after washing your hair?
My hair just becomes a big tangled mess.
Also any combing techniques would be really appreciated as well.
thanks
Forsen
HI,
Perhaps don't wash-out too much of the conditioner. AND, rather than a comb, you might want to try a brush with plenty of space between ea. bristle. Just a thought..........but it might work. Good luck.
Before I even get out of the shower I squeeze all of my hair in segments so that the water gets rung out. Then I twist it some to get more water out. I then get some more out with a towel. After that I blowdry it while brushing, I wait about ten minutes and then blowdry and comb again. It is usually still kind poofy and unmanageable, I then put on a mousse leave in conditioner followed by a spray on leave in conditioner and brush it all again. Usually by this time it's fine...
... after shampooing and conditioning my hair (every 4 or 5 days, mostly because I'm lazy). I bend over in the shower and kinda hand push the excess water out. Then I stand outside the shower and sling my head around violently like a rockstar who's lost his frigin' mind. Then I run my fingers through it a bit to lay it down some and let it go from there. When it air dries it pretty much just does it's own thing and I don't mind, because I am patiently awaiting the day when it is finally definetively long. I don't mind my hair looking a little messy right now because I know that in a year or so it will flow itself down nicely around my shoulders and from there on into the future of growing I will be the happiest camper this side of the moon! LONG HAIR KICKS ASS, BAYBEEEE!!! Peace!
What exactly do you do when you wash it?
Do you use conditioner and if so what products are you using?
What is your hair type?
I wash and condition, then spray on either a leave in conditioner or a detangler before attempting to comb it. Without leave-in conditioner/detangler it is impossible to get anything through my hair.
You didn't say what texture your hair is. But I'm guessing by the way you talk about it that it is curly. My hair is curly. When its wet it reaches to my waist. When dry, it falls to mid back. Something that is important to know is that you should NEVER brush curly hair when it is dry. That will just damage it and cause you lots of frustration.
Here's what I do. Hope it helps.
My hair only needs to be washed once a week. Any more often than that and it gets very dry and frizzy. You may need to wash more often, but it is better to wash too little than too much. Experiment.
When I wash it, I only put shampoo on my head and work it into the scalp. I do not intentionally put shampoo on the ends of my hair. It is better to leave some of the natural oils on the older parts as the ends tend to be drier anyway. Whatever shampoo flows accross the ends naturally as I wash and rinse is plenty.
After washing, I condition. I use a lot. A handful gets worked into my scalp, just like the shampoo. Then I take another generous handful and work it into the middle part and the ends. I find that it is much easier to do this if I bring my hair over the front of my shoulder. That way I can work with it in front. While my hair is fully saturated with conditioner, I gently remove any large knots by hand. The key here is to take your time and be gentle. You want to leave the conditioner in as long as you can anyway. Heck this is a really good time to just relax and enjoy your hair.
Once the conditioner has been in at least five minutes or so, and all of the obvious knots are out, then I rinse. This rinse should be with luke warm to cool water. As a general rule you should not use hot water on your hair, as it strips out too much natural oil. Also, making your final rinse cool, will encourage the scales on the surface of your hair to lay down flat, making your hair silkier and smoother and less apt to tangle.
Once I am out of the shower, I just squeeze the hair gently to get most of the excess water out. Before I make any attempt to brush it, I spray in a generous quantity of leave in conditioner.
Then using the same method of bringing the hair in front of my shoulder, first on one side, and then on the other. I gently brush, starting at the very ends and gradually work my way up. When I find my self speeding up and growing impatient, I stop, take a deep breath and start again, slowly and carefully. Also, I use a paddle brush with very wide spacing between the teeth. Once It's all brushed through, I work in some non alcoholic gel. This does wonders for taming the frizzies.
When Im done with all that, I usually braid it. I'll wear it in the braid for a day. It's great for keeping it out of the way and it doesn't allow it to get any knots as it dries. When the braid starts looking frayed, I take it out by gently working it loose with my fingers. But I DO NOT brush it, nor will I until after I have washed it again. At this point, its ready for any number of attractive styles. Sometimes a regular pony, sometimes a half ponytail, sometimes loose. To keep it from getting knotty during the night, I put it up in a high bun on top of my head (so Im not laying on a bump) for sleeping. I find that with this routine, my hair usually looks great, has no frizz and minimal knots, and recieves lots of compliments from the ladies.
Hope this helps!
Wow! How long has it been growing? How often do you trim?
Been growing since the spring of 1999. Four years. I finally got smart (after discovering this site) and stopped all trims two years ago.
stop. do not wash your hair every day. If it is a "rat's nest" when you get up in the morning then shower and rince your hair, adding a little conditioner. After a shampoo, I use a little drop of oil, personally VO-5, but a little minteral oil or utterly fresh olive oil will do. When you massage this into your conditioned and towel dried hair, even if you have not used the detergent, you will discover that the oil emulsifies with the remaining water in your hair and you will be able to remove some more of the water with a little towelling.
Use the detergent about once a week, as others suggested primarily on the scalp, and do not soap up twice. Massage well with the one sudsing.
This will make you happier, but the shampoo makers will shed tears for loss of 6o% of unnecessary sales which have not been helping people, but keeping them clean at their own risk.
DRUID