Tangled!!! And no I don't mean the movie

[jenflamingo1]

Both my DDs have very fine hair that tangled easily . A great hairdresser at a 'super' chain suggested long layers . That has made all the difference in the world !

 

[ssdeverell]

I agree about the brushes. The Tangle Teezer, Tangle Tamer and Knot Genie are all similiar. You have to use them correctly though. You start at the top and brush down until you hit a tangle. The top will be smooth. Then you do it again and each time a little more untangles. It is also best to have something behind the hair and brush, so if it is not at the top, try putting your hand behind the hair while you brush. It is the best thing! Good luck.

 

[njmom47]

Both dds (when they were little) had really long thick hair that tangled easily.
We did what most OPs have suggested:
While the conditioner in is, comb through with a wide-tooth comb
Use detangling spray with a wide-tooth comb (while watching tv to distract)
Loosely braid hair before they went to bed
Brush hair a few times a day to keep it tangle-free

 

[NotUrsula]

I have hair down to my butt and I am very prone to knotting. I do this routine and it seems to help.

After washing hair with a silicone free shampoo and conditioner, I let it air dry.
I then, finger comb and try to gently tease out any tangles with my fingers. I go section by section slowly through all of my hair.
Then with a gentle hair brush, boars hair and nylon combo, I brush each individual section starting from the bottom and work my way up to the scalp. I use a Mason Pearson brush but they are incredible expensive. You can get something similar at Target. Its by Sonia Kashuk and it will be in the Makeup dept. next to her makeup brushes.
After brushing the sections I brush the hair as a whole from root to tip massaging the scalp.
I wash my hair no more than 3 times a week and try to distribute the oils on my scalp to the rest of my hair.
I braid it or do Jasmine's hairstyle with soft hair ties while I sleep and I keep it braided or bunned most of the day as well.

I'll try to follow the thread to answer any question. Hope this helps!

Ah, but did you follow that routine when you were 8? The average kid would never have the patience for that kind of routine.

I'm fighting this battle with DD5 right now, and at her age she just doesn't understand that the only real way to keep tangles at bay if she won't wear it braided, is to brush her hair REALLY often. (Also, she chews it, which means that it is often cemented with spit. ) She doesn't want it brushed at all, but will grudgingly suffer through it once in the morning, screaming all the while, no matter how careful I am.

She has inherited my fine wavy hair, and my rules for myself are that I always wash and comb it in a shower so that the water pulls out the tangles, I put a leave-in conditioner in it, and I brush it EVERY time I go into the bathroom for any reason, which means brushing it upward of 10 times per day, for about 45 seconds each time. If I could just get DD into that brushing habit, her hair wouldn't be nearly as hard to manage.

 

[NYCDiane]

After you wash her hair, use a leave-in conditioner.

Use a wide-tooth comb and comb her hair from the bottom up.

Section her hair in 4 or 5 sections.

Start at the bottom of a section, about 2 inches up to get those tangles out. Then go up 2 inches and get those tangles out, etc etc etc.

When you finish each secion, you can let her hair out of the sections and brush it.

If her hair tangles like crazy, I would probably want to give her 4 or 5 braids. You can do 2 but if her hair is thick, it might end up doing damage to her hair.

I would also use a deep conditioner on her hair weekly or bi-weekly. Don't wash her hair too often (2 times a week should be sufficient)

 

[Tropics]

I have fine hair that tangles super easily. I've had the best luck with shampoos, conditioners and treatments with moroccan oil. I really like the hair products by Organix. They're a bit more expensive (I've found them at Walmart) but they work really well.

 

[goofyisinphilly]

Cholesterol. It's in the ethnic hair care section. It comes in a tub and it orange. I use it in the shower and comb my hair while rinsing. your daughter would probably need help making sure it rinses completely out. It's the only thing that I've found that will beat back the mats and knots in my curly white girl hair.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

I found a large comb that has some wide straight "teeth" and some wide curvy "teeth" at Wal-Mart. It said on the packaging that it was great for tangles and boy it works wonders! It was only about $5 and I've had it for over a year. I keep meaning to see if they still carry it so I can get one for my nieces that have tangly hair.

 

[NorCalGal]

one thing that has always helped was having a satin pillowcase for bed! Strange but true...

This. I got satin pillowcases just because it was the exact color I was looking for to match my comforter (didn't want to use shams and the pillowcases that came with the sheets didn't match the comforter - not like a girly "ooh, that's not perfect", like an "OMG that's giving me a migraine" pattern mismatch) Anyway, I have very thick hair and was shocked about what a difference it made. Also, as PP's have said, wearing a loose braid or pony at night really helps.

 

[4under4]

1. Infusium leave in conditioner

2. Detangler Brush (http://www.amazon.com/Knot-Genie-De...id=1371065025&sr=8-1&keywords=detangler+brush

3. Have your DD work on her hair herself before you try.

When my DD learned that it hurt a lot less to do it herself, she started insisting on a first go on her own (with the help of both the above items). Now I just go through it as a final check &/or to style it.

 

[agavegirl1]

We brush our DDs' hair from the bottom up. We use J&J detangling spray (really don't like the L'Oreal spray) all over, then wet the brush, then pull the hair like you are making a low pony tail. Then we start brushing from the bottom up. Brush the "pony tail", then start brushing (still from bottom up) the rest of the hair. I keep the hair in "clumps" (like mini-pony tails) so the brushing doesn't hurt. Eventually, the entire head is in good shape.

DD6's hair is crazy - curly undreneath and straight on top, but very knotty. This works for her. HTH!

I use this method too but using a wide tooth detangling comb before using the brush for each section. I also use Paul Mitchel leave in conditioner and wash less frequently.

 

[crisi]

Short hair.

My daughter has long hair now - at 13. But the rule in our house has always been "you can only have long hair if you can take care of long hair." Which means more than once we've had a crying child at the hairdresser getting her hair cut to a short bob.

Now the longest parts come to mid-back - she uses a lot of conditioner, wears braids quite a bit - or a ponytail, and brushes it at least three times a day with a straight bristle boar brush from the bottom up. And we color it, its very fine and the color gives it a little weight and seem to help with the tangles.

 

[pixiewings71]

We use detangling spray and leave in conditioners, I also use a paddle brush for my hair (almost butt length). DD16 just wears hers really short, DD13 does as I do.

 

[gr8leg8]

Make sure to wash her hair in a way that doesn't create knots.

Blame it on the old TV commercials.
Don't lather up in circles - or you will be creating knots.

Give her a gentle scalp massage
Soap the roots
Condition the tips

 

[angierae]

Short hair.

My daughter has long hair now - at 13. But the rule in our house has always been "you can only have long hair if you can take care of long hair." Which means more than once we've had a crying child at the hairdresser getting her hair cut to a short bob.

Now the longest parts come to mid-back - she uses a lot of conditioner, wears braids quite a bit - or a ponytail, and brushes it at least three times a day with a straight bristle boar brush from the bottom up. And we color it, its very fine and the color gives it a little weight and seem to help with the tangles.

I agree. If it came down to screaming matches with my child, or a haircut, they'd get a hair cut. I keep my hair short because the tangles weren't worth the effort. I put it in a ponytail every night and mostly every day and I finally decided that long hair is pointless if you have to keep it put up all the time. I cut it in 2007 and haven't looked back.

 

[triciamek]

My dd 7 has dry, long, curly hair. To avoid crying we never brush her hair - we only use a detangling comb from Avon that works wonders. We also use Its a 10 miracle leave in spray when its wet after a shower. If her hair needs combed before it is washed again we just spritz with water to reactivate the conditioner.

 

[SCmom3]

I'd suggest more frequent brushing and maybe styling her hair in a ponytail, braids, etc. I had very long hair when I was younger and would have to brush it regularly throughout the day when it was down. For my daughter, her hair tend to be dry and mattes easily. I use coconut oil on it every now and then and it really helps.

 

[DJorJD88]

Somehow I managed to keep long hair as a child. It was a pain but probably a good teaching method about self care and hygiene. I agree with the others if she won't let you detangle it for her and she won't do it herself than she should make due with a shorter style. You wouldn't have the same argument about other aspects of hygiene. You brush your teeth or you get painful cavities and possibly lose teeth. However, I don't think the OP wanted the suggestion of cutting her daughters hair. I'm sure that's already crossed her mind. There have been heaps of good responses and hopefully one will help.

 

[ArielSparrow]

I had this problem until I was about 25 (chewing my braids didn't last quite that long though). Then I discovered the Curly Girl method. I'm not sure if it's a thing for kids, but look into it. Basically, avoid conditioners with silicone. It's in most as it makes hair LOOK shiny and healthy, when it's really drying it out and putting a facade around it. Then avoid sulfate shampoos. It's harsh because silicone needs something heavy duty to remove it. So you have to wash the hair one last time with a sulfate shampoo to get out any residue, and again whenever you use hairspray, silicone mousse, etc. Then, only comb hair when it's wet. It's much easier to get out tangles when it's lathered in conditioner.

The only time-consuming part is finding the right products in your price range. I'm incredibly low maintenance and am out the door in fifteen minutes (at least I would be if I could wake up faster). I definitely wouldn't have the patience for a complicated beauty routine. So if I can do it, an 8 year old could do it. I don't brush my hair anymore, and only comb it in the shower. I allow it to embrace it's natural curls and it's never looked better.

However, if you don't want to do that (if other family members have different hair types, you probably don't want to buy separate shampoo for an 8yo), then I agree with the PP who said to let her work on her hair herself first. I remember that i was able to get out a lot of tangles myself and it didn't hurt as much (at all?) as when my mom did it. You just don't have her head, so it's hard to tell where to go slow or hold onto and such.

 

[merbobear]

I feel your pain, or at least my dd5 does. Her hair is decently long, about mid back. It's very tangled now, and difficult to brush. In September we had her hair cut, not drastic but a couple inches, and it was still a long style but a lot of the ends that would get mangled and tangled were gone and it helped a lot. I'm afraid the only solution is to get the hair cut, but to make it easier we do use detangler (I've been using pantene curly hair series detangler, and that seems to work better than the child friendly versions I have tried). Also I load her up on conditioner right before she gets out of the tub and just give a quick rinse...I'm sure some is "left in" although it's not a leave in conditioner that we use. When brushing, do section by section and hold the hair near the scalp. Brush the bottom inch or so, then the bottom 2 inches, then bottom 3 inches and so on until you have brushed an entire length of hair. Starting at the scalp and going to the ends will leave you with a bunch of tinier tangles being all gathered into one large knot. We have tried a "wet brush" and that works decently, she says it pulls less. The best way to avoid the tangles is braiding. I will do a french braid or pigtail french braids at night after a bath, and the next morning they are still in very good shape and I am able to leave her hair that way for the school day, then take it out and brush that evening. Unfortunately, she does like to wear her hair down also (I mean it looks beautiful down, but unfortunately tangle-wise, as being left down is going to be the hardest to brush out!). Also, brushing more often helps. It's better to kind of catch the little snarls before they grow into huge knots throughout the day/evening.

Oh and #1 tip - YOUTUBE! I put her in my desk chair, look for a disney video (there are lots of princess sing along videos or just songs that she likes on YT) and that helps to distract at least. Good luck!