Please can anyone recommend any products or remedies for very tangly hair. It's fine hair and wavy and I had a load cut off at the hairdresser last week in the hope that that would help but it's still just as bad

I'm not sure if it's anything to do with the brushes or shampoo and conditioner I use or if it's the weather that's made it go crazy with tangles and static. I wash it every 2-3 days and always use conditioner after. Even the hairdresser was shocked at how ridiculously tangly it gets. The assistant who washed it tried to comb it through ready for the stylist but kept getting the comb stuck and yanking my head. Before anyone suggests a tangle tamer, they don't work for me sadly.

Do you always use the same shampoo and conditioner? It sounds like build up of product to me.

Are you in a hard water area also?

I would soak hair in a bath with some water softener in it (bicarbonate of soda or a bath bomb from Lush) and clarify the hair then condition with a nourishing conditioner. If not clarifying the hair, wash and condition with a moisturising product every three of four washes to remove the sticky build up that could be causing your tangles.

argan oil or schwarzkopf shine spray.

A little tip with tangles is that you should always comb them out from the bottom of the knot not the top. They come out far easier that way. The hairdresser should have known this!

When you shampoo your hair don't pile it on top of your head, this is an easy way to get tangles. Focus on your scalp and actually use the water to detangle as the water runs down your hair.

Ensure that your shampoo is gentle. Usually it's the shampoo that causes a lot of problems for people. Not everyone can use SLS shampoos as they're very harsh and can cause tangles. I would try an organic shampoo bar as they tend to be very gentle.

Detangle your hair whilst it's full of conditioner, start from the ends and work your way up. Do this in sections and take your time, try not to get too frustrated.

Once the conditioner is rinsed out apply a bit of oil

Thanks for all the suggestions everybody

I use a Redken deep cleansing shampoo about once a week to get rid of any product build up. I had been piling my hair all on top of my head every time I washed it to try to get it all properly clean.

I've tried using a wide tooth comb (and a tangle tamer in the past) to brush through the conditioner and then rinse but it just gets stuck in a knot or my hair comes out in a clump on the comb .

Perhaps I'll invest in some heavy duty deep conditioner to try to make it abit healthier?

I think it is fairly hard water in the midlands but I prefer this as soft water is a nightmare for rinsing anything out.

I really need a new hairbrush actually but I'm really confused about what type to get. The prices seem to vary so much. I know hairdressers tend to use those "barrel" brushes to blow dry it but when I tried one of those it got so badly stuck in my hair that the only way to get it out was to cut it! I've stuck with plastic paddle brushes/ vent brushes ever since.

This has some good reviews and isn't too expensive.

The Redken Cleansing cream is a very good shampoo, but it is a clarifying shampoo so by its nature, it's quite harsh. Unless you're using a lot of product in the hair every day like gel you shouldn't need to use it so regularly. Try cutting back to once a fortnight instead. A good quality conditioner will help too.

As for brushes, I would go for a standard Denman brush (black handle, red base). It's an excellent brush,

I have the same problems with my hair!!! I dread washing it as it means having to detangle it afterwards which takes ages. I get knots at the back of my neck mainly.. I end up getting knots even within half an hour of brushing it I don't know how it happens!!!

I have tried with various different shampoos and none have really made any difference. But I do think that different conditioners are better than others. My favourites at the moment are L'Oreal Elvive ones especially the Nourish & Shimmer one - it's for highlighted hair which I don't have but my flatmate uses it so I tried a bit and it worked well at helping to detangle. I like to put the conditioner in my hair then work my fingers through the knots to try and detangle and then continue working my fingers through it while I rinse the conditioner out.
I haven't tried combing my hair in the shower while I have conditioner in, don't know if this is meant to work??

As for brushes I have tried both Tangle Teezer and Tangle Tamer and both haven't had enough grip or 'purchase' to properly work through my tangles if that made sense, they don't work through the knots properly.
I now use a Kent Natural Shine brush - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kent-Natural..._sim_beauty_10
I can honestly not recommend it enough. It has a mixture of longer nylon bristles (good at getting through tangles) and shorter natural bristles (good for smoothing out the hair and getting rid of frizz) which I find works really well - gets through the tangles and knots but also helps keep breakage to a minimum. I have the small version as I prefer this so I can work through individual tangles and knots separately.

Combing the hair while it's got conditioner in is very effective way of dealing with the problem but if your hair is very tangled you'll be better off coming out of the shower and detangling in small sections, time consuming yes, but very effective.

The quality of conditioner you use helps too.

Thanks everybody. I'll either get a Denman or a Kent brush. I wish it was possible to try hairbrushes before buying them! I've bought a few over the years that have just had to be given straight to somebody else ( including the tangle tamer )

I get the same problem as you. When my hair gets bad I use Philip Kingsley's Elasticizer which you leave on the hair for about 20 mins. before shampooing and conditioning.

I have to wash my hair often as it gets greasy quickly, so I often just wash the roots and not the ends, and then condition the ends and not the roots. I also have fine hair that tangles easily, as soon as I have brushed it it's messy again. Most annoying!

Oh yes this is wonderful. Sometimes I leave it on overnight and it just melts through tangles, couldn't do without it now.

I have quite long hair and use Pantene conditioner and a Mason Pearson brush (super expensive but well worth it). During the year that's enough.

In the winter when it's very dry, I suffer from extreme tangles due to that and static electricity from my clothes etc. Last winter I got so fed up with pulling out loads of hair when I unravelled my tangles that I just put it in a pigtail every day.

Today I bought a Tangle Teezer as I read about it on this thread and thought it might be worth a go... It WAS! On dry hair with tangles (almost matted in places even though I'd last brushed it about 2 hours before) it didn't hurt at all and best of all, it actually worked! I started from the ends and in a minute or two it was really smooth and no tangles! There were also very few hairs in the brush. I was very shocked but happy. I'm going to use it as a supplement to my Mason Pearson, but I think the two in tandom will finally allow me to wear my hair down this winter when I go out.

I'm definitely giving a vote for the Tangle Teezer. I also read somewhere that rubbing tumble-dryer sheets on your hair might help to stop it, but I've never tried - they don't seem to sell them here...

Oh, I just remembered - if you have layers in your hair it seems to cut down on tangles. It's not practical for me these days, but I remember I had less when I had layers.

Also I remembered something my mum used to use on my hair when I was a little girl - I just checked and they still sell it! This could also be worth a go. Vitapointe leave-in conditioner:


http://www.boots.com/en/Vitapointe-L...r-50ml_872217/
Last edited by wibby : 07-12-2013 at 14:35

Try conditioning every other wash, rather than after every shampoo. Do you use a dryer after every wash? I do, and use a tangle teezer, both before and after. It is an excellent little tool: my hair is below my waist and knots very easily, but the tangle teezer goes through it so effortlessly. I would recommend you buy one immediately. Not the compact (I have that also!), the regular. You will love it. Let's know how you get on. The TT is available at Boots, QVC and www.tangleteezer.com. The inventor, Shaun Pulfrey, a hair colourist, took it on Dragons Den, and they laughed at him. Just as well, as it's been a huge phenomenon, so much so that celeb hairdresser Richard Ward is peddling his own version (got round patent by adding a handle!, and he still owns 100% of his company.