Super curly hair getting snarls

Ainsley has very curly hair, and she gets these snarls on the ends, like pieces of lint get trapped in her hair and make a knot. I use California Baby calming conditioner in her hair, as a leave-in, and her hair is good for a while right after, but especially when she wakes up in the morning, it's back to being snarled. She does not like when I try to comb the knots out of her hair. How can I prevent the snarls?

 

Can you french braid? If so, I'd braid it, especially for the nights. I'm not sure if it is long enough, but even short hair can be braided with a good french braid.

I don't know how often you wash it, but curly hair is usually dry, so it doesn't need to be washed often. I know that can contribute to tangles.

 

Yeah, it's interesting, when I was getting info about how to care for AA hair for Caleb (he still doesn't have much hair though), I saw I do a lot of the same things for Ainsley's hair, it's so thick and curly, and yes, it does get dry. I do wash it less often than Bea's. Hmm, never tried to braid it, I'll give it a shot, might be easier to do wet.

 

QUOTE(Snittens @ Feb 20 2009, 10:27 PM) [snapback]1198859[/snapback]
Yeah, it's interesting, when I was getting info about how to care for AA hair for Caleb (he still doesn't have much hair though), I saw I do a lot of the same things for Ainsley's hair, it's so thick and curly, and yes, it does get dry. I do wash it less often than Bea's. Hmm, never tried to braid it, I'll give it a shot, might be easier to do wet.

LOL! That's what I was thinking.

 

I may have to try braiding too, dd's hair is also curly, thin and dry, all a very bad combo! The worst is when she wakes from nap and bed. I have tried leaving conditioner in and it helps, but not much.

 

Kelly, I have curly hair. ALthough i don't wash it everyday, I do try to condition it everyday because of the dry factor. Ideally I bath in the AM then comb it out when wet and let it air dry and don't touch it again until the next day. I find that using a good leave in product with silicone in it also helps and make sure when you brush , you brush down from the bottom up with small strokes getting longer each time. It takes a little longer but MUCH easier on the hair.

 

I have thick and curly hair. It was so bad that my mom kept it short from age 3 through age 16, when I finally said I wanted it long! Now I just shampoo and condition every morning, brush it when wet, and leave it alone. If I try to brush it when it is dry, it will just frizz. My only exception is when I do need to french braid it, then I brush it out first.

 

I have curly hair too, I usually wash it every other day and condition it daily. At night time I find it helpful to either have it in a bun, ponytail (using a scrunchie) and that will minimize knots. Braiding will also definitely help & is probably the best thing for it (I just don't have time to do it). Good luck!

 

My friend with a curly haired child found that the Johnson's No More Bedhead spray helped with the tangles.

 

My mom used to use some Johnson's detangling spray on me -- I think you can use it even when the hair is dry.

 

Have you cut it recently. Split ends can cause bad tangles. We cut the girls hair and it helped a whole lot

 

Does any one have the problem when you brush out the really bad bed head, the hair gets all frizzy looking.
Yesterday morning, my DD hair was all curly and looked one even though I had not brushed it yet. I wound up leaving it since I knew it would look so much worse if I brushed out the curlies.


I also have very curly hair. I kind of do what Sharon does. I wash my hair every morining. Brush/comb it out right away and leave it alone. But I can't wash my girls hair every morning so that option is out for me.

 

I've never cut her hair, it's not quite long, it's just growing out, like it's getting bigger and bigger, but not longer. Yes, when I brush it out, it doesn't look right, it almost looks better unbrushed (but then again, it's still just this big unruly mass), but it bothers me that it has the snarls in it, that's why I would like to prevent the snarls somehow. Trying to braid it probably isn't going to work, she just kept running away from me.

 

Clarissa has super curly hair, and we use the spray detangler (we're using the Suave brand now - it smells better than J&J). We pretty much soak her hair every morning and comb it out. Not perfect, but it helps. I also likes how nice her hair curls up after it's been combed out wet.

I think I've heard that sleeping on a satin pillow case helps hair from getting tangled, but have never tried it.

Good luck!

Rachel

 

QUOTE(Snittens @ Feb 22 2009, 06:07 PM) [snapback]1200354[/snapback]
I've never cut her hair, it's not quite long, it's just growing out, like it's getting bigger and bigger, but not longer. Yes, when I brush it out, it doesn't look right, it almost looks better unbrushed (but then again, it's still just this big unruly mass), but it bothers me that it has the snarls in it, that's why I would like to prevent the snarls somehow. Trying to braid it probably isn't going to work, she just kept running away from me.


Top 8 Rules of Thumb from a curly-haired bi-racial mom with twin boys. One with bone straight blond and the other super curly brown hair. (Mother Nature sure has a sense of humor. I could use some straight hair with cowlick tips.)

1. Do not use a Brush. Ever. (Trust me.)

2. Slippery when Wet. Detangle preferably soaking wet, with fingers or a very wide tooth comb. Start with just gently stroking her head while dragging your fingers through and stop the second you hit a snag.

3. Condition Daily. Shampoo only Weekly.

4. Bedhead? Wet It And Forget It. A couple of spritzes from a bottle of plain water (assuming you conditioned the night before) can gently dampen frizzies. Call it "princess spray" and give both girls special spritz.

5. Hair Time as Fun Time. Encourage girls to touch and "do" each others hair to make it fun. Think "tea party" more than hygeine requirement. They might not need much prompting to "help" you with Caleb's haircare now while he's too young to protest. Oh it would be just TOO CUTE to have pictures of him being primped in a home salon!!! (My guys have gotten mani-pedis by their all-girl cousins. No pics yet. Darn.)

6. The Tougher the Tangle the Gentler the Treatment. The more you pick at it, the more it will fight back. Kinda like teenagers. Section with clips or clutch the area with your hand near the scalp to keep it from being pulled away from her scalp.

7. Process matters more than Product. Be consistent in treatment AND get frequent trims to keep those ends in check. No conditioner in the world can really repair split ends for curly hair.

8. Products are like Science Projects. Experiment with different formulations. Not all experiments will be successful. Start simple. J&J has new leavein products that are light enough but rich enough for frequent use. A teaspoon or less of good old olive oil makes a good weekly treatment.

My favorite single product, after a lifetime of lotions and potions from drugstores to custom salons: Mixed Chicks. http://mixedchicks.net/ It is not exclusively for mixed race people or even chicks for that matter. Who cares about the name, this stuff WORKS! (The owners are ridiculously good-looking. But I try not to hold that against them.)

Hope this is helpful!

 

QUOTE(Snittens @ Feb 22 2009, 06:07 PM) [snapback]1200354[/snapback]
Trying to braid it probably isn't going to work, she just kept running away from me.


Sorry Kelly, this just made me laugh.

But Remi's suggestions sound great.

 

QUOTE(Remi @ Feb 23 2009, 12:09 PM) [snapback]1201565[/snapback]
Top 8 Rules of Thumb from a curly-haired bi-racial mom with twin boys. One with bone straight blond and the other super curly brown hair. (Mother Nature sure has a sense of humor. I could use some straight hair with cowlick tips.)

1. Do not use a Brush. Ever. (Trust me.)

2. Slippery when Wet. Detangle preferably soaking wet, with fingers or a very wide tooth comb. Start with just gently stroking her head while dragging your fingers through and stop the second you hit a snag.

3. Condition Daily. Shampoo only Weekly.

4. Bedhead? Wet It And Forget It. A couple of spritzes from a bottle of plain water (assuming you conditioned the night before) can gently dampen frizzies. Call it "princess spray" and give both girls special spritz.

5. Hair Time as Fun Time. Encourage girls to touch and "do" each others hair to make it fun. Think "tea party" more than hygeine requirement. They might not need much prompting to "help" you with Caleb's haircare now while he's too young to protest. Oh it would be just TOO CUTE to have pictures of him being primped in a home salon!!! (My guys have gotten mani-pedis by their all-girl cousins. No pics yet. Darn.)

6. The Tougher the Tangle the Gentler the Treatment. The more you pick at it, the more it will fight back. Kinda like teenagers. Section with clips or clutch the area with your hand near the scalp to keep it from being pulled away from her scalp.

7. Process matters more than Product. Be consistent in treatment AND get frequent trims to keep those ends in check. No conditioner in the world can really repair split ends for curly hair.

8. Products are like Science Projects. Experiment with different formulations. Not all experiments will be successful. Start simple. J&J has new leavein products that are light enough but rich enough for frequent use. A teaspoon or less of good old olive oil makes a good weekly treatment.

My favorite single product, after a lifetime of lotions and potions from drugstores to custom salons: Mixed Chicks. http://mixedchicks.net/ It is not exclusively for mixed race people or even chicks for that matter. Who cares about the name, this stuff WORKS! (The owners are ridiculously good-looking. But I try not to hold that against them.)

Hope this is helpful!


Awesome suggestions - thank you!!! Going to check that site out for myself!!!

 

DD has curly hair. I use Johnson and Johnson's detanglingspray every morning on her dry hair and it takes out the frizz and leaves nice curls.
That said, it is not terribly thick.

 

Remi, thank you so much for post! Very, very helpful, I will go and get a wide-tooth comb and a spray bottle.

 

hi
i have been reading posts on this website since i found out i was pregnant with twins, but this one made me register so i could post a reply. my daughter's hair is a mess(poor thing) but i found this awesome product called Its a 10. it is kind of expensive, but worth every dime. i spray her hair every morning, use a brush without those plasic balls on the end, and her hair looks great. Also she doesn't cry when i comb it out.

 

Our best friends in teh AM when getting ready is a wide tooth comb and a water spray bottle.
We keep our Ainsley's hair long-ish, but trimmed regularly to help.
I read in a book curly hair needs conditioner, and not really shampoo, we haven't used shampoo in her hair in almost two years. Just conditioner. It looks great most of the time.
I got this book from the library because I've never had a curl stay on my head;
http://www.amazon.com/Curly-Girl-Lorraine-...lid=WY180OB9ZRF

 

Hey thanks! That books looks very helpful. I wash Caleb's hair with conditioner only, but hadn't thought to do that with Ainsley too.

 

Remi's tips were right on. Kelly, you know my twins are bi-racial, and Alisha's hair is RIDICULOUS! she also has those knots at the end of her hair (as do i). bottom line is there's not much you can do about it - but i totally agree with remi. i wash alisha's hair only once a week, put conditioner in during bath every other night, and spray LOTS of leave in conditioner on her hair every single morning and comb it through and then put this in it to get it from frizzy back to curly (btw i put some in cam's hair also because his scalp and hair are dry even though we keep it short) and most days i pull the front part back into two pony tails on top of her head to keep it more tame.

and yes - it continues to grow out and not down