2yr old DD has dreadfully matted hair - anything I can do?

[CousinBotony]

My DD2 has beautiful curly hair that is very long when wet. However, after few days of it getting wet and not brushing it out properly the underneath has really matted and gone knotty. I have a tangle teaser and put on loads of conditioner last night and had a good go at it, but it is still terrible.

She cries and cries when I try to brush it out, but to be honest it is so matted I dont think I am every going to get the knots out.

Does anyone have any tips/suggestions for a wonder product before I cut the matted bit out?

[BiscuitNibbler]

I think all you can do is wash it, put loads of conditioner in it and try to comb it out.

I have curly hair and my mum let the same thing happen to me as a child, and I ended up having to have it cut out. With curly hair you need to make sure you condition it and comb it out thoroughly when it is wet. I never comb mine dry.

Please don't brush it ever.

[Aquelven]

Cowboy Magic....brilliant stuff.
Works like a dream on my little show dogs' long silky hair. Don't let that put you off, it's for people as well though was developed for horses in the beginning. It's the silk in it that's the magic I think, whatever it is it works & smells lovely too.
Seems expensive but you need the tiniest amount, the tube lasts me two years.
You can buy it on Amazon now, here..

www.amazon.co.uk/Cowboy-Magic-Detangler-Shine-118ml/dp/B000A6XGY6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1350197863&sr=8-5&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[Thinkability]

There is detangler for kids on the market and buy a Tangle Teaser brush from Boots. They're expensive but work!

[Thinkability]

Detangler spray I should have said. You use it after washing but before vrushing.

[Thinkability]

vrushing????? brushing!

[kaz1119]

DD and myself have hair like that.

I only wash with conditioner (i use the boots 'naked' range for curly hair). I only brush the hair when the conditioner is in - never ever between washes. And stay away from blow drying...

Hth

[NanettaStocker]

DD(4) has very long hair which would be a lot curlier if it was shorter. I do find keeping it long helps it stay softer and straighter.

Also, the mumsnet haircut! Layering it out helps stop tangles at the end.

I use Aussie Dual Personality Curl Definition Soft Feel Serum on her hair after washing, and give it a rub through on dry hair if she's got some bad tangles.

Every night I plait her hair in a french plait for sleeping, which keeps it looking like a bird's nest in the morning.

This is all new to me! My hair is like baby hair, completely fine and straight. It's been a real learning curve.

[robotsatemywashing]

My DD rocks at night, so her hair is always matted in the morning. I have found that detangle sprays work once but the build up of product compounds the problem and then the next day makes the problem worse.
A drop of moroccan oil works well, lasts longer etc.

[hatesponge]

Lots of conditioner - if you have one use some of the intensive treatment ones that are thicker than normal conditioner. Leave it on for a while and then try to detangle. Use a widetoothed comb or even fingers at first.

I have curly but very fine/soft hair. It was even worse when I was a child and I had to have it in plaits most of the time (especially at night) otherwise it just got impossibly tangled. It is still a bit of a nightmare even now!

[Millie1]

Conditioner and a wide toothed comb works for DT2 who has similar hair.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

DD2 has hair like this. I slather it in very thick conditioner, and try and get the knots out, one bit at a time, with a comb or Denman brush. We tend to plait it during the day and usually at night as well, with having it loose, for "special occasions." I find the Schwarzkopf detangler to be excellent - much better than those intended for children - Ithink it has silk in it.

[lisad123]

Dd2 has hair like this. I Only wash it about once a month but twice a week I wet it, condition it, comb though the conditioner and wash out. Then I plait it while wet and send her to bed. I re plait every day. She has to have it up for school, but at weekend, I spray with water and leave it down.

[OhWouldYouJust]

www.originalsprout.co.uk/product.php?id_product=36

Try this. Used to use it in the salon i worked in and it honestly is amazing. I use it now on my 3 dds hair, wouldn't use anything else.
Pricey but trust me its worth it for the pain free hair brushing!!

Also it has the same PH level as hair, so its extremely gentle :)

[Thinkability]

'A drop of moroccan oil works well, lasts longer etc. '

Oh yes! I'd go with that too!

[Lavenderhoney]

My dd has hair like that. I wash it and comb it out with loads and I mean loads of conditioner. However, now I use a detangler spray when it's wet, and also when it's dry to use the de tangled. Try to do it every day. Dds hair is curly too. My mum used to rag mine at night into ringlets, then one day she went mad and cut it all off. Never got over it:)

I only wash dds hair every 2-3 days.

[1tinnietinytoddler]

try a leave in conditioner I use asda's little angels one. you can spray it on dry hair too.

[xmasevebundle]

Went you brush DD hair, always start from the bottom of hair. Doing it from the scalp will cause even more tangles.

I would use a wide tooth comb, not something like a paddle brush etc. Tangle tamer are amazing!!

[permaquandry]

The Tangle Teaser brush is a life saver. Use a kids detangling spray or copious amounts of conditioner after hairwash.

Always start from the bottom and try to tease out big sections of knots with ur fingers first. Hold section of hair that you are brushing away from the scalp near the roots so that there is no tension/pull on the scalp when you brush.

Never, ever go without brushing before bed and brush with tangle teaser day and night until all knots are gone, then move onto a kids Mason Pearson. Once u have just 'mild' knots each day, use the MP first, then the tangle teaser if there's still some knots. Always tackle knots at first sight, if u leave em, they gets huge v quickly.

I think over-use of the tangle teaser might have caused a bit of breakage which seemed to improve when I started alternating with the Mason Pearson. Good luck, knots had been the bane of my life until I got the above brushes. I used to have to cut the knots out.

[permaquandry]

Just saw that U have a tangle teaser already, stick with it, just keep going over and over the knot, it feels like u'll never get anywhere then all of a sudden the hairs start to separate.

[permaquandry]

One more thing, always get knots out before washing the hair, doing the opposite makes it much worse.

[Nahla321]

Have you tried combing it while its still wet or combing through while the conditioner is still in her hair? Good luck with it, if I was you I would be distraught at the thought of cutting her curls off!

[Arkady]

I would like to massively second the Aussie Dual Personality Curl Definition and Soft Feel Serum. It's called hair magic at our house. Its amazing.

We'd tried assorted other conditioners, leave in conditioners, black hair products (we're white, but DS1s hair has a similar texture to some black hair) with limited luck. We mostly don't even bother with normal conditioner any more, but just work this through with our fingers. Before we found this stuff his hair used to dread. With this we were able to get actual dreads out.

His hair is waist length when straight, and just like mine. Before I discovered leave in conditioner for me mine would start to dread in a single day of drizzly windy weather.

Have been looking for an excuse to rave about this stuff for ages, as finding it was a joyous thing for all of us, saving us from drastic emergency haircuts and from day to day whinging about hair brushing.

[neuroticmumof3]

My dd isn't curly but she gets appalling tangles and knots in her hair despite regular brushing/combing when wet. I've got a tangle teazer but have been very underwhelmed by it tbh. It just doesn't seem to get the bloody tangles out. Despite that DD will actually let me brush her hair with it whilst she whinges that other brushes hurt.

[CrystalEclipse]

PADDLE BRUSH this one

Not a cheap one- they are not as good. Brushing my very thick tangly hair was agony growing up until I discovered this brush in my early teens. The kent paddle brushes work too but I can't get them anymore