What hair products do I need?

[isabellerossignol]

I have mid length wavy hair. As I have got older it has become harder and harder to comb after washing. It maybe takes half an hour of sectioning it into small strands and combing through. Weirdly though, my hair isn't in terrible condition. It is soft when it is dry, and on the odd occasion that I blow dry it straight, it's shiney and healthy looking.

What do I need to wrestle it back under control? I'm reluctant to get it cut shorter as it tends to go 'mushroom-y' in shape. And I don't feel that I have the bone structure to carry off properly short hair.

Do I need a hair mask? A particular type of shampoo and conditioner? I just want to be able to get the tangles out of my hair.

I'm giving this a bump in the hope that someone has got words of wisdom for me!

Mushroom shape can be fixed with layers if thick enough?

I brush before washing and just use good conditioner , no shampoo

Use a detangle brush ?

I already use a detangling brush. I don't think I could get an ordinary comb through my hair at all.

I did wonder about ditching shampoo but I'm worried about my hair looking greasy.

Do you comb your hair before washing it? I would then when you wash it, smooth the shampoo over your hair rather than lather it in.
After rinsing pat your hair dry with a t-shirt type cloth (old clean t-shirt is fine).
I'd use a flat wide-tooth comb like an afro comb to detangle.

I always brush before washing. Then I wrap in a towel and try very carefully not to rub it.

But maybe an old t-shirt might be better?

When I wash my curly hair, I use John Frieda Frizz-Ease shampoo, and the conditioner. When the conditioner is in there, I comb it through, first with a wide-tooth comb, then a smaller tooth one. That removes all the tangles. Once I've rinsed it out, put Frizz-Ease Serum on the hair and leave it in. Then I bend over so my hair falls to the top of my head, then carefully wind a hair towel around it. After about 15 minutes I unwind the towel and comb my hair out . Bingo, no tangles.

I have curly mid length hair.
Never ever wrap in a towel.
Pop a towel around your shoulders and dab your hair very lightly with a separate towel - just to remove any water droplets.
Do not rub or scrunch !
Comb through with an Afro comb.

Finally run half a basin of water and add five dashes of cider vinegar to it.
Dunk your hair into it for a couple of minutes - swishing it around the water.

Repeat as above.
It really works !

I second john freida. Also hair needs washing twice to get a good lather then condition and comb through then de detangling spray. Its a faff i know but ive spent many years doing thick hair and it really needs a good lather and condition .

My DCs both have ringlet curls, one with a very fine texture, the other is a little coarser. I only ever shampoo their hair if there is visible dirt/grot/food in it, but otherwise just wash with conditioner. We use Palmer's Olive Oil shampoo & conditioner. When the conditioner is on I comb it through with a Wet Brush to detangle. I give it a quick rinse but try not to rinse out all of the conditioner. Once out of the bath/shower I briefly scrunch the worst of the wet out then apply a leave-in conditioner (Mixed Chicks is working well ATM). The DC with the coaser texture then has coconut oil run through it, and the finer-textured DC has a light curl cream. Then it's left to air dry down/styled depending on circumstances.

I never brush/comb it properly when dry (I get out bigger knots by 'finger combing'), and if it needs a full comb, eg to braid it, between washes I spray it with water first. There is no way I would get a comb through either's hair when dry.

How often are you washing it? Ichildrens tangle sprays are very good. Just spray on before drying and combing through. A wider comb is also better than a standard comb if its difficult to cimb through

I wash it about twice a week. Has taken a while to cut down to that because I used to really worry about it being greasy and smelling bad! But now I know it doesn't, I'm more confident about letting it be.

I didn't know wrapping it in a towel might be part of the problem but now that you mention it, the back of my neck is the worst place for tangles.

I've got a child's detangling spray at the moment, a 'Kind Natured Kids' one but it's not great and leaves my hair feeling heavy and greasy.

So maybe I need a better detangling spray.

I'd invest in a really good hair mask that you leave on for a while after washing, once a week and it should leave your hair reasonably detangled for the next wash. Do you generally use shampoo and conditioner when you wash?

Yes, always shampoo and conditioner. Although I never find a conditioner and think 'yes, that's the one, that really works...'

I always think it's worth spending money on good shampoo and conditioner. If you have a TK maxx near you they sell a lot of stuff hairdressers use. A hair mask/treatment is a must

Mumsnet, I think you have saved my hair.

This morning I washed my hair in the shower, using only my palms not my fingertips. I took the wet brush into the shower and brushed the conditioner through thoroughly.

Then I came out and instead of wrapping my hair in towel I draped one round my shoulders and draped another over my head. And I patted it gently. And when I got dressed and went to sort my hair out, it was a 30 second brush through, not 30 minutes. My hair was wetter than it would have been usually not not so wet that it's making my clothes wet. I rubbed some curl cream into my wet hair and now it is air drying in lovely waves.

Thank you all for your advice.