Fine wavy hair help

[poppym12]

My hair is about shoulder length. It's quite fine but there's plenty of it (apart from a bit of age related thinning on top). It's wavy and I do like it when it behaves but as it gets to a certain length there's one patch underneath near the nape of my neck that gets matted no matter what I do.

I use sulphate free shampoo and conditioner, apply gel when it's wet and leave it to air dry. Within a few hours of not even touching it, this patch has started to twist and knot. I try to wash it every 3 days or so (more because it looks mad rather than due to an oily scalp or feeling dirty) so I'm constantly having to tug at this bit to keep it unravelled.

I can't use anything coconut based due to allergy and only use cruelty free products.

Can anyone advise me on how to manage wavy hair please?

I tend to get that too.

How do you deal with it Mike? (without painfully yanking out the knots)

I get this too. I have a tangle teaser which really helps.

I have one of those goose but if I get a brush anywhere near my hair when it's dry it goes really fluffy and loses the wave. Do you use yours on dry hair?

I do detangle it when it's wet and slathered in conditioner but when it's dry it starts to tangle and matt again, mainly in one specific area.

Maybe apply serum or a leave in conditioner to the area that gets matted?

Comb it very carefully. I was bumping your thread mainly, but I don't understand why one area seems so much more matted than the rest.
It's slightly on one side of the centre of my nape towards my ear on the same side as the hand I write with, if that helps.

Same area mike, thanks for bumping.
Its looked quite nice today - as much as mad wavy hair can - but now the clumpy matt is back .

I've just wet it with watered down conditioner, detangled it and bunged on some serum. Was hoping to get another day or so of problem free hair before I have to wash it again.