*OW*-less brush for those with long hair :)

[lynnef]

hi, as those who've seen my pictures know, i have very long somewhat wavy hair, and it's always such a pain (literally :| ) to brush it when it gets tangled....

a couple weeks ago I was looking at one of the * dollar stores, and noticed this thing called a "hair bean", was kinda steep for a hair brush (~$10), claimed to have no pulling... and this is the result (it actually worked as advertised..) - (first pic was taken right after i woke up, and the second is after brushing...) pics are in drab.. and apologies for not smiling, when i smile it seems to result in something like Wednesday Addams after she gets out of the happy hut... :|


thought this would take some of the pain out of brushing (natural and (maybe) wigs :)

[Tina B.]

Nice head of hair, wish I had that much on top. mine is almost as long as yours, but the top is all gone, and whats left is not that full, so it's not that hard to brush anymore.

[NathalieX66]

Want some better advice?
1. Sulfate-free shampoo
2. After shampooing, use conditioner....lots, if needed. Conditioner will make your hair nice and smooth and slick . The reason you have a problem is your hair cuticles like to fray out, acting like barbs, thus combing your hair becomes similar to combing a rose bush. I use a conditioner called Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy made by Coppola, and I can comb my hair like a hot knife through butter. But if I use no conditioner, forget it. It snags like crazy.
3. Use a really wide tooth comb. ...then move towards a finer comb or brush.

[NathalieX66]

Cuticles, I mean.........I edited the post.

[lynnef]

Thanks for the tips! I'll try some of that conditioner when my current one runs out, (tried a bunch of different ones and all I seem to get is *POOF* for the first few days... :( )

[docrobbysherry]

Lynn, that sounds very interesting! How does it work!?

[lynnef]

it's actually pretty simple :)

Think of a pet brush, except the bristles are made of soft plastic (and not hooked on the end) hmm..... I should try a pet brush sometime... (maybe it'll work better than that pet shampoo I tried a few years ago... :| :D )

[Roberta Marie]

I've found that it also helps if you start brushing just a near the ends of the hair all around first, then move up a little and brush all around, thenmove up a little more, and so on. If you just put the brush to your hair at the top of your head and pull it down through your hair the smalll knots at the top will be moved down into the small nots below them, making them bigger knots, which move down to the small knots below them, making even bigger, tighter knots. Soon you are breaking hairs or pulling them out. Start at the bottom and work your way up.

[Nicole Erin]

Well first - when you do get your haircuts, ask them if they can thin it out. It removes some bulk without removing length. They have special shears for this, shears that look like they have teeth...

Also, when you brush your hair, start at the bottom and carefully work your way to the scalp, do not start at scalp and rip thru.

Next - One product I like is Redken anti-snap leave-in conditioner. $15 a bottle at that walmart salon. It does help some, your hair won't look like that lady in the pantene commercials but it makes it easier to comb thru. Just use probably a quarter-size worth, rub it between hands, and work it thru the hair. Do not rinse it out of course.

But yes - salon quality hair brushes are a must if you have frizzy wavy hair. $10 may SEEM like a lot but they are priceless with how much better they work.

Flat ironing also helps. Yes it is hard on hair but if you do it in sections it will smooth more and lasts until you wash your hair again. hair always likes to take on it's natural form after getting wet.

One learns a lot going to beauty school ;)

[sandra-leigh]

Your hair is about 6 inches longer than mine, but it looks much longer because yours is so much fuller. Looks good on you.

[Beverley Sims]

Who said you could not glean good info off the net.
Thanks for the hair tips ladies, I will have a look at them at mu leisure.
Beverley.
Lynne I hope you found an answer here too.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Lynn, The conditioner makes all the difference .

[Heather1129]

Before I brush my hair I comb it with my fingers to get out most of the tangles and knots, then go to the brush, from the bottom up as mentioned. Lots of conditioner helps too.

Heather

[lynnef]

Thanks for all the tips :)
I'll try and get some "after" pics in a few weeks :D