Greetings!  I just found these forums this morning while browsing at work, and decided to register.

I have a LOT going on with my hair, so I guess the easiest place to start, is at the beginning!

My Hair: My hair is dark brunette/off-black.  It is thick and down to the top of the crack of my bottom.

I’ve been growing my hair now for about 5 years, before that it was not quite this long but I cut it all off all the way to head for locks of love.  (It felt GREAT, but looked awful >_<)

For the last 2 years or so I have been struggling with keeping my hair healthy (which is a big bummer considering I used to have very healthy hair)  As far as I know my hair is fairly normal in the oil areas.  It will get greasy after 2 or 3 days of not washing it, but the strands do tend to get dry and the last year or so they’ve been very brittle!  I haven’t seen this the last few months, but it had gotten so bad that it literally just broke into pieces when I brushed it, like spaghetti!  I have tried SO many shampoos and conditioners and leave-ins and I’m just EXHAUSTED!  It’s gotten so bad I can’t even wear it down at all! Which in my opinion is the point of having it long right? So you can enjoy it!  Not when it’s stuck in a bun ALL the time!

I used to wear it in pony tails, but it got too long for that and put way too much strain on the front of my head and gave me headaches, and then the swishing of the hair on my back as I moved around caused it to mat up at the base of my neck and all along the underside of the pony tail.  I don’t braid it anymore either because it is too broken in all different lengths and it won’t hold a smooth looking braid.  So, now it is worn in a bun, pretty much all the time, except when I sleep.  I can’t hold the bun up with scrunchies anymore though because it is too thick and heavy and it falls right out of the bun.  I started using hair claws to hold it up and they work pretty well.  Now, normally I don’t use hair claws because they suck, but they make these new “no slip” ones that are lined with some kind of rubber that doesn’t slip on the hair, so they stay in place!  Mostly these don’t catch in my hairs, but occasionally one will catch in the spring (ouch!)  The only problem with these is they while they don’t give me headaches from the pulling on my scalp I do get a sore spot on my head from the claw teeth ALWAYS being there, which cant really be a good thing, but it just seems I have no other choice for my hair!

I used to have some plastic hair sticks that I used for fun, but I’ve never owned bone ones, it never even occurred to me for some reason, to get some.  I plan on getting my hands on some and trying them out though now that I’ve poked around on this site a bit.  I have to admit that I’m a little skeptical though because my hair needs to be out of my face when I’m working and bending over and what not, and I don’t know how well hair sticks will hold my hair.  I can keep redoing the bun if I need to but I’d rather put the bun in and not have to mess with it until I get home from work and then I can brush it out and do whatever with it.  I know how to put a bun up with sticks, but as I said I’ve only ever used plastic, so many bone or wood will work better.

I also have never used a boar bristle hairbrush because I was always under the impression that they are only for short haired people or fine hair because the bristles are so bendy.  However I just read that they are helpful for distributing the oils back into your hair.  So I think I may try to get one for this purpose, which still brushing knots out.

I remember my mom always used nothing but a comb on her hair, especially for tangles, but I always HATED combs (I probably didn’t have the patience for them when I was younger, even though I have always kept my hair long).  I usually use oval brushed with straight stiff pins with balls at the end to brush through my hair.  You know the ones I’m talking about?  Well, I’ve been struggling with finding a nice brush for a while now.  My hair is so long and tangles SO easily that I will start at the ends and work my way up and by the time I got to the top all the moving around just made my hair tangle again down at the ends.  Now I have been brushing my long hair for literally my entire life (and also my father’s waist length hair) so I am quite practiced with doing go, and I don’t think it’s my technique, but instead, my unhealthy hair and/or brush making it tangle all the time.

Earlier this week I suddenly remembered wooden brushes and immediately went online to start doing research.  I found an Olive wood hair brush that was oval shaped (for more hair coverage) with straight wood pins (yay no more static!)  I just got it in the mail a few days ago and so far I LOVE IT!  It glides through my hair so easily, does not pull on the knots and creates no static whatsoever!  I love it!  I also am thinking of starting a comb collection.  I have always wanted to collect hair things, sticks and combs and what not, but I am actually *gasp* considering starting to also use a comb to get through the tangles of my hair.  Is it weird to use 3 different hair brushing things when brushing out one’s hair? (comb, olive wood brush, boar bristle brush) Anyone think this might be unhealthy for my hair? Or too excessive?  Since I have never used combs before ( and I really mean never once)

Welcome, Tara.

Well, that was a lot to take in...I think I have a few suggestions.

Oil your hair.  From the ears down.
Trim off some of the damage.

I have a wooden Widu brush and I love it.  I hardly ever comb my hair now, although if I've done any styling to my hair (such as rag curls)  I will finger comb first, then wide tooth comb and then brush.  I've stopped using BBB, unless I'm really greasy or need super flat hair on a bun.

I don't remember if you said your hair is straight or curly.  Curly hair needs moisture.  I use Ouidad or Devachan, both I get online.

Good luck on your recovery to healthy hair.  Let us know how it goes!

Hey Tara,

Sakina's suggestions are really good, you should think about getting another trim to get rid of the uneven ends and the damage your ends might have.  It will go a long way to feeling better about your hair.

You've mentioned some products you've used on your hair.. have you thought about making the switch over to more natural shampoos and conditioners?  Try checking out the local Health Food Store, a lot of the hair care products there are -cone free, wax free, paraben free... the list goes on and on.  I made the switch over to more natural shampoo and conditioner about a year ago and really noticed a difference.  So far I've tried JASON's Biotin Shampoo, Burt's Bee's Volumizing S and C (the raspberry and soy formula), Burt's Bee's Moisturizing formula (with sugarbeet and I think carrot) and Avalon Organics Rosemary S and C... all of which I can highly recommend.  Burt's Bee's is starting to sell their line in most drugstores, so if you don't live near a Health Food Store, you still may be able to get ahold of their products without having to pay for shipping online.  And most of these products run from 7-10 dollars a bottle, so they don't break the budget.

That said, you never really know just how exactly your hair is going to react to certain products, so there's some trial and error there.  I just know that if you're looking for a wax free formula, your best bet may be in the organic aisle.  Good luck!

Hello and welcome to the board


I am not one of the hair care experts but I can wish you luck and hope you find what works best for your long hair

I guess the best advice I can give you is to have patience because I have heard countless times how impatient some ladies are with their long hair and taking care of it.

But, you have found a great place to find answers for any questions you might have.

I hope you have a nice weekend

Jerry

I'm not sure if you mentioned it or not, but is your hair thick, thin, fine or what?

When I had my hair long (well, long for me which was shoulder length) it was very hard to manage because I have very thick curly hair and there were mornings I got very frustrated with it
I would just wet it down and then when it dried it would pretty much do whatever it was going to do so now I just keep it very, very short.

My wife's long hair is on the thin and fine side so her hair is pretty easy for her to take care of and the only time she get's bad tangles is when it is very windy.

Again, good luck and I am sure you will have the long hair you really do want

Jerry

Oiling might keep the tangles down and make detangling easier.  Jojoba, coconut and olive oils are all very popular.  Personally I'm still trying to find the one my hair likes most so be sure to experiment.  You'll find the jojoba and coconut at the health food store, too.  The olive oil is the kind you cook with.

One thing I forgot is Amish hairpins.  They are made of stainless steel, come in 4 sizes and hold hair like glue without weighing the hair down.  Truly, I swear by them.

oo! I just found some Amish hairpins on ebay! they are the "long" version, since my hair is past waist length, and thick, I cant wait to try them!!!!!