Is there a way to prevent knotty hair?

My DD's hair is always extremely knotty!! No matter how often we wash or brush her hair. And she hates having her hair brushed because of it and cries during a hair brushing. :(

Any ideas on how to prevent knotty hair appreciated? Or to make brushing easier?

TIA

Have you tried using some spray in conditioner or detangler spray? Helps with the actual combing, but I find little girls seem to love the concept of "special spray" and will happily sit for a combing once it is sprayed in.

Yes should have mentioned we've tried a spray in conditioner and that doesn't help. Maybe a detangler spray would but I haven't been able to find one. Where do you buy it from Astrid?

Silk/satin pillow cases can help.

Gaia baby has one (baby section), otherwise Palmolive have one in a pink bottle (I do find that one a bit stinky and will probably grab the Gaia one next time)

Thanks I think I'll try a detangler next then.

She won't sleep on a pillow Onyx so we can't use a satin pillow case.

Keep the suggestions coming! I think I need all the help I can get! :wall:

What does the hairdresser say? Sometimes a bit of a tut tutting from them about the knots and how they might have to cut off more hair, can work for getting them to sit for brushing ;)

Also try different brushes and combs, I find my girls are more tolerant of some. They also love someone else brushing their hair and are way less whingy for them.

Using a detangler and I find plaiting their hair helps

I hate mornings because of hair brushing time :(

Johnsons make a spray conditioner (strawberry scented).
What type of hair does she have? (curly, straight, thick, thin)
I find when washing my DDs hair if I leave the conditioner in for at least 5 min it seems to help.

As a child who's hair always tangled terribly when it was washed, I learned as an adult to a) brush my hair til it's knot-free BEFORE I get in the shower (with a brush with prongs, not a bristled brush, otherwise, it just smooths the top layer and leaves the knots underneath), b) don't rub the shampoo in - use massage-fingers on her scalp like when we go to the hairdresser, and then just squeeze it through the lengths, and comb through the conditioner with a 'rake' (ie, long-toothed, wide-pronged comb)before rinsing, r, and c) to pat and squeeze it towel dry, and never, ever, rub, AFTER the shower. It would have solved many tears and tantrums had my parents known this.

Also, don't let her get it wet unless it's going to be washed - buy her a pretty, well-fitting shower cap, to use every time she's not going to wash her hair. Washing mine every day just makes it flyaway and therefore more prone to getting knotty, even now I only wash it every 3rd or 4th day. If it's going to be windy or damp, tie her hair up to reduce the knotting. If it's in a simple pony tail, you can be fairly certain that the hair pulled flat against her scalp isn't going to be too bad, and you can even brush out the tail before you take the band out.

Oh, and when you're brushing it, do it in small sections, and hold the scalp end of the hair tightly in your hand, so that the brush pulls against your grip when it catches in a knot, and not against her scalp.

Of course, there's always the option of having a much shorter haircut, as well - it doesn't take all the knots away, but it makes them much easier to deal with.

Get a tangle teezer Hairbrush. They are amazing!

We got a really good quality brush and that made a big difference to how the morning whinge went. Classic Detangler from Price Attack also helped. Making sure she wears her hair up also makes a big difference - DD refuses to have it up on the weekends and it is always so much more knotty.

Some good tips there from Pholi.

Astrid - For some reason the hairdresser has no problems brushing DDs hair. She uses a comb and I've bought one that's similar and it's worse than using a brush! Maybe I need to ask the hairdresser what her secret is! :lol: Or maybe it's because it's not me doing it! :lol: I might have to try a wider tooth comb.

Novella - Yes I hate brushing her hair. :( I feel awful doing it.

Chrispe - Her hair is thin and not really straight or curly. In between those two! It's a lot like my hair but I don't have knots like she does!

Pholi - Thanks for the hair brushing tips. I need to try some of those! I do brush her hair in small sections and hold at the scalp end, but she says it still hurts. :( I have also suggested we go get her hair cut off, but she really wants long hair! Although her hair isn't even that long compared to some other girls her age. At the moment it's shoulder length. I dread to think how much worse it could get as it grows longer!

Nai - I've never heard of a tangle teezer Hairbrush. Where do you buy that from?

I got mine online

I second what Pholi has said - I always had issues with knots til I learnt how to deal with them. Just to add to what she said, definitely remove all knots before washing, but also comb the conditioner through when in the shower/bath before washing it out - makes it so much easier and more pleasant afterwards.

Another suggestion, I know your DD is young, but how is she at brushing her own hair? I've always found it hurts less to brush my own hair than when someone else does it. Even if she managed to get some of the initial knots out.....?????

Thanks chody47. I try and encourage her to brush her own hair, but she always wants me to do it? I would have thought she'd prefer to do her own hair and it would hurt less too!

Cally - What good quality brush did you buy?

I think I need to go shopping for detangler! Wide tooth comb and new good quality hair brush! Here's hoping they help!

Have been meaning to get a tangle teezer for ages, so have just ordered one! We use the sprays and leave in conditioners but some days the tangled just get too bad.

I feel your pain! Both my DDs have painfully thin hair and it gets really knotty. I'd have to brush it three times per day to keep it knot-free.

I've found conditioner helps a lot. I use my fingers to rub it in and then ease out the knots. For some reason, it doesn't seem to hurt as much as a comb/brush.

I've been told that detangling spray is just conditioner mixed with water in a spray bottle - have been meaning to try that.

If it's in a real state, I just have to use bribery (chocolate) to get them to sit still and just eat and bare it really.

I have found in the last six months or so though that DD1 will brush her own hair and get her own knots out. I think she's twigged that it feels better knot-free.

Try it in 2 plaits all the time. My DD2 has really thick hair & as soon as its at shoulder length its a nightmare. I don't let them wear it out if we leave the house. If they do wear it out, I'll wash & condition it before I brush it. I have occasionally used the 2 in 1 kids shampoo's in DD2's hair, but thats not enough. If we use that, we still need conditioner after.

When I brush, I start at the ends of her hair & work my way to the top. Then I seperate her hair, starting at the bottom layer & working my way, again to the top.

Has anyone tried the Dtangler Brush? It looks like a similar concept to the Tangle Teezer but it's cheaper. I just found it while I was searching for a good price for the Tangle Teezer. :)

I think I was recommended something similar (might even be tangle teezer) at like hairhouse warehouse or something like that. The lady was giving child grooming advice. :)


Sorry, fat fingers syndrome might occur.

The tangle teezer isn't cheap but it is well worth the money, 4 of my friends have tried ours on knotty kids hair and have gone on to buy their own. It really made my life so much more bearable without dd1 screaming blue murder every time I came near her with a brush! The travel one with the clip on lid thing would be my pick though.

Well you've inspired me to get a tangle teazer. Asos have one for $14 something including free delivery using the code extra10. Hopefully it will help!

I remember sitting as a young child in tears because of the knots and how my mother's brushing hurt so much. I wasn't allowed to brush my own hair until I was about 8ish though, my mother liked playing with it and putting it up. I also have thick hair which can't decide if it's curly or straight.

What helped, as an adult.
1. Chopping it all off. An option my mother never gave, and only took me to hairdressers who took her instruction. No hair means no knots and it is BLISS. I have wigs for when I need long hair (although it's currently below shoulder-length).
2. Ponytails/braids for bed (depending on length). Doesn't have the option of knotting then.
3. Hold the hair in your hands and brush only the ends until they are knot-free, then brush the whole thing.
4. Finger-comb it in the shower after conditioning. I lose a lot of hair, but it's all the hair that wants to knot.
5. Keep a brush about your person and brush at least once in the day. If you brush once in 24 hours you have a LOT of knots. If you brush morning, noon and night you have fewer knots per brushing.

The brush we got was DuBoa (from Price Attack). It is the same as the hairdresser uses. I think was about $30 - so you can imagine my reaction when that afternoon it had Playdough squished into it.......

Thanks so much for all the tips and ideas! I ordered a tangle teazer. :) I wish I'd seen your post earlier Novella. I got mine for $17. Though only $3 extra so I can't really complain. ;) Here's hoping that works. And I'm going to go and buy some detangling sprays.

What about the brand of shampoo and conditioner? Does that make a difference to knot prone hair?

I have found a good detangler spray from the supermarket! They only had the kids ones which don't work too well but grabbed a garnier fructis one and it's awesome halfway through the day and no tangles! I am waiting for the tangle tweeze to arrive too.

Thanks black rose. I'll have to try the garnier detangler. I can't wait for the teezer Tangler to arrive too! :)

black_rose - What's the name of the garnier fructis product you got? I went looking and couldn't find any detangler.

I also couldn't find the Gaia baby detangler or the Palmolive one! :wall:

I spent ages in the hair care section and finally found one made by Pantene so I got that to try and it's better than the spray in conditioner we've tried.

My DD has the same problem. Her hair isn't long enough to actually do anything with - I'm considering shaving her head :) It works for DS

Moi it's called garnier fructis instant detangler with nourishing milk it was at Coles.

I just got my Dtanglers x 2 pink ones in the mail today. I had a quick brush of the girls hair this arvo and they seemed ok with it. I'll see how they go tomorrow after a bath. Mine cost $23 for 2 on ebay.

Thanks again for all your help! Hair brushing is going so much better now!! :hooray:

The tangle teezer arrived and she doesn't complain when I brush her hair with it!!

I'm using the Pantene detangler (can't find any of the others!) and it's working really well to ease knots out.

Plus I now use conditioner when I wash her hair, which I wasn't using before.

Thanks so much. If it wasn't for your help, brushing her hair would still be a nightmare.

xx

Just thought I'd add that I like the dtangler too. I can brush their hair with ease, although brushing through food still causes some grief but hopefully dd3 will gtow out of smearing it in her hair soon. Highly recommend a brush

Yay glad the tangle teezer is doin the trick!

I wish I'd known about the tangle teezer. I ended up keeping my girls hair just below their shoulders to avoid the knots.

Found another detangler brush at a local chemist. It is by Michael Mercer. Comes in adult and kid, with 3 different types for fine, medium and thick hair.
Got the medium. Working really well so far, brilliant for DD2, looks like I might have to get the thick hair one for DD1 as it is harder work.

Stopped the pink palmolive detangler spray, found DD1's hair was feeling yuck with it. Now use Schwarzkopf spray leave in conditioner, every other brushing.