Sensitive Head

After going through and manually undoing some tangles, have her start her downward strokes near the bottom of her hair, and then gradually start her strokes higher and higher, till she can go from her scalp all the way down. Starting the strokes near the roots/at the top of the head and trying to go all the way down from there just accumulates the tangles.

Oh, and with every stroke, she can fake a ponytail with her other hand, so the tension ends in her fist, not in her scalp!

Good for her. What a sweet thing to do, to give her hair to Locks of Love! You are raising a very generous and thoughtful daughter.

L.

I had really long hair when I was younger, and what I can suggest is to comb it out while it is wet after a bath or shower or whatever. I f she takes her shower before bed, tie it up into a braid or braided pigtails before she goes to bed. If it is tangled in the morning, just start at the bottom and work your way up detangling...good luck!! I remeber those days, so now my hair is shoulder lenght, lol....and how super sweet to donate to Locks of Love!

I love that your daughter already knows about Locks of Love, what a wonderful gift.

Hopefully my tip can help her, I wear a silk or satin cap at night, this really helps the tangles and static. Or at least a satin pillow case, the cotton from the sheets and pillow case causes friction and will cause the hair to tangle.

I got this tip from my brides magazine and have been doing it for 5 months now and can't believe how soft my hair is in the morning.

Brushing with a Boar hair bristle brush works wonders on sensitive heads. My brother used mine on my neice and she liked it so much they now use that kind on hers. (she's four and curly hair down to her bum-bum).

Another tip I have is get the caps without the elastic in them they left marks on my forehead, they have some that tie and some with wide bands and those work best for me.
You can get them at Wal-mart and Sally Beauty supply. My favorite one I got from Sally but the only reason I like it best is the band is really wide.

If you have trouble finding them look where they sell african-american products in the same stores.

Good Luck,
K.

tangles were a huge issue with my 6 year old. when she washes her hair i put a generous amount of pantene conditioner on it and clip her hair up so it soaks in while she washes then before she gets out of the shower we comb it through her hair then rinse. when she gets out of the shower a lot of times i'll put her hair in 2 french braids to keep it out of her face and keep it from tangling. that is awesome that she's going to donate her hair!!

Hi.

Ooooh! I had this problem and so has my daughter. My mom had the hairdresser thin my hair only underneath in the back. It helped tremendously. I've done the same with my 9 yo. It really makes a difference. Another thing I've found (my sister actually introduced me to it because she was having the same problem) is a Goody brand "ouchless" brush. The bristles are far apart and flex if they need to. You have to make more strokes, but it does effectively detangle without pulling hard.

Good Luck! I hope this helps,
~K.

We have lots of girls in our family and we all have have long hair. My daughter is really sensitive to pulling hair and we have to just sit in the bathroom and divide it in to little sections (she will be 10 in 2 months) and take a tiny spot at a time and work on it. It can be really frustrating but must be done to keep the hair healthy. When her hair is wet, pile on the conditioner and you can usually work your fingers through the tangles and then just comb through after the shower. Do all activities with a pony tail and that will help with tangling. Comb it out each night before bed and then if comfortable enough, also sleep with a pony tail (don't pull it too tight because it can weaken your hair and cause it to break). We like to holders that are squinches/cloth material.

my daughters hair is not that long yet, but we have the same issue, she is 6. I have had to move her up to grown up shampoo and conditioner and on occasion a leave in conditior like Pantene. Yes cutting is the easiest solution... just hang in there a bit. When my hair was to my hinney I would wash, brush while wet with leave in conditioner, and braid to keep from tangeling. Best to you and your daughter.

B.,
Hello. I think you have received some good advise already, speaking from my childhood when I had waist length straight hair. Now, I have a daughter with curly hair that gets tangled and the best product we have found (she's 3) is called "Noodle & Boo Hair Polish". It's like a detangler, but without the film those can leave on the hair. It really helps us out in the morning after sleeping and her twisting pieces of her hair. However, I'm sure it would work well in the evening too. It's more expensive, but we love it and it doesn't take a lot (we're still on the first bottle and have had it over 6 months and use it daily). A different product worth considering if other tips don't seem to work. Good luck.
~ J.

My daughter has the same problem. We bought a brush at wal-mart, it is called an ouchless hairbrush. Get the bigger one. It stopped my daughter from crying when we brushed it.

My hair was a constant knot when I was younger so I grew to be tough headed, but what helped before that was combing it out in the shower or tub when I still had the conditioner in and then rinsing it. I still had to use leave in conditioner and comb it afterwards, but most of the knots were out. Also, try using a pick instead of a brush or fine tooth comb. It helps get the knots out without as much pulling. Another thing, when she shampoos, have her massage the soap into her scalp and then let the water wash it through the rest of her hair, instead of piling all of her hair on top. It will get just as clean and this should help with tangles and breakage so her hair will be healthy when she is ready to cut it. You should be so proud of her...what a generaous little girl!

I used to cut hair and have long hair myself - the one thing that I have found that works for me is when my hair is wet, I put a leave in conditioner on it and then comb it with a wide toothed comb. You should not brush hair when it is wet because your hair is more fragile when it is wet and is more likely to stretch and break, which will cause split ends and more tangles too. Good luck and God bless your daughter for donating her hair!

A friend suggested that I braid my daughter's hair before bed and that helped tremendously.

Hi, My advice is to use a conditioner when you wash it. My 7 year old has really long hair and I did too when I was younger. Conditioner on every wash and spray in conditioners help alot because she is very tender headed.

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WHEN I WAS LITTLE. MY HAIR WAS DOWN MY BACK NEARLY TO THE BOOTIE! IT TANGLED BEYOND BELIEF ESPECIALLY IN WINTER WITH THE ELECTRICITY IN THE HAIR! I SUGGEST BUYING THE OX-HAIR HAIRBRUSH THAT IS SOLD IN ALL SALLY'S BEAUTY SUPPLY STORES. THEY COST ABOUT $5 usd AND ARE WELL WORTH THE PRICE. I STILL USE ONE TO THIS DAY AS MY HAIR IS DOWN MY SPINE AND TANGLES OFTEN REGARDLESS OF AGE! LOL...AND FOR NIGHTTIME SLEEP HOURS, I BRAID MY HAIR. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT IS OFTEN BRAIDED DURING THE DAY WHEN I AM CLEANING HOUSE SO AS NOT TO TANLGE IT WHILE IT RUBS ON MY BACK. GOOD LUCK!