Calling all Moms with Hair Detangler Secrets!!

Ok, so DD's hair is just getting to that point where Johnson and Johnson's baby shampoo just isn't cutting it for preventing tangles. She is now dreading me combing her hair after baths, because it hurts her. HELP ME!!! I am wanting something that will not make her hair greasy after it dries. Any Suggestions?

All my girls have baby-fine hair. I use the "Aussie' Moist conditioner after the baby shampoo, and I comb through their hair with the conditioner in, while they are still in the tub. It does a pretty good job, and it doesn't make their hair too greasy.

Johnson's buddies detangling spray works well DD has never had greasy hair after it dries.

I comb Leila's hair in the bathtub while the second "dose" of Suave 2-in-1 is in + I pour baby oil into the bath water.

Before her hair got super curly (after I made the mistake of cutting it), I used to braid it in the bath as well. But, that was when 4 big braids did the job -- now she needs more small braids.... I braid her hair for the whole week because otherwise it dreds by lunchtime in the back -- although it's not kinky (it's nice & silky, just CURLY)

pablomichi said:

All my girls have baby-fine hair. I use the "Aussie' Moist conditioner after the baby shampoo, and I comb through their hair with the conditioner in, while they are still in the tub. It does a pretty good job, and it doesn't make their hair too greasy.

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I swear by Aussie products, too!

Hayley is INCREDIBLY tender-headed (there's a couple threads floating around where Tiffany and I and a few others talked about our tender-headed kids). She has very thick hair, but it's baby-fine and stick-straight. It gets tangled sooo easily, and she's extremely sensitive. She cries when I WASH her hair, and screams when I comb it, as gently as possible. But using Aussie Moist shampoo and Aussie Deeeeep conditioner has worked miracles, and her hair is so soft and silky and much easier to comb. I leave the conditioner in for a few minutes and then comb it through with a wide-tooth comb before I rinse.

Leaving her hair in pigtails or pigtail braids while she sleeps has helped, too.

I just bought a Goody "Ouchless" brush today, so tomorrow morning we'll see how that works.

I have that suave spray in detangler that I use on MY hair because it knots up in the back(not sure why, probably because Im trying to grow it out lol!)

Those "ouchless" brushes are a joke, at least IME. A good straight comb or pick is what's worked best for my girls' fine & curly hair during toddlerhood. I repeat the suggestion to comb it while the conditioner is still in, or half-rinsed. I haven't had trouble with any of the kid-oriented leave-in spray detanglers leaving an oily residue... anyone else?

If her hair just can't handle most conditioners without greasing up, though, you might try some of the more organically crafted shampoos & conditioners. I really like Avalon Organics lavender scent hair products. They also have the bonus of calming, relaxing aromatherapy for the child (and mother too!) just before bedtime. This product in particular was very mild and the conditioner very light. My current fave though is Nature's Gate "original" blend with this lovely, very heady & warm myrrh scent (among many others). It's delicious. It's the first shampoo I've found that I can use on my oldest dd's greasy teenager hair, dd2's DRY frizzy flyaway hair, dd3's fine, silky (but flyaway) locks, and dd4's fine, dry, curly hair. Mine, too, which is currently a mixture of all of theirs-- fine, curly, flyaway. They all, unfortunately, inherited my unruly hair, in one form or another.

My dd3 has an incredibly tender head. Honestly, it aggravates me because I can't possibly be any gentler with her. I make her sit and get her hair combed while she's still dripping in her towel. She's never happy about it, but as soon as I say "it'll tangle up if you let it dry without combing..." she changes her tune and sits down. I try to braid it if I possibly can, although that's kind of hit or miss these days, just due to bedtime bedlam. Dd4, who is a few months shy of 3y/o, sits through getting her hair french braided better than her 5y/o sister, though. Ugh.

Oh-- one more tip-- distraction. A favorite video/DVD could be brought out only for hair-combing time, to keep her fixated on something other than her hair. That's been a big one for us over the years.

The Johnson's Buddies stuff in the orange tube works well too.

Patriot20171 said:

The Johnson's Buddies stuff in the orange tube works well too.

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I tried to find that today at Fred Meyer and couldn't. Tiffany recommended it before.

scatterbunny said:

I tried to find that today at Fred Meyer and couldn't. Tiffany recommended it before.

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I have found it at BRU, Walmart, Target, and several of my local grocery stores. I hope you can find it! It is great!

chaoticoctopus said:

Those "ouchless" brushes are a joke, at least IME.

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I totally agree - my oldest always ends up in tears whe I use the "ouchless"
I use avariety of combs...start with a wide tooth, and get smaller until all of the tangles are out.

He hair is long, but very thin and baby fine (even though she's 9!)
When she was a flower girl last month, the hairstylist had the hardest time trying to style her hair and get the curls to stay!

We swear by Aussie Moist Shampoo and Johnson and Johnson Buddies Easy Comb Conditioner in the Orange Tube ( as opposed to the sprays, it really leaves her hair silky) My daughters hair is fine, curly at the ends and mid- back length, and she is very sensitive with regards to combing. Good luck!

It wasn't me -- & I feel bad that I can't remember the mama's name who did recommend it -- but it was in response to my last hair thread (So, if I search back through the threads I started I could find who!) I haven't been able to find the orange tube either, but the Johnson's spray bottle just leaves a yucky film Just For Me or Motions For Kids work well on Leila, assuming I can find/afford them (in the African Hair Care section)

Anyway: the "ouchless" brush.... The only use I have for these is when I'm puting Leila's hair into a rubber band. We generally stay away from rubber bands, though, because they just collect lint in her hair causing more tangling (probably not a problem for kids who can handle combing more than once a week). Just a pic/afro comb is all we use in the tub, followed by the JFM leave in spray conditioner and/or MFK hair & scalp lotion with a long parting comb to section off small areas to focus on instead of a whole mess at once.

After the bath our routine for the last 5 years (ever since birth since she was born with 2" of hair!) has been to sit on my bed watching Leila's choice of movie, dolly + brush in her hands with markers + paper nearby as well & snack/drink just in case. The distraction really is key, but so is the routine of doing the same thing in the same order everytime (& knowing when she's not feeling well enough to attempt it at all!) It takes 1-2 hours to do Leila's whole head so that's why I braid it for the entire week & when we have plans for extra activity or a trip, then I just spend a bit longer making the braids smaller to last longer (we don't watch TV like this often so it's a "treat")

don't have much to say, not there yet, but I do want to mention that brushes are bad. Bad. Bad. Bad.

Fine for styling, but detangling, always use a comb. Start from the bottom up, slowly, and not when the hair is dripping wet either. You can stretch and damage it then.

Emma is super sensitive about her hair/head as well. Our "secret" - a nice short cut! It's about chin length in a little bob and totally adorable. Just like Snow White, you know? I can still pull it back on the top or the sides and put pretty ribbons and bows in it. But many fewer tears!

RubysGirl said:

Start from the bottom up, slowly, and not when the hair is dripping wet either. You can stretch and damage it then.

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Bottom up, yes ... but the wet -- I've always heard the opposite & based on the difference between how nappy headed kids react when hair is combed dry vs. soaking wet I'll do it wet any day over dry!

She is a sweet, Nancy

I tried that style with Leila & her curles made it even more difficult Armpit length is just right for Leila -- long enough to braid up, but not so long that it takes "too much" effort (relatively speaking, LOL)

& I found the link to my last Tender-headed Kids thread....

Emma is adorable!! I love her haircut! Too cute!

papooses said:

Bottom up, yes ... but the wet -- I've always heard the opposite & based on the difference between how nappy headed kids react when hair is combed dry vs. soaking wet I'll do it wet any day over dry!

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I think it depends on hair texture. You are right that children with more "ethnic" hair textures probably do better with dripping wet hair being combed out. In my limited exprience, that has been quite true.

Patriot20171 said:

I think it depends on hair texture. You are right that children with more "ethnic" hair textures probably do better with dripping wet hair being combed out. In my limited exprience, that has been quite true.

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Yeah, that's the exception. Otherwise you end up with a 'fro. LOL