Easily knotted hair

My 9 year old daughter has straight, fine, shoulder length hair. It is sooo easily knotted. Every time she washes her hair, I need to spend a lot of time with her hair covered in conditioner, combing out the knots. Other than cutting it short, what can I do to make life easier for both of us? She has some sensory issues, and hates wearing it up in braids, ponytails, etc.

My hair knots as soon as I comb it... So do my daughters' hair. I bought them Suave for Kids Detangler. It's apple scented, and works well. Given they have thick, curly hair, I have to spray quite a bit in. But alas, it does work. I generally let it sit for a minute or two before I start combing. Also, if you're not already using one, get a detangling comb. And please, please don't use a brush on wet hair (which I'm sure you know)!

Another thing you can do is to start at the bottom and comb the knots from there and when those are out, move up about 5 or 6 inches and comb there.. keep doing that until you get to the top. That way, you are combing the knots from the top together with the knots at the bottom. I also hold it like I am going to put it up and comb the bottom that way. It doesn't hurt as much. I don't know if that makes any sense the way I said it, but that is how I comb my hair. (I have fine, curly hair that is past my shoulders) Maybe using a blow dryer with a comb attached might work too. Part it from the ears and blow dry the bottom part and when that is done, let the top down and blow dry that. If you don't have one with a comb, just keep combing/brushing the hair down as you blow dry. Don't blow upward because it might cause the hair to tangle.

Agree w/ both!! Great tips! Make sure her hair is conditioned well in the shower, especially the ends. Hair that is drier or damaged tends to knot up more.

combing it a bit while she in the tub or shower with the conditioner still in it helps............I used to use a detangler in Justine when she was little too.....I don't know what I would have done without it!!! I always put it back in a braid for bed too!!

I have straight, fine hair that tangles really easily. One thing I do is wash my hair as soon as I get into the shower and then use my fingers to rake conditioner through my hair, then let it sit for the rest of my shower. The steam helps it absorb, I think, plus combing my hair with my hands helps detangle it ahead of time, which means less pain later.

Really, the only way to keep hair from getting badly tangled is to keep it up. Even when mine is in a ponytail it'll tangle. I just comb my hair throughout the day.

Thanks for all the tips so far!!

My daughter has Very thick hair so it tangles a Lot! There are a couple things I have found that helps. The first is Paul Mitchell Detangler Conditioner....It works miracles!!! Another is after her hair is Dry I use the Ouchless brush put out by Goody! They have them for Thin hair or thick hair. I would say the conditioner is the best option!

Ooh, good tip! I'm going to have to check out that conditioner.

my hair get knotted fast wen it so windy outside so i hardly leave it down ....

You could always get her hair cut into layers.

She will have her original length but a less bulk, so maybe there will be less hair to tangle.

Otherwise, wash and condition, then apply leave in conditioner as well.

Make sure she washes her hair in a shower, so her head is always upright, thus not causing more unnecessary tangles.

I have hair that goes down to my hips, so I fear knots lest I have to cut my hair as a result of them. Here are a few of my tips & tricks for keeping my hair tangle free...

I always comb hair before washing it. I apply conditioner to my whole hair length and let it sit for about 5 minutes. I finger comb my hair to make sure it is tangle free. I then shampoo my scalp. You don't need to shampoo the whole length of hair, just the scalp. When massaging the shampoo into the scalp do it in small circles so you won't get your hair all tangled up. After rinsing my hair I finger comb it again to make sure it's knot free. When I dry my hair I just pat it dry and wring out most of the moisture, then leave it to air dry. I don't finger comb it more than necessary to get rid of the big tangles (I don't want to rip the hair and cause split ends). When it dries then I will comb it starting from the bottom and working my way up. I always braid my hair before I go to sleep, because my hair gets really knotted otherwise. In between washes I will use my boars bristle brush to spread the natural oils over my hair. I find that this really prevents my hair from getting as knotted. I hope that some of this might have helped.