SilkenDove: detangling

Showing posts with label detangling. Show all posts

Sunday, October 1, 2017

2017-09-24 Wash Day: Soultanicals Mango Dip Detangling Slip and Mielle Organics Honey & Ginger Styling Gel

Hey, beautiful people! I'm on a wash n' go streak at the moment, so I did another one. This time, I started with a deep condition with Mielle Organics Mint Babassu Deep Conditioner overnight. I love this deep conditioner.

The next day, I cleansed with Camille Rose Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse, then I detangled with Garnier Whole Blends Conditioner. I used the Garnier Whole Blends Hydrating (Coconut Water and Vanilla Milk) Conditioner this time because I realized the Replenishing (Olive Oil) Conditioner has mineral oil in it that made my shower slimy. The Hydrating Conditioner made my scalp itch, but less so than the Honey Conditioner.

When I got out the shower, I first used the Soultanicals Mango Dip Detangling Slip. This was my second time using this leave-in for a wash n' go. It has amazing slip, but I don't think I will use it again as my sole leave-in because it doesn't seem to keep my hair moisturized, for the reasons I will mention below.

Finally, I raked the Mielle Organics Honey & Ginger Styling Gel through my hair. On the right side of my hair, I just used my fingers to rake. On the left side, I first used my fingers, then I used my Tangle Wrangler. I can never get a Denman brush through my hair and the tangle wrangler works for me the same way other people use a Denman. However, instead of clumping my curls, the tangle wrangler separated them. In looking at some Youtube videos, it may be that my technique was wrong. I used the brush on the full length of my hair, instead of just the ends. I will try this again to see.

As you may recall, when I used the Mielle Organics gel for my wash n' go before, it flaked. I assumed that was because I used it in connection with the curl cream. I was wrong. It flaked again this time, though a little less than when I used the curl cream. I've also learned that some other ladies have had this flaking issue as well.

Overall, this wash n' go for my hair. In addition to the flaking, my hair was so dry by the second day that I had to promptly wash it out. I think the dryness was the Soultanicals because (1) my hair was not dry when I did the Mielle Organics curl cream/gel combo; and (2) this is the second wash n' go using Soultanicals where my hair was desert dry.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Detangling Tools

Hey, beautiful people! With Michigan winter coming soon, I am moving back into more protective
styling, which means more shed hairs get trapped close to my roots and I get more tangling. I have to be careful when detangling because, even though my hair is high density, it is also very fine in most areas. Thus, typically, I just finger detangle 1-2 times per week. Every few months, however, I do a more thorough detangling session.

For those more thorough sessions, here are my favorite tools:

A good rinse out or leave-in conditioner with a lot of slip. I like Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner; Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Conditioner; Silk Dreams Wheat Germ Butter Conditioner; and Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Conditioner. I have also used Oyin Hair Dew with my oil mix to get the job done.

A wide tooth comb. After finger detangling and putting my hair in sections, I next use the wide tooth comb to get out the more easier tangles. I have two Hercules Sagemann Magic Star Rake Combs that I really like because they are seamless. However, sometimes I just use one of my $4 Diane or Annie Jumbo Rake Combs. They are not seamless, but I have never had a problem with them.

Paddle Brush. After going through a section with a wide tooth comb, I go in with my Conair Paddle Brush to get out the remaining tangles and some of the loose shed hairs that I missed with finger detangling and my wide tooth comb. I have the old school square wooden handle one. I am not sure that they make still make it because I no longer see it in stores, but the plastic and "velvet touch" handle ones are pretty much the same. The only downside about my Conair is that it is big, which makes it hard to get close to my roots. I may try the Wet Brush as it appears a bit smaller.

Tangle Teaser Or Similar Brush. This is my final step before braiding up the detangled section. I don't have a Tangle Teaser. I have a Goody Tangle Fix, which looks the same to me; is cheaper; and works great. This is good for getting any knots out of my ends, and for getting final shed hairs out of the length of my hair. I am careful with this brush, however, because I have had heard of other ladies getting mid-shaft splits.

I have tried some other tools, based on their rave reviews from the natural hair community, but they just did not work for my hair:

Denman brush - I bought the original D3; the D41 with more widely spaced bristles; and a D4 (nine row). All of them just ripped my hair out. I could literally hear my hair ripping, as I tried to pull the brush through.

Felicia Leatherwood Detangler Brush - I bought this brush because one of my favorite YouTubers raved about it. When it arrived, the edges of each bristle were jagged and uneven (see picture). I looked at it and instantly knew I could not use it in my hair without causing some serious damage.

Evolve Dual Sided Boar/Paddle Brush - The paddle brush side worked ok, but not as smoothly as my Conair Paddle Brush. There was some definite ripping when I ran it through my hair.