Granddaughter with tangly hair

Well. I bought a detangling brush, a Tresemme smoothing shampoo and a defrizz spray. I've also used a leave-in conditioner, during the wash instead of after.

And it seems to have helped a lot! We'll be having a hair wash within the next couple of days, so lets hope the improvement continues.

And for the poster who said she should do it herself - if I find it hard to manage, I don't see how the child could possibly do it. After she had chickenpox and spent three days on the sofa, it was so badly tangled right down to the roots that it took two hairdressers to get it all untangled. Urms I love your word - smushing. It's a perfect description of what happens.

As for cutting it - she has only made friends in school in the last year (before that she often cried because of having no friends) but her two new friends have lovely Indian silky very straight long hair and I think she longs to have hair like them. That's why she doesn't want it cut - I think in her mind having long hair makes her the same as them. That's 10-year old logic, I know.

So I reckon I've cracked the problem. Thanks for all your helpful posts and fingers crossed!

Just wondering about shampoo. I've just had a cataract op and was told to use baby shampoo in case of splashing, but I've noticed my hair feels less tangly after.

Another G'ma of girls with long tangly hair recommending plaiting at night, or at least put it into bunches and tie at both ends.
One GD has a sleeping cap which helps - it's cotton rather than silk.
Wide-toothed detangling combs are great.
Long hair is time-consuming for everyone involved! When DGD was younger we used to put on a DVD and that was 'hair brushing time'.

Chailds farm detangle spray! Non greasy. She should be able to do it herself. Spray wait a minute and then comb.

is she white? I am white and have naturally curly hair and use a pomade, it's called black and white, and you just use a little and work in to the underside of you hair and then run your fingers through to detangle or style. You can also use the anti frizz oils of which many are available.

If she has afro hair I cannot help

My 5 children all had long hair. The girls all had it very very long. One still has very long hair at nearly 40 and the other two mid 40s and mid 30s have it long enough for up-dos. The boys had it long till they decided to cut it off aged 8 and 11 ish.

If they don't want the time/effort of caring for it it's really their choice and after about 3 (?) When you can converse about it more logically, I'd say let them have it cut.

Granddaughters have almost waist length hair. They use a Tangle Teaser brush snd always tie their hair up or plait it at night. Seems to work. One has silk pillow cases and is convinced they help and also make her hair shine. I’m so relieved they can now manage their own hair and no longer rely on my lack of expertise.

Plait it at night 🙂
My DGD have long hair and they always do that, not just after washing.

Get the tangles out before it's washed, use a de-Tangling brush, starting from the bottom, just a little Morroccan oil, brush as you dry it then lightly plait it before she goes to bed.

A silk pillowcase could help, they are supposed to prevent tangles and frizz. You don't need to pay premium prices, Amazon sell them at 2 for £10.

I have unbelievably long tangly hair and one thing that I do before a shampoo is to bend forward and give it a good brush with a detangling brush . If you wash tangled hair with knots they will be be far worse .
A wide toothed comb and conditioner are essential .

I haven't tried Moroccan oil , but I certainly shall .

I recommend Tresemme Heat Defence spray. Apply to wet hair and it makes brushing through so much easier.

Both my girls have had long hair since it first grew.

Things I learnt:
Assuming your GD’s hair isn’t oily, use a hair mask rather than conditioner. Only give it a brief rinse at the end of hair wash. It moistures hair more deeply than conditioner.
Use an oil treatment now and then.
Invest in a Tangle Teaser brush.
Brush in small sections from the ends toward the scalp.
Plait or tie it up at night.

I’m so skilled now that I’m the hair washer of choice for my younger GD’s.

Could she pick a more suitable haircut for her hair type ?

She is also old enough to take care of her own hygiene (hair includedñ

What do her parents think?

welbeck

shouldn't she be learning to do this for herself ?
if she can't manage it, maybe a shorter style would be better.
she'll be going to secondary school soon and will have to manage after sports showers.

She will do soon. GD nearly 11 started this year. She has safe curlers she can use on her own and a hot brush hairdryer, She puts temporary streaks in in the school holidays and spends ages getting her curls right. Most girls do manage. 8 year olds who go swimming come out with long wet hair and help each other.

Yes, at 10 she should be able to do this herself. Is it washed in the shower? So much easier for long hair, but unless she has a disability and needs help I would have thought she’d be embarrassed showering in front of you.

shouldn't she be learning to do this for herself ?
if she can't manage it, maybe a shorter style would be better.
she'll be going to secondary school soon and will have to manage after sports showers.

you say 'your granddaughter'. does she come to you for a hairwash? I can remember my granddaughter coming for me to do it. more patient than her mum, not easy though

Use a wide tooth comb.
Comb conditioner through start (as someone says above) with ends of a small section.
Rinse thoroughly but without too much agitation.

Good luck.

Tangleteeze fan here too. Superb.

Short hair?

I second re the Tangle Teezer. Also Suprerdrug does a large detangling hairbrush. Both are good

She needs a Tangle Teezer brush. I have long hair and it’s great. I think this was the original make but there are now cheaper versions but not sure if they are as good. try Superdrug or Savers.

DGD has a lot of long fine hair. I have a detangling wide tooth plastic comb, dangling brush from Amazon and a cross between the 2 (think a plastic narrow brush, 3 or 4 rows of teeth wide).
I separate a narrow section of hair, get the knots out of that with the narrow brush, and move on. Thirty or 40 sections later, we are done. It takes an hour?

Mushing it about on the pillow at night causes a lot of the tangling. Add in some beautiful curls and an impatient 6y old who holds her hands on her hair as I try to carefully brush it, saying ‘I hate having it brushed grandma’ in a very determined manner - I know exactly what you’re dealing with! Moroccan Oil Light is good. Well, it helps ...
🤣

Also, use a wide-toothed comb, not an ordinary one, and comb the conditioner through before rinsing.