I....CAN...NOT.....GET....THROUGH......MY.......HAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can NOT comb through my hair wet or dry. The tangles are unbelievable. Im about 4 months post relaxer. I get so frustrated I just want to RELAX IT. URGH.
I have tried Organix, Olive Oil, hello hydration, shea moisture conditioners.
If anyone has any TRIED AND TRUE conditioners that DETANGLE 4b/4c hair PLEASE share with me.
My hair is past my shoulders, and very dry.
Moisture laughs at my hair. ANYTHING I put on it, ANYTHING seems to just SIT ON TOP of the hair strand and never penetrate. URGH.
Even when my hair is wet.....it seems dry....if thats even at all possible!
HEEEEEEELP!

I'm sorry about your frustration and I understand. I did my BC at 4 months post relaxer because of the tangles and globs of hair I would loose detangling. Hopefully I will be able to help you or someone else.

What exactly are you using to moisturize your hair?

Hi Lynne-thanks for responding. I dont plan to BC, ever. so i MUST find something that works;-)
to moisturize i use a million things, but not all at once. Her eare some of the things i use.

organix split ends mender, antibreakage serum, and
organix leave in conditioner
shea moisture elixer (dont really like it, its just oily and sits on top of my hair)
miss jessie's curly buttercreme
coconut oil.
almost ALL OILS just sit on top of my hair and hours later i can put my hands in my hair and i will still get oily residue on my fingers. I HATE that.

Do you think you might be protein sensitive? The organix products have protein in them (I think). Also, using too much coconut oil can give your hair a crunchy feeling.

You may already know this and have tried it, but if not, detangling your hair in sections is the business! That might ease some of your frustration. Also, maybe try determining if your hair likes more of a cream based moisturizer or a liquid one. My hair likes cream based and I think I'm 4a/b/c. I usually mix my cream base with a water/aloe/olive oil mix, rub between my hands and apply. I'm not saying I have the moisture thing down cause I'm experimenting, but so far, this seems to be working. I use Elasta QP olive oil/mango butter moisturizer.

I don't know what else you've tried, but if you can post it, that might keep us from recommending something you've already tried!

LCnewjourney gave GREAT advice.

For me, using the Chicoro moisturizing method works.

You apply an water based product, then an oil based product, then a moisturizing product.

What styles are you wearing?

You dont have to big chop but I would recommend trimming your ends every 6-8 weeks. About 1/2 inch. Hair on average grows about 1/2 each month so wouldnt be loosing your length.

I've found detangling has more to do with technique then products. Sure, products help add slip (I wouldn't dare touch my hair to detangle without some sort of condish or oil in it), but if you are putting 8 oz. of conditioner on a big mat of natural mixed with relaxed hair, and then trying to attack it with a denman or comb, you're headed for disaster.

My advice would be slow down and take a deep breath. Put your comb/brush completely aside. Divide your hair into 4 or more sections. Work in your condish/oil with your fingers only and get out as many tangles as you can using your hands ONLY. This may take a while and you may find yourself detangling down to 1 and 2 strands at a time, but it will limit your hair loss. Once you got the big tangles and mats out the way, then bring in your comb/brush.

While I transitioned my hair would get so tangled and I got so frustrated I just basically ripped my my hair out trying to comb it. What made a difference for me was KC knot today. I would put it in and let it set for about 5 minutes and it was amazing to me the difference. I transitioned for 9 months.

water is nappy hairs best friend!!!!!! i have the same type of hair and used to have to same problem. the only way anything penetrates my hair is when my hair is wet or i mix it with water!!![code][quote]

do you ladies think a hair steamer would work/help?

KC Knot Today works great for my 4b hair. Also, while I'm co-washing I add a little almond oil to my conditioner and it gives me more moisture to help with the Knot Today. I only use Knot Today on my ends---leave it on for about 5 minutes and then the comb glides through.

Check your ends to make sure you don't need to do a seek and destroy. That may help.

What about using a detangler? When taking out braids and such, I use a detangler by DooGro. I know its not organic, but it gets the job done!!!

http://www.buy.com/prod/doo-gro-detangler-growth-triple-strength-10-oz/q/listingid/92995221/loc/67984/216391342.html

I agree 100% with aimward. I have been transitioining for 7 months. Dividing hair and detangling with hands SLOWLY is best. Also, great product advice I received from another member here is Purelogy hydrate contion 100% vegan. Like butta when I comb it. butta.

i love suave conditioner and Cantu shea butter conditioner. With the suave professionals with almonds. In the shower i shampoo then rinse. The i apply about a handful of conditioner and let it sit for 5 mins then i use my wide tooth comb to detangle. Once im done detangling with the wide tooth i use my regular comb to get detangle anything the wide tooth missed. Thenn i rinse the conditioner. When i get out the shower i use the small teeth attachment on my blow dryer and then blow dry my hair. Hope this helps

I experienced that a few mths into my transition after using some Chi products. My hair just didn't like them. I actually had to cut a knot out

I suggest
Deep conditioning (any thick/creamy cond, put on a plastic cap & sit under dryer)
Detangling in sections
Applying a leave in (also in sections)

Like another post stated, I think it has more to do w/technique than products

Dear Chynadoll...

1. I think Yes to Cucumbers and/or Knot Today is the business! They give so much slip that I'm afraid of tumbling in the shower when I use them! I am so happy I found them and they detangle wonderfully for my 4b-c.

2. Check your method - I second the Chicoro method - I even purchased her book! When your hair is that long, old school methods for shampooing, conditioning and detangling NO LONGER WORK. I agree with the other posters, it has more to do with the technique! She has a public fotki, http://public.fotki.com/lovinglance/natural-hair/so-inspired/chicoro.html

3. Check your brush! For my hair the Denman was the Devil!
Oh my goodness, Denman was the worst! I saw a CN.com video on how to modify a Denman by pulling out every odd row of teeth. It saved my hair. I was ready to throw my money in the trash...

4. Check your comb! Do you use a shower comb, "bone comb", or one of the nylon/delrin barber combs? These combs glide through hair more smoothly than others.

HTH!

I agree with all the ladies as far as technique, sections, deep conditioning etc. Personally, I think I've finally figured out which detangling process works for me. Finger detangling and comb (no brush) also Tresemme Naturals Moisture Rich conditioner, Alba Botanica detangling conditioner and Darcy's Botanicals Transitioning Creme have been perfect for detangling my hair.

If your hair seems to always be dry no matter what you do, you may have product build up and need to clarify, I use Giovanni 50 50 clarifying shampoo, every now and then, and it definitely works for me.

htank you everyone for the tips!
I figured out something last night that worked REALLY.....REALLY well for me.
My Redken Allsoft conditioner was always great for detangling my relaxed hair so i decided to give it a try on my transitioning tresses. Its not the best, but it DOES make my hair soft and it worked REALLY well. I packedit, i mean PACKED IT into my head, left on for 10 min, rinsed. comb went RIGHT THROUGH my hair!

Then I ran some organix coconut milk conditioner through, and left it on overnight, in 4 twists. went to the gym this morning, came home showered, rinsed out, put in some organix leave in conditioner, organix split ends mender, and blow dried. Smooth as silk. No tangles, almost NO breakage!
Added some organix anti breakage serum (can you tell im an organix fan?!) and used my chi iron to get some curls.
It feels like I have a relaxer. My roots are really soft....
It took me a long time but i got the job done. I dont often blow dry and flat iron my hair just bc of the heat needed to achieve the style I like, so I will be rockin this hair for 7-10 days before ANY water touches it! LOL:-D
thanks again ladies!

I'm glad you found something quick that worked for you.

I'm almost 5 months into my transition and I find that I can detangle rather easily if I allow conditioner (Yes to Cucumbers or Tressemme Naturals) to marinate on my hair for approximately 5 min before I start to detangle. Once the condish has had a chance to soften up the hair, I'll quickly stick my hair under the shower stream to "activate" the slip-factor and then use a wide-tooth comb to detangle my hair from ends to root. For extremely difficult knots and tangles, I'll detangle under the actual shower stream (as if I'm rinsing the conditioner out while detangling at the same time). This method has saved me a ton of time AND hair over the past couple of months.

I was going to say being that Iam a 4b/c chick myself aussie saved my life alone with knot today oragnix is not my friend protein is a no bueno for me.

@Chynadoll,

Can you do roller sets and silky wrap to keep the flat iron off your transitioning hair?

If you go to curlynikki's main page and in her search curlynikki option in the left column type in "detangling" and there is a ton of stuff that comes up. I have found some great techniques to use as far as detangling. Once you get further along in the journey detangling can become crazy!!!

I think once you have a technique down to doing it, it will become easier. For example, I used to wash my hair just all out because that is what I was used too. Then I switched to four huge sections and that worked better but not good enough. So then I tried medium twist but they would unravel by the time I was done. So now what I do that I find works the best, is I detangle first before I do anything with some kind of conditioner( Suave Humectant gives great slip, and Aussie Moist for me). After I detangle a section I braid that section in total I would have about 15-20 medium braids and then go about my process of washing, conditioning, etc. I find that this way my hair stays detangle from begining to end and it is eaiser to deal with as far as styling after the washing process also..I usually take the braids down and twist or just leave them but apply products directly to them.

Whew that was long, sorry...

Make sure your products are not protein. things that say wheat ios protein..a lot of conditioners have protein. Find something that is moisture majorly....

Natural hair/new growth hates protein usually