So one of the worst possible hair situations happened to me recently... I went away for a few days and forgot my hair brush. To be fair, it was a spontaneous trip back to Portsmouth in which I just bought myself back with me as I have a set of all my essentials there - well everything apart from my hair brush. What a total nightmare! After two days without a brush through my long locks and after a much needed shower, it was evident how vital a hair brush is to my hair health care. As you can imagine, this tragic story ends with me popping into Primark to get a £1.50 paddle brush to manage my tangled hair for a day before I headed over to Essex to be reunited with my beloved Tangle Teezer.
And there is the inspiration for this post! My hair type is long and knotty. By knotty, I mean that if I don't brush my hair a few times a day, small knots will form. If I don't brush my hair for a day or two, these knots become super-knots which take a lot of time, lost hair and effort to sort out. The knottiness is particularly prevalent in windy weather and when I've been wearing a scarf. I love wrapping up in a blanket scarf most of the winter, until I take it off and the friction against my hair has created inexcusable balls of knots... SMH.
Don't get me wrong, I am blessed to have long hair. It's not high maintenance and if I give it enough TLC, there aren't too many issues. This post is my advice to those of you with similar hair. I want to share some tips for a more stress-free life with less knotty hair.
Brush it...
Just like brushing my teeth, I brush my hair twice a day - morning and evening. Maintaining this routine helps prevent those oversized balls of knots that no one wants to deal with. I cannot recommend a Tangle Teezer enough. They do less damage when brushing (carefully) than other brushes I've used. I reckon I've been a Tangle Teezer user for almost a decade and couldn't imagine using anything else!
I also recommend getting a mini travel sized one. How infuriating is it when you're out for the day and notice a knotty patch?! You end up ripping it all apart and brushing it through with your fingers and probably losing a ton of hair in the process. Not worth it - Get a mini travel brush!
Conditioner
Don't roll your eyes just yet. It might been like an obvious one but there are certain conditioning treatments I swear by and had to share with you!
For normal use, I recommend Herbal Essences Bee Strong shampoo and conditioner. I've raved about it before and I'll rave about it again. From the first use of this product, my hair was less knotty - FACT! My tangle teezer glided through my silky hair like I'd just been to some high end salon.
I also recommend a more intense conditioner once a week/fortnight. I'm currently using Garnier Whole Blends Honey Treasures mask which smells like perfection.
Top Long Hair Maintenance Tips
- Avoid washing your hair too often - wash it every other day maximum!
- Spend time dealing with massive knots, don't just rip them out in frustration
- If your move around a lot in bed and wake up with knotty hair, put your hair in plaits or a top bun
- On windy days, tie it up!