Long Hair and Matted Tangles

[SnuggleBuggles]

She's 11 and has ADHD. The tangles are bothering her when she should be focusing on school. We're out of ideas to keep her hair the length it currently is, and she's in need of a real haircut (not the measly 1" off the ends that she got in September after I told DH to get 2-3" off because she hadn't been to a salon for over a year.) I think she's on board; I just wanted to be sure that my thought wasn't too "extreme."



I think her hair is currently 75% detangler because it wasn't washed properly. It's tacky to the touch, which exacerbates the problem, so I've told her that I'll be washing her hair, which has left her absolutely appalled. DH won't spend money on the pricier (but less sticky) products because we go through almost a whole bottle when her hair is at its worst.

I just want her to be able to take care of it by herself; she can't do that right now with it so long, so the most logical solution is a cut which she can grow out if she so chooses, but at least she'll know more about taking care of longer hair as it grows.

Your dh continues to tick me off. I hate that he won’t give you money for basic needs.
But, I do think a fresh start, new, haircut will help a bunch. She probably has some split ends too complicating things.


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[bisous]

Your dh continues to tick me off. I hate that he won’t give you money for basic needs.
But, I do think a fresh start, new, haircut will help a bunch. She probably has some split ends too complicating things.


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

Agree with this. DD had longish hair and it was just so easily tangled. My mom cut it during COVID to her shoulders and it was SO MUCH EASIER! I couldn't believe it! It still felt long to her but she just had such an easier time of keeping it from getting snarled/matted.

Good luck!

[KpbS]

I would cut it just below her chin. Much less to detangle and she will really enjoy the ease of brushing it out.

[doberbrat]

Hair that long is a pain to deal with - I still have to brush my 16yo's waist length hair on occasion. And I just finished off a huge bottle of detangler that I originally bought for the dogs but has been a life saver for her hair.

Shoulder length hair is still 'long' but more manageable. If you have a decent dollar tree near you, there is a product there that I LOVE for detangling. Its African Pride Olive Miracle.

and hugs on the marital situation. I get it. Sadly, I really really do. I wished you lived near me and we could meet for coffee or just a walk.

[lizzywednesday]

Your dh continues to tick me off. I hate that he won’t give you money for basic needs.

He can be a bit of a butthead, and I think the sticker shock is a lot for him to deal with. He still wants to pay 1995 prices on everything and that just doesn't work!

But, I do think a fresh start, new, haircut will help a bunch. She probably has some split ends too complicating things.

I think she has a lot of splits, too. We didn't feel safe taking her to anywhere unnecessary, like hair salons or the mall, until case numbers in our area were low.

[lizzywednesday]

Agree with this. DD had longish hair and it was just so easily tangled. My mom cut it during COVID to her shoulders and it was SO MUCH EASIER! I couldn't believe it! It still felt long to her but she just had such an easier time of keeping it from getting snarled/matted.

Good luck!

Thanks; that's basically where I'm headed - the matted tangles have started to bother her enough that they're an issue; it's harder for her to maintain her hair at its current length; and I'm not always able to do it for her for a combination of fine motor control (me) and sitting still (DD) reasons, so rather than get angry with her for not doing her hair, I should do the thing that makes it easier for her to do her hair.

[lizzywednesday]

I would cut it just below her chin. Much less to detangle and she will really enjoy the ease of brushing it out.

I kept it roughly chin-length when she was a toddler and well into elementary school because I do not have the patience (and she doesn't have the focus) to deal with long hair.

The shoulder-length goal was a compromise between what DD wants and what I can maintain without going out of my mind.

[lizzywednesday]

Hair that long is a pain to deal with - I still have to brush my 16yo's waist length hair on occasion. And I just finished off a huge bottle of detangler that I originally bought for the dogs but has been a life saver for her hair.

I really hate the maintenance that goes with keeping long hair healthy and looking decent.

Shoulder length hair is still 'long' but more manageable. If you have a decent dollar tree near you, there is a product there that I LOVE for detangling. Its African Pride Olive Miracle.

We have a Dollar Tree, but I have no idea if it's decent; I spend as little time there as I can because I don't like the smell. (That decomposing plastic and aluminum foil smell is common to all dollar stores, not just Dollar Tree.)

[ahisma]

I really hate the maintenance that goes with keeping long hair healthy and looking decent.

We have a Dollar Tree, but I have no idea if it's decent; I spend as little time there as I can because I don't like the smell. (That decomposing plastic and aluminum foil smell is common to all dollar stores, not just Dollar Tree.)

It looks like it is at Walmart too. https://www.walmart.com/ip/African-P...-8-Oz/39249908

[Corie]

Hair that long is a pain to deal with - I still have to brush my 16yo's waist length hair on occasion. And I just finished off a huge bottle of detangler that I originally bought for the dogs but has been a life saver for her hair.

Out of curiosity, if her hair is such a pain to deal with and her hair requires a huge bottle of detangler, I don't understand why she would keep
it that long. Why not cut it?