sagira Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 My dd (1 going on 2) has long, baby hair that knots easily. Is there a detangler out there that fits my criteria? works well (duh! :)) smells pleasant is safe (no parabens, natural ingredients) not outrageously priced not tested on animals Is there anything that comes close to my list? I could compromise on the no parabens thing and maybe the animals (I try hard, and I rarely miss). By outrageously priced I mean like $20 for a 3-oz product. No way will I pay that, as much as I love my dd. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highereducation Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I use California Baby conditioner for dd. They also make a spray-on detangler but I would only give it a so-so rating (based solely on my experience). When dd's hair is really tangled, I spray some apple cider vinegar on it and that usually does the trick. Yes, she smells like an Easter egg, but the smell dissipates quickly and it gives her hair a nice shine. I've also found that only shampooing her hair a few times a week and doing vinegar rinses or baking soda rinses in between keeps her hair a lot less tangled than using shampoo every day or even every other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 In ethnic stores there are many choices for African American children. Organic, not organic, and so on. Some are quite inexpensive. However they are oilier and intended to add moisture. I buy an organic olive oil detangler for my daughter there that is under $5 for 8 oz or so. It doesn't take much and lasts a long time. I have also heard of some people making their own by diluting creme rinse or conditioner with water in a spray bottle. I can't remember the ratio but it apparently takes very little conditioner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethInNH Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Here is a few you could try: Kiss My Face Kids Detangler Creme TruKid Dancing Detangler they are both available on drugstore.com I have used the kiss my face detangler, and it works great. My daughter has long, thick, curly hair, and really is a good test subject for detanglers!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 My dd (1 going on 2) has long, baby hair that knots easily. Is there a detangler out there that fits my criteria? works well (duh! :)) smells pleasant is safe (no parabens, natural ingredients) not outrageously priced not tested on animals Is there anything that comes close to my list? I could compromise on the no parabens thing and maybe the animals (I try hard, and I rarely miss). By outrageously priced I mean like $20 for a 3-oz product. No way will I pay that, as much as I love my dd. :bigear: I like to just use a little California Baby conditioner on my hands, put a little water in one palm, rub my hands together, then rub the now-sorta-watery conditioner throughout dd's wet hair. I think often of just putting it in a spray bottle with water. That's all detangler is, really -- leave-in conditioner and water. It's pricey, I guess, but I can a) find it at Target and b) it'll last a long time the way I use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 (edited) The only thing that works on my daughter's hair is Paul Mitchell's The Detangler. Not only does it work but you can pull a comb through her thick, wavy hair without a single snag while it is still wet. It's a rinse out conditioner. I don't know if it meets all of your criteria but I can tell you that it smells nice and not too strong (I'm very sensitive to fragrances and it doesn't bother me). It costs about $25 for 33oz...which lasts forever. The link is to Amazon's page for the product. It gives the ingredients. You can get it easily locally. Edited April 28, 2009 by joannqn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 (edited) Thanks, everyone! I have many choices to think about now. I've seen California Baby at our local market. Right away I'm going to try the apple cider vinegar as I have some. If I need anything else I can start trying out the many options. I'm sure we will thank you for it -- many of you know how hard it is to try to detangle the hair of a very active toddler :willy_nilly: joannqn, I think I need The Detangler! I'm the one with the copious, thick hair. Thanks :) Edited April 28, 2009 by sagira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Mix your favorite conditioner in a squirt bottle with water. My hair dresser suggested this and it worked better than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 We use Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine leave-in conditioning cream. It comes in a 10.2 fl.oz bottle and costs between $3 and $4. It has worked great on my 3 yo dd's hair. She has very fine hair that knots frequently. The cream smells very nice and has apricot and avocado oil in it. I put some on my girls' hair after a bath on wet hair and then a small amount again in the morning when it is dry and needs brushing. I also use a spray bottle with some water when I brush their hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Just another thought. Have you considered cutting her hair? My dh was adamant about not cutting our 5 yo dd's hair. When she was 3 we struggled an entire summer with her hair. She would scream whenever I tried to brush it. No matter how often I brushed it, it would knot. I finally convinced him I had to cut off all of that damaged portion of her hair. Between daily swimming and the hot dry summers here, her hair was in terrible shape. Since we cut it (and we only had to cut it to shoulder length) her hair has grown in thicker and much more managable. It was all that fine baby hair that was causing the trouble. It helps to get all that baby hair cut off. I recently cut my 3 yo's hair into a short bob. We've had less trouble with the knotting since we did that. We still use the conditioning cream every day and we are letting it grow out again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Mix your favorite conditioner in a squirt bottle with water. My hair dresser suggested this and it worked better than anything else. This is what my dd does. She has hair she can sit on so this is a great cost-saver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I do the conditioner/water in a spray bottle thing. I've also used water with some jojoba oil in it-- I like that too because we could scent it with essential oils and DD love creating her own special fragrance. Either concoction worked well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Not a conditioner, but to work with that fine, tangly hair this hairbrush has been a scream-stopper for my 4 yo. I got one for her for Christmas and it really makes brushing her hair so much better for both of us. It is *very* easy if I put detangler in her hair and fairly easy without. Just another suggestion, $10 is a deal, I paid $15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 We like the California Baby here. I can get it for $10 at Target and it lasts at least six months. I also use a Trader Joe's conditioner that helps keep her hair from getting tangly in the first place. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 We like the California Baby here. I can get it for $10 at Target and it lasts at least six months. I also use a Trader Joe's conditioner that helps keep her hair from getting tangly in the first place.Tara That reminds me: Using a satin pillowcase helps reduce tangles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 And, of course, braiding before bedtime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellycbr Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Here is a site that rates the safety of different products: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse.php?category=conditioner. They have 1,589 conditioning products rated so you can look up the different products you have and find out if the ingredients are cancer causing. Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcjlkplus3 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I have not read the other responses, so this may be a repeat. I usually get the Equate (Walmart brand) Hair Detangler spray on formula for kids. It is about $2 a bottle and works very well on my girls very fine and tangly hair, the Suave kind also works well and is closer to $3 a bottle last time I checked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I would also recommend California Baby or Rainbow Research's De-Tangler for Kids (I prefer the smell of this one). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peri Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I use Jajoba oil and I use my fingers first to detangle and then use a wide tooth comb. But as far as I've tried, nothing works better than conditioner in wet hair to detangle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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