You say you want soft, luxurious, long hair?

Long, luxurious, soft hair? If you want it, you're crazy! Mine's naturally long, soft and very fine. Trust me, it's impossible to style and keep de-tangled. I brush it and five minutes later it's a rat's nest! I get a permanent wave and an hour later, it's straight again - over $100 for that wave wasted! Enough about my rants and mild dislike of naturally having hair a lot of people want.

For those like me, who have the long, soft, fine hair there are few solutions to the constant tangling. A good stiff wind and you look like you've got bedhead again - very annoying. Happily, a few solutions to styling have emerged (though I have yet to find an effective hairspray that doesn't leave my hair stiff as a board). The only actual solution to the tangling issue is to keep the hair constantly pulled back. Practical in summer, but bitter cold where I am in winter.

Unfortunately, it's never really a win/win situation with this kind of hair. (For those who want to have this kind of hair, pay attention before deciding to hunt down the thing that'll make your hair like this) The only thing that stays in my hair for more than maybe ten minutes are specialized hair ties that have rubber embedded in them. "Goody" brand calls them "Stay Put" (No, not an ad for Goody, just mentioning there is something that will stay!) Luckily, the local dollar stores have similar - sometimes. My solution to the constant tangling - even a light breeze tangles my hair - is to keep it braided constantly. On the downside, it makes me look like a teenager and though it could be taken as a compliment, it does get a little annoying when people assume you're under age for things or treat you a little too much like a kid - as in, not take you seriously until you show them ID proving you're older than they assume.

How then, to solve the problem? That's one I have yet to figure out, unfortunately. I welcome ideas, though.