My roommate's got fine blonde hair, very straight, a bit above bra strap length at present.

She's got a few issues that could use addressing.  First off, her hair won't hold barettes well, and the shorter 'bangs' sections get in her face at work.  She's not allowed bandanas, and headbands don't stay on her head well, just slip off the back.  I've tried claw clips, which seem to work well, but other ideas will be welcome, as mine's always been the type to stay put better.

Second, she's having odd tangling issues.  I looked her over for splits, and she's got barely any.  However, running your fingers through her combed hair, it 'catches' like it were split, as if the hairs were a bit 'sticky' or something.  She uses stuff with cones in it <Freida blonde line>, which I think might have soemthing to do with it.  Oiling with Jojoba and a leetle shea butter on the ends helped a bit, and I told her to wash it less, or just do the scalp.

Anyhow, that's what I came up with.  We'd both greatly appreciate advice from people with more experience in the 'straight and fine' department

Yep, Styg, I agree.  The -cones could be smothering the hair.  A good clarifying would probably help a lot.  Then try to stay away from the -cones for a while to see if the hair condition improves.  Using jojoba oil on damp hair should help some. 

The rough feeling of the hair could be breaks in the hair that have not yet turned to splits.  Or it could be the layers of product build up.

My hair would never hold a barrette either.  I found small french ropes or braids worked well to hold my hair away from my face.  If she doesn't want to do all the hair, just do the front pulled back into a ponytail.

Good luck!

I found the new "soft touch" barrettes seem to hold in my hair pretty well.  I found them at Wal-Mart for a couple of bucks (3-4 to a card).  They are rather fragile though, I have broken a couple of them when I tried to put too much hair in.  I can't remember the brand name (heard about them on these boards somewhere) - Goodie or Vidal Sassoon maybe.  I also use those metal clip things (sort of long triangular things that snap open & shut).

Tangles - Anais' C-COW-C cleaning method works well for me (diluted conditioner rinsed through hair, then diluted shampoo & conditioner combo on scalp hair, then diluted conditioner again on the length).  Usually the next day or two I use Jojoba oil on the length.  Wash every 3-5 days.  Vinegar rinses every so often.