HELP LADIES!!!! MATTED, TANGLED, MESS!!!

[againstallodds]

Ladies, I really need your help!

My cousin took out her braids tonight and under the advise of my grandmother, she didn't detangle her hair before washing it.

Her hair is matted, sticky, knotting, and every attempt of untangling her hair results in clumps being ripped out.

I feel so sad, I want to cry.

I've lathered her hair in conditioner and am going extremely slow but I still feel like I'm making no progress!!!!!!

Has anyone gone through this?

Here's what I have in my arsenal that I'm assuming will help provided spray (forgive me I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to dealing with extremely matted hair.)

Kenra MC
KeraCare Humecto
PM Detangling Spray
Oils

I'm more patient than my cousin so I'm doing the bulk of the work. I don't want to see her lose her hair!

 

[I Am So Blessed]

have i went through this? : yupppppp, and i had to cut!!!! nothing will help at this point,ive been there, dont mean to be the dark cloud but lets face it like it is.

 

[I Am So Blessed]

but who knows. try a prayer over her head in jesus name. and maybe

im sorry that this happened. them braids you have to keep clean while in. oh boy i remember i sat and had 4 women trying to get knots out and nothing worked.

 

[757diva]

Same here. I had to cut it. Have you tried using virgin olive oil?

 

[Leesh]

Sweetheart, take it easy, this is a very sticky situation, You must be very patient with this, You must apply enormous amounts of conditioner and Oils and patiently detangle as much as possible before anything else, I am so sorry to here this, but now that its done, Shes going to need Your Help and the most You can do at this point is detanlge as much as possible first and its going to take a lot af time, patience and Conditioner, Lots of Conditioner! Hope everything works out!

 

[Triniwegian]

OH NO!!!!!
You HAVE TO, HAVE TO detangle before washing!
All I can do is wish you guys good luck and next time, ask LHCF before the damage is done.

 

[CurlTalk]

aw, sorry for your cuzzo!

This happened to me recently after taking out kinky twists; I forgot to detangle and plait my hair when washing, and it was a tangly mess.
To salvage the situation, I slathered my hair in hair mayo, putting olive oil over it, worked carefully to separate my hair into 4 big sections, plaited the sections, and sat under the drier for like 30 minutes to soften my hair.
Afterwards, I gently took down each section, working from the bottom up to detangle with the largest tooth comb I had. Then I replaited, rewashed, did a light protein, and deep condition, detangling lightly once more after deep condition.
It was a bit of work, and I did lost some hair (that's inevitable at this point), but it wasn't alot, and in the end, I was tangle free.

HTH!

 

[Bettina]

Whoa Im sorry you are going through this but maybe there is still a way out --- it you can comb out dreds you may get through this---Ok here is a shot have your cousin take some Olive or coconut oil --I prefer olive for her case and keep it in her hair with a shower cap for about 30 min to an hour (this helps soften the hair) when detangling -- use a bone comb or one with metal ends to CAREFULLY detangle in small sections starting from the tip of the hair to the roots. Sorry hun this was what worked for me when I took down 3 mo old braids. Best of Luck

 

[~VicTorIAn~]

I would try a heating EVOO and letting it sit for a couple hrs. The PM detangling conditioner is good too.
She may have to cut it though.

 

[donna894]

I don't know her hair type, but old fashioned hair grease has helped me out in situations like this. It's like the greasier my hair is, the knots just slide out. But I do this while my hair is dry. GL

 

[F8THINHIM]

I just went through this and I lost alot of hair. I had to cut, too. I'm sorry this happened. I hope someone else can chime in who may have a happier ending.

 

[mariofmagdal]

When that last happened to me, I found the nearest tack shop and got some cowboy magic. Not sure what your chances are of that, but it's the only thing I know that works, it really melts away the matted hair.

Use plenty of conditioner and work from there is all I can think of.

 

[darlingdiva]

I am SO sorry that this is happening to your cousin. How long did you leave the conditioner on before you began combing her hair? Also, which conditioner did you use?

I suggest that you apply either the Kenra MC or Humecto to her hair. Then, put a plastic cap on her head and let her sit under a heating cap, or better yet, a steamer for 30 minutes to one hour. Then comb through and wash her hair.

It is a HUGE no-no to wash hair that has just been unbraided without detangling it first.

 

[wheezy807]

I remember seeing something like this when Ateyaa took out her first indian weave sew in without detangling. It was a complete disaster unfortunately. She lost ALOT of hair. This has never happened to me before but i do agree that i don't think there's nothing else that can be done at this point. Unfortunately this is a hard lesson learned. But it's hair and it will grow back.

 

[I Am So Blessed]

shoot, i have a feeling that your going to have to cut (so sad) i feel had for you, ive been through this more then twice. my hair was sticky too. i put a bottle and half of condtioner on hair, and oil and combs softly....and nothing so i cut.

 

[MaintaintheSexy]

This happened to me before and I soaked my hair in conditioner thinking that the hair strands would just unravel and they did not. Instead I had to take scissors and cut my hair. It's a very sad and disheartening thing, but it has to be done.

 

[Chaosbutterfly]

If it's as bad as it sounds, you just may need to cut.

But before that, I'd tell you to stop putting on conditioner and to stick to oil. When I get really bad knots from improper washing, conditioner always made the situation worse. I don't know why. Maybe from the waxes in them. But oil always helped. Olive oil is really good for this kind of thing.
Go really slowly and in sections, and if you can get one, try using a sewing needle to pick apart some of the knots. Once you've picked them apart some, graduate to the tail of a rattail comb, then use your fingers, and finish up with a wide tooth comb.
And resist the urge to attack a knot at its center. That was always most frustrating and conterproductive for me, because it would spawn mini knots all along the rest of the hair. Start unraveling from the bottom of the knot, and work your way up.
Good luck to both you and your cousin; I'm sending good vibes your way!

ETA: Do you have any mane n tail detangler? That stuff is like magic.

 

[againstallodds]

SO MANY RESPONSES, THANK YOU LADIES!!!!!!!!!!

So far I've added Humecto and olive oil to her hair and slowing detangling with a wide tooth combed.

It's going very slow but its worth it

 

[cupcakes]

Can you run out and Get some french Perm stablizer? Ive heard raves on this board about it getting rid of the worst knots and matting by many ladies on this board. Just do a search. Also, when I take out braids I always use a neutralizing shampoo, and deep condition thuroughly. The french perm stablizer and neutralizing shampoo return the hair to its normal PH. When the hair is at its normal pH the cuticles of the hair shaft lie flat. helping to eliminate tangles.

Also read this thread for future braid and weave takedowns:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=90692

 

[bahamababe242]

If it's as bad as it sounds, you just may need to cut.

But before that, I'd tell you to stop putting on conditioner and to stick to oil. When I get really bad knots from improper washing, conditioner always made the situation worse. I don't know why. Maybe from the waxes in them. But oil always helped. Olive oil is really good for this kind of thing.
Go really slowly and in sections, and if you can get one, try using a sewing needle to pick apart some of the knots. Once you've picked them apart some, graduate to the tail of a rattail comb, then use your fingers, and finish up with a wide tooth comb.
And resist the urge to attack a knot at its center. That was always most frustrating and conterproductive for me, because it would spawn mini knots all along the rest of the hair. Start unraveling from the bottom of the knot, and work your way up.
Good luck to both you and your cousin; I'm sending good vibes your way!

ETA: Do you have any mane n tail detangler? That stuff is like magic.

exactly my method of detangling severely matted dog coats as well (I moonlight as a groomer) and it helps to save most of their coat. I use olive oil. Good luck OP, hope it works out, sorry that happened

 

[AmyRose92]

Just two nights ago I had a matted mess on my head because I didn't comb all week (well, now I know a 'no comb' regimen is NOT for me) and my mom had to apply A LOT of moisturizing lotion with olive oil and comb it out with a wide-tooth comb. I got clumps of hair that I would have after having my hair in box plaits for two months in one night.

This is a very delicate hair process. I'm sorry this had to happen to her, but I see it as a learning experience. I definitely saw my hair disaster as one. Now she knows what NOT to do, as in not detangling her hair when she's shampooing/conditioning.

 

[cupcakes]

.................

 

[Ronnieaj]

I've done this once in my life, taking out a tangled hot sh!tty mess for a friend. She'd taken out her braids and hadn't detangled or washed for a week. Umm, yeah. LOADS of conditioner and oil, deep penetrate under heat, pick as carefully as possible until no further, repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat. I'm not going to lie. My friend started working on it at 9 pm. I took over at midnight when she pulled the scissors out. It took me until 5 am to finish, so this was no joke! And girl had the nerve to try and fall asleep (umm no! not if I'M UP workin on this mess. You GON stay awake ). But it is possible, but it's gonna take some serious time and effort. Good luck!!

 

[I Am So Blessed]

Just two nights ago I had a matted mess on my head because I didn't comb all week (well, now I know a 'no comb' regimen is NOT for me) and my mom had to apply A LOT of moisturizing lotion with olive oil and comb it out with a wide-tooth comb. I got clumps of hair that I would have after having my hair in box plaits for two months in one night.

This is a very delicate hair process. I'm sorry this had to happen to her, but I see it as a learning experience. I definitely saw my hair disaster as one. Now she knows what NOT to do, as in not detangling her hair when she's shampooing/conditioning.

definitly@ BOLD,. i must comb hair everyday, if i let it go for just even 3 days i will get matting. cant be lazy when i want to be.

 

[peony]

When I unlocked my locs I used "unbraid ease" and it worked really well. It might be worth a try. Good luck!

 

[againstallodds]

but who knows. try a prayer over her head in jesus name. and maybe

im sorry that this happened. them braids you have to keep clean while in. oh boy i remember i sat and had 4 women trying to get knots out and nothing worked.

lol we most certainly have prayed, for patience! lol

 

[againstallodds]

The EVOO is really helping, she's not in the clear yet but we're making progress!... I'd be lying if I didnt say I'm mad at her for listening to my grandma. She came over and saw us working and couldn't say a word! She knew she had messed up when she told my cousin not to detangle.. Cuzzo is lucky I love her! lol...

I'm having her deep condition and Humecto and EVOO under dryer right now, and then will resume the detangling

I'm soooo appreciative for all the advise. She was ready to grab the scissors before I talked her into letting me help.

 

[Niik]

this happened to me as i was transitioning.
the minute i put the shampoo on my head i knew something was wrong.
it took me 2 days to detangle that bird nest on my head.
and i ended up BC'ing the next day. all that work for nothing.

patience + lots of conditioner is the way to go.
good luck!

 

[againstallodds]

If it's as bad as it sounds, you just may need to cut.

But before that, I'd tell you to stop putting on conditioner and to stick to oil. When I get really bad knots from improper washing, conditioner always made the situation worse. I don't know why. Maybe from the waxes in them. But oil always helped. Olive oil is really good for this kind of thing.
Go really slowly and in sections, and if you can get one, try using a sewing needle to pick apart some of the knots. Once you've picked them apart some, graduate to the tail of a rattail comb, then use your fingers, and finish up with a wide tooth comb.
And resist the urge to attack a knot at its center. That was always most frustrating and conterproductive for me, because it would spawn mini knots all along the rest of the hair. Start unraveling from the bottom of the knot, and work your way up.
Good luck to both you and your cousin; I'm sending good vibes your way!

ETA: Do you have any mane n tail detangler? That stuff is like magic.

Thanks Chaosbutterfly!! No I don't have main n tail detangler, I wish I did though, I've heard great things about it.

Unfortunately, attacking the big knot is what she's prone to do so the sections she worked on have little baby knots that I'm working through.

 

[wheezy807]

Please keep us posted againstallodds.