My Ends are Dreadlocking & Matted - Help, Help, HELP!!

[wyldcurlz]

I've been wearing wash-n-go's and on the days in between i don't do anything to my hair. Well, now my ends are a tangled, knotted up, matted wreck! I'm scared its decreasing my retention!! What are some things I can do to stop this! I'm freaking out! Please help!!

(a few weeks ago, the ends dreadlocked and had to be cut out!!)

 

[Chaosbutterfly]

lol, stop wearing wash and goes.
Or comb your hair at least every other day.

 

[Truth]

keep your hair stretched out that way it wont tangle upon each other... even with a wash n go...once u apply product. band it for a lil bit to stretch it..I've even seen some twist it back up after applying product.... do u braid/band/or twist your hair up at night??? if not that can cause tangles. So far i've learned.. stretched hair =fewer tangles... or like chaos says.. cut wash n goes out all together..

 

[Tyra]

This has happened to me once.
I just detangled as much as I could with my fingers, then prepoo'd/detangled with a mixture of cheapie conditioner and olive oil (gives such a great slip) and a wide tooth comb.
After that, I washed my hair in braids, deep conditioned, trimmed any raggedy ends and started over-minus the wash and go. I didn't lose a quarter of the hair I expected to lose.
Try to do twist outs or braid outs instead. That's the best solution that I can think of.
I love wash and go styles, but sometimes they are the devil...especially if there is no maintenance between them.

 

[AFashionSlave]

Relax, Your ends are not locked. It takes months to lock your hair. I know people with locs who have combed them out after having locs for years. Take your time with your ends to detangle. I never do wash and gos but the few times I did, I would use my denman brush and conditioner to detangle before I got in the shower to wash and go. If the knots get too bad try using lube to release knots.

 

[wyldcurlz]

i'm reluctant to stop wash-n-go's because that (to me) means i have to straighten out my hair fairly often and that doesn't work for my lifestyle. I need to reach out to members like FlowerHair and a few others who rock their hair curly on a daily basis and figure out what they're doing.

Tyra - thanks for those suggestions. i'm thinking the problem happens in the evening when i braid it or bun it for bed. (???) that's what i want to figure out - how to maintain the hair in between. (i'm so bad at braidouts/twistouts - they don't look good on me - make that, i haven't figured out how to make them look good on me!)

AFashionSlave THANK YOU!!! your words really helped me out a lot! i'll try to use something to loosen them and keep searching for answers! thanks again!

 

[CA*Nappy]

Trying combing your hair out while the conditioner is on it in the shower. What are you putting on your hair after you get out of the shower? Make sure its something creamy then lock in the moisture. That should help your hair from coiling around each other.

Also, trying braiding only 4 cornrows down your head at night so it doesn't get so matted. HTH

 

[GodivaChocolate]

Try a detangling spray, then detangle with a slip moisturizing conditioner in the shower, use a leave in, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize and keep your hair stretched.

 

[Ms Lala]

Try doing twist outs instead of wash n goes. If you make the twists big your curl pattern should pretty much look the same. If you continue what you are doing you are going to keep having the same problem. For now soak your ends in condish and oil. Pick apart the matted parts using your fingers. Don't just try to comb through. I just had a matting incident. Whatever you do DO NOT just hop in the shower and wet it or try to shampoo, you are asking for disaster. If you insist on doing daily wash n go's you are going to have to comb you hair. I had to stop doing wash n go's around apl.

 

[pjbapb]

I wear wash-n-go's daily and have never had a problem even without nighttime maintenance. My daughter however is another story entirely! Her ends were in such bad shape a few months ago I had to take drastic measures. I used a DC several times a week for several weeks that consisted of coconut milk, olive oil, honey, baby food bananas, and a large dollop of Skala fruilt cocktai (I absolutley LOVE this stuff!) I immediatley noticed a difference in her ends as soon as I put it on her hair the first time. I will even be so bold as to say that I think it saved SEVERAL inches of her hair from having to be cut because her hair was matting about 4 inches up the shaft! She ended up only having about two inches total cut off ultimatley. I would also suggest trying an ACV rinse or even using Kimmaytube's leave-in conditioner daily. I find that either of these options leave my ends soft silky and smooth. I even don't get SSK's that often especially when I use the leave-in. Lastly, you MAY just have to bite the bullet and trim some of those ends off because if they are damaged, as we all know, there is no fixing them, just clipping them. HTH Let us know what you do to remedy this situation. I'm very interested!

 

[halee_J]

Just a suggestion, your porosity may be off. Hair that is overly porous has a tendency to snag on itself and mat together, because the cuticle is raised. Maybe try an acidyfing conditioner like Roux porosity control or doing an ACV rinse to see if that helps any.

ETA: I would cut back on the WnGs until you've solved the issue, to avoid losing anymore length.

 

[classychic1908]

OP have you tried using a heavier product on your ends to keep them smooth? Or how about using your fingers to curl the ends together smoothly?

 

[kittykhat]

Maybe you need a trim. Or just keep them moisturized.

 

[amwcah]

I had this problem after I washed out my braidout. However, my matting and tangles was do to my thin ends. I just took my time and pulled one strand out at a time after applying alot of conditioner. Cutting was never an option for me.

 

[Janet']

I am not good with hair typing, but I've been told that I am a 4a/3c and for me, I have to do a "modified" Wash and Go. I wet my hair in the mornings with Water and EVOO and put a leave in conditioner on top, detangle with my denman and go- this takes all of 10 minutes total to do...Now, looking at your avi, your hair is much longer than mine (I'm BSB), so it may take you a little longer, but detangling on this end, safes me so much time and hair on the flipside!

The pic in my siggy is an example of what my hair looks like with the "modified" Wash and Go...

 

[PJaye]

My recommendations are:

- Using a thick detangling conditioner as a base, (one that contains Behementrium Sulfate) add healthy dollops of both EVOO and a serum; mix the concoction until it is has a uniform appearance
- Apply a thick coating of the mixture to your hair with extra attention being paid to the ends
- Once the hair has been completely over-saturated with the mixture, meticulously finger detangle the knots and tangles at the ends of your hair
- Using a wide toothed comb, carefully detangle your hair in small sections from the ends upward
- Breathe a sigh of relief at seeing the knots and tangles dissipate

Reasoning:

- The thicker the conditioner, the better it assists in detangling; it will also serve as a buffer against friction
- EVOO and cones facilitate increased detangling


If you wish to continue your current styling preference, it is imperative that you incorporate both preventative and maintenance steps into your regimen for the periods in between the actual “wash” for the WashNGo. To that end, I suggest the following:

- At the end of the day, very lightly spritz your hair with a water-and-conditioner solution
- Carefully finger detangle in small sections
- Braid the hair into a singular braid
- Leave the last 1-2” of the ends unbraided
- Tuck the ends and roll the entire braid into a loose bun
- Loosely secure the rolled braid with a silk scrunchie
- Swathe your entire head with a nighttime hair covering (optional)
- At the beginning of the next day, reapply the water-and-conditioner solution
- Coat the hair with a light application of a leave-in conditioner and a sealant
- Fluff, scrunch and style as you desire


Reasoning:

- Your current difficulties are your hair’s way of telling you that it does not like being washed and ignored
- The more attention that is paid in addressing tangles and knots lessens the likelihood of their occurrence; which facilitates increased retention


I hope that this has helped in some way!

 

[malachi74]

it seems the more frequent i washngo, the more thinning ends i have and the more hair i lose in the shower.

 

[wyldcurlz]

Janet' - thank you so much for your wash-n-go method. i think i'll try that one day!

PJaye:
Thank you so much for this post! And all the recommendations it contains! You're awesome. I'm going to give this a try!

My recommendations are:

- Using a thick detangling conditioner as a base, (one that contains Behementrium Sulfate) add healthy dollops of both EVOO and a serum; mix the concoction until it is has a uniform appearance
- Apply a thick coating of the mixture to your hair with extra attention being paid to the ends
- Once the hair has been completely over-saturated with the mixture, meticulously finger detangle the knots and tangles at the ends of your hair
- Using a wide toothed comb, carefully detangle your hair in small sections from the ends upward
- Breathe a sigh of relief at seeing the knots and tangles dissipate

Reasoning:

- The thicker the conditioner, the better it assists in detangling; it will also serve as a buffer against friction
- EVOO and cones facilitate increased detangling


If you wish to continue your current styling preference, it is imperative that you incorporate both preventative and maintenance steps into your regimen for the periods in between the actual “wash” for the WashNGo. To that end, I suggest the following:

- At the end of the day, very lightly spritz your hair with a water-and-conditioner solution
- Carefully finger detangle in small sections
- Braid the hair into a singular braid
- Leave the last 1-2” of the ends unbraided
- Tuck the ends and roll the entire braid into a loose bun
- Loosely secure the rolled braid with a silk scrunchie
- Swathe your entire head with a nighttime hair covering (optional)
- At the beginning of the next day, reapply the water-and-conditioner solution
- Coat the hair with a light application of a leave-in conditioner and a sealant
- Fluff, scrunch and style as you desire


Reasoning:

- Your current difficulties are your hair’s way of telling you that it does not like being washed and ignored
- The more attention that is paid in addressing tangles and knots lessens the likelihood of their occurrence; which facilitates increased retention


I hope that this has helped in some way!

 

[justNikki]

When I wore wash n gos often, at night I would create a loose braid (or two if you'd prefer), apply a little oil or butter to my ends and make one big coil on the end to prevent tangles. In the am, take down the braid and fluff. My hair would still look like a fresh wash n go. I would do that for up to a week ata a time. HTH.

 

[Janet']

wyldcurlz no problem!!!

 

[PJaye]

wyldcurlz: You are very welcome! I'm glad I could help; I hope it all works out for you.