Detangling woes with dense, long-ish hair

**Bithiya** · 02-01-2013, 06:28 PM

Don't give up, sister!
PLEASE do not rush to cut off your hair!

I think you ought to try loosening the mats/tangles with conditioner first.

CAUTION: I have heard that dandruff shampoos cause hair matting if the hair has been chemically relaxed, so I wouldn't suggest trying to solve this problem with that sort of shampoo.
I believe the problem with this type of product is that being keratolytic, it would cause damage to your hair shafts, which opens them up and leaves them vulnerable to matting together.

I suggest trying a rich, moisturizing conditioner - A LOT of it - really working it in with your hands, then letting it sit for awhile before attempting to detangle.
If you have a very thick mane, don't be afraid to buy several bottles of conditioner, even the mega-sizes from the big-box stores; this is a small price to pay compared to losing your hair while trying to fix this problem.
Before using the comb, use your fingers to loosen & detangle; the goal at this stage should be to get the hair separated into four or more large sections, so you can focus on detangling one section at a time.

Then follow up with an acidic rinse:
Apple cider vinegar (or, less desirable but still effective - regular vinegar, or even lemon/lime juice) rinse [okay, SOAK] may help to widen and separate loops and waves. Being acidic, these STING cuts/scrapes/eyes, so use in a plastic spray or squirt bottle, with your head tilted back toward the shower flow. Diluting them by at least half will extend the length of time you can tolerate having them on. All these products have a strong odor, so the reality is that you WILL want to rinse them off fairly quickly. If you have a WHOLE LOT of hair, it would be worth it, IMHO, to buy several bottles [or a huge bottle from the big-box stores] and try alternating vinegar/juice rinse - shower water rinse - vinegar/juice rinse - shower water rinse, to make sure ALL of your hair gets the product.

No one - African or not - should attempt to detangle dry hair. Have a spray bottle with water, to keep your hair damp as you work.

If there is severe matting, some hair WILL be lost and you will need an ends trim to make sure there are no split ends, because these will mat together and start you on a vicious cycle, of further hair mats/tangles/breakage.

Good luck

**twix36** · 02-02-2013, 09:02 PM

So...I'm working on my hair today. I am determined to get back on track with my hair and start taking care of it again. I just spent about 30 mins to an hour detangling the front left quarter of my hair. I am not really looking forward to doing the back because that's where it's the worse but planning to do it anyway. I had a half bottle of almond oil left, a little vo5 condish and a little giovanni leave in. I put all of it on and let it sit. I also tried the advice above and mixed apple cider and water together in a spray bottle. I'm not sure if any of it is working and some of the knots I can't even get the comb into let alone through.

I'm losing hair which is normal for me during detangling and I'm sure I'm going to need to find someone to give me a good trim/cut soon. I haven't had a trim since I was transitioning in 2009.

Wish me luck!

**CCmomof5** · 02-02-2013, 11:56 PM

^^^So how did it go? Or are you still working on it? I also have a LOT of hair, and when I go too long without properly detangling, it takes 6 or more hours for me to get the job done. Once about 2 years ago I went more than 2 months without detangling, and wearing a big wash 'n go afro puff that I washed/rinsed several times during that time. The tangles and matting were so bad I was in tears. I literally could NOT get through them. I ended up going to a natural hair salon and paying way too much for them to detangle and style my hair. My scalp was sore for days.

So I can feel your pain, sis, but one thing's for sure - going through something like that is motivation to not let it get that bad ever again!

Hope the job is done (or at least almost done), and you're feeling good about your hair again!

**twix36** · 02-04-2013, 01:21 AM

It went pretty well CC, thanks for asking. It took several hours (not sure how many because I took breaks) but it is all detangled and I will NEVER let my hair get there again.

**Kurliez** · 02-04-2013, 02:46 PM

I do a vinegar rinse after I shampoo my hair (a capful of white vinegar in a huge bowl of water). I let my hair stay in the bowl of water for a few minutes to seal the hair's cuticles and then I put on conditioner, rinse it off, put oil on my hair, and detangle with a widetooth and fine comb. It's been working for me.

I like to add that I detangle my hair on an irregular schedule for the past year. I use to do it every week, then every two weeks, then every month, and now every week or other week. The longest I went without detangling was about 7 or 8 weeks, but my hair was in braids and it only took a couple of hairs to get detangled and style. Then again, my hair is fine, not dense, and only shrunken neck length (APL stretched), so I can't imagine right now how it is to detangle really thick and long hair.

**Bithiya** · 02-04-2013, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by twix36

...some of the knots I can't even get the comb into let alone through. I'm losing hair which is normal for me during detangling and I'm sure I'm going to need to find someone to give me a good trim/cut soon. I haven't had a trim since I was transitioning in 2009.

IMHO, you have hair shafts that were broken by chemical relaxers; and since they were not cut off, they not only matted to each other, they also led to splitting and matting of new hair growth - similar to frayed yarn ends.
My name for this condition/situation is: Big Chop Delay Leading to Forced Big Chop

Once the damaged hair is gone, you'll be back on track to a healthy mane

**twix36** · 02-04-2013, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by Bithiya

IMHO, you have hair shafts that were broken by chemical relaxers; and since they were not cut off, they not only matted to each other, they also led to splitting and matting of new hair growth - similar to frayed yarn ends.
My name for this condition/situation is: Big Chop Delay Leading to Forced Big Chop

Once the damaged hair is gone, you'll be back on track to a healthy mane

Hi,

I don't have any relaxed hair (see above..transitioned 2009). I've been fully natural since early 2010. My hair was matted and tangled because of a lack of care and detangling on my part.