I let her play with my hair, and now it's matted! Freaking out - HELP!

[CurlyCurves]

So, I was at my Nana's, and I let my cousin play with my hair. She was playing with it constantly for about 2 hours, and it felt so nice and relaxing. I have a thing for people touching my hair.

Anyway, so it was time to go. I stood up, touched my hair and I was horrified. It is SO matted, and I have the beginnings of dreadlocks in some spots.

I'm about to hop in the shower with a ton of conditioner and just work my way through them, first with my fingers, then with my wide tooth and finally with my Denman.

But I'm scared :( I am going to incur damage, aren't I?

Any tips? :shrug:

[Madora]

Not if you take it extra, extra slow. Of course some strands will be lost, but that's to be expected with curly hair.

Hopefully, the conditioner will do the trick. If it doesn't, you might look into using some mineral oil to help with the matts. You only need a few drops (not more than 3), and put it on damp (not dripping hair).

Good luck!

PS I would NOT recommend you letting that Denman anywhere near your head until the problem has been solved.

[Alvrodul]

I'm a straightie, so haven't any personal experience with curls (except a couple of times in days of yore when I had perms) but I wish you luck!
Bad tangles are no fun, even in straight hair!

[Kyla]

I would just be VERY gentle with the untangling, go slow and don't be impatient. You're probably going to be ok, there will likely be a little bit of damage, but overall it will probably grow out and won't be a big deal when it comes to the entirety of your hair. I would baby it for a while though, and be wary around those little cousins! About a month ago I had a very serious talk with one of mine about not pulling my hair...ten minuted later he came up from behind me, tangled his hand in my roots, yanked, and insisted "I'm not pulling, my fingers are just tangled in it!"

[HappyHair87]

Just try to relax and do the majority of the work with your hands.

I had a small dread trying to form in the back of my head where my 4a section is and wanted to panic...but i breathed deep breaths and finger detangled it all the way out:) Just do like you said...slather/soak it in conditioner and finger detangle and then follow up with your comb if needed.

[bumblebums]

Make sure that conditioner is nice and coney. That's the only thing that will help with matted hair. Perhaps also do a search on undoing dreadlocks.

[jojo]

Not if you take it extra, extra slow. Of course some strands will be lost, but that's to be expected with curly hair.

Hopefully, the conditioner will do the trick. If it doesn't, you might look into using some mineral oil to help with the matts. You only need a few drops (not more than 3), and put it on damp (not dripping hair).

Good luck!

PS I would NOT recommend you letting that Denman anywhere near your head until the problem has been solved.

You beat me to it! I actually cringed more at the point where the op said she was going to use a brush on her freshly washed hair eek!

[BlazingHeart]

Focus on using your fingers rather than the comb. I used to get horrendous mats at the nape of my neck, and while my hair is just wavy rather than curly, I think the principle still applies. For me, what is most helpful is slowly spreading the mat out. When the mat is bigger and thinner, it's easier to separate out individual knots, and use my fingers to slide them down to the ends and detangle them.

Good luck!

~Blaze

[MandyBeth]

Slathered with a cone serum or heavy cone conditioner. Then start at the bottom and pick each section loose. Knitting needle works fairly well. Then wide tooth comb, then normal comb. Should fix the problem.

Do NOT wash the dread section at all until it's loose. Washing will only tighten the knots up.

[Gogobaby]

Throw away the Denman! Oil it and conditioner, finger detangle all the way, and maybe get a gentle-pixie fingered mate to help you..

[brave]

I'm gonna jump to the support of the denman here -- it's really a lot like the tangle teezer and my sister uses one with a LOT more success than anything else. She has extremely tight 4b/4c curls and before the denman life was much worse for her. She loads her hair up with conditioner and gently works her way up the hair with the denman and her hair is much healthier for it. Finger detangling simply wouldn't get the job done for the amount of very fine hair she has.

Denman's teeth do not have the tiny balls at the end and they allow it to get through hair very easily and not snag on the knots. It's recommended by Teri LaFlesh, who owns the tightlycurly website. Just use insane amounts of conditioner at each step and don't hurry yourself and it will be fine. A few hairs might suffer but you gave two hours of joy to a small child, so it might be worth it ;)

edit: From Teri's website:
The reason I suggest using a Denman is if you have tight curls, brushing with a Denman actually emphasizes your curls. Brushing with a regular bristle brush will just create a mess and will damage your hair. You never should use a regular bristle brush.

Denman brushes are more like combs with a few extra teeth. Plus, they have a rubber base has give, so when you comb through your hair, the give comes from the brush, rather than your hair.

A wide tooth comb is okay but it has no give, so it stretches your hair as you comb (which can damage it). In addition, I've found that it combs my curls apart, while the Denman puts them all back together again (keep in mind that this only works with wet hair that has a good combing conditioner).

[pepperminttea]

Another defending the Denman. They work for a lot of people, and while I wouldn't advocate a curly using it on their dry hair (unless they want big hair), when the hair's soaked in conditioner it could be really helpful.

Good luck CurlyCurves - with enough conditioner and patience it should come free. Take your time, don't rush it. :)

[jacqueline101]

I'd condition work them out with your fingers then let your hair air dry use spray in detangler then wide tooth comb your hair.

[CurlyCurves]

Hey guys! Thanks for the replies. It was okay in the end. Took me about 40 minutes to detangle, and I nearly cried a few times, but it ended well. Didn't see any breakage (though, I don't doubt there was some) and not much shedding.

Went from this (and this isn't even including the 'locs';

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/431846_4316627834314_1178601233_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/396939_4317206088770_45787734_n.jpg

to this!

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/541600_4317188328326_45976813_n.jpg.

SO relieved.

R.E the Denman - it's great. I finger detangle first, but that and a wide tooth doesn't get all the knots out. If I hit a snag the Denman can't get rid of, I pick it apart with my fingers. I know hair is more fragile when wet, but I don't pull or stretch it when I wet-brush it. I am gentle. In comparison, when I dry brush, I hear snaps. I know which one is more damaging for me, as a curly.

[CurlyCurves]

You beat me to it! I actually cringed more at the point where the op said she was going to use a brush on her freshly washed hair eek!

For me.

Finger detangling + wide tooth with no Denman = left over knots.

Dry brushing, combing or finger combing = *snap* *snap* *snap*

Gentle brushing after finger detangling and wide tooth comb with conditioner = detangled hair and no breakage, as far as I can see.

[Tisiloves]

Yay!:hifive: Now have you learned your lesson about letting tiny people play with your hair for too long?

[CurlyCurves]

Yay!:hifive: Now have you learned your lesson about letting tiny people play with your hair for too long?

:D

I have to admit something.

She wasn't tiny (only a few years younger than me) and I begged her to play with my hair because I find it so relaxing.

:run:

[coneyisland]

Do be as patient as you can and work the knots out before you wash it.

There are the detangler products easier to find, like Mane N Tail and Knot Forgotten, either of which you should be able to find nearby.

Suggest you get some Cowboy Magic Detangler & Shine to keep on hand for emergencies like this.

:grouphug:

[CurlyCurves]

Do be as patient as you can and work the knots out before you wash it.

There are the detangler products easier to find, like Mane N Tail and Knot Forgotten, either of which you should be able to find nearby.

Suggest you get some Cowboy Magic Detangler & Shine to keep on hand for emergencies like this.

:grouphug:

Crisis over :) I posted just above you. I will bear that in mind for next time, though :)

[coneyisland]

Good job!

I am just like a puppy about having my hair messed with, too. :)

I had to travel about thirty miles to get the Cowboy Magic Detangler & Shine. I learned about it from an old thread on here relating to a matting crisis. I have not had to use it yet, but it feels better to have it on hand as first aid gear.

[Amber_Maiden]

You'll probably get a bit of damage, but it's better not to get hung up about it. Hair does get damaged in life.

[barely.there]

when i was a teen and trying to grow out my hair, my brother thought it was a fantastic idea to throw a huge collection/ball of burrs at my head.

i feel your pain.

[Elanadi]

:D

I have to admit something.

She wasn't tiny (only a few years younger than me) and I begged her to play with my hair because I find it so relaxing.

:run:

:laugh: :laugh: so glad you got it all worked out, I would have been freaking out too!

[jeanniet]

Denman brushes are very commonly used by curlies to detangle wet, conditioner-soaked hair without damage.

CurlyCurves, I'm glad you were able to work everything out safely! :)

[CurlyCurves]

Good job!

I am just like a puppy about having my hair messed with, too. :)

I had to travel about thirty miles to get the Cowboy Magic Detangler & Shine. I learned about it from an old thread on here relating to a matting crisis. I have not had to use it yet, but it feels better to have it on hand as first aid gear.

It's lovely, isn't it? :)

I shall bare that in mind! Might buy a detangling spray, or something..


You'll probably get a bit of damage, but it's better not to get hung up about it. Hair does get damaged in life.

I'd like to avoid damage whereever possible.


when i was a teen and trying to grow out my hair, my brother thought it was a fantastic idea to throw a huge collection/ball of burrs at my head.

i feel your pain.

Omg! How did that end?!


:laugh: :laugh: so glad you got it all worked out, I would have been freaking out too!

Hahaha, :laugh: thank you!



CurlyCurves, I'm glad you were able to work everything out safely! :)

Thank you! :)

[KwaveT]

I am most certainly glad that ended well for you. The worse tangle job I have gotten into since I started growing was when I went water sliding at my nephew's birthday party. The whole back of my head root to tip was tangles while my ends are what normally tangles. I spent about 30 minutes getting all those tangles out taking it very slowly using just my fingers.

[Slug Yoga]

Just wanna say, your hair is so gorgeous.

[CurlyCurves]

I am most certainly glad that ended well for you. The worse tangle job I have gotten into since I started growing was when I went water sliding at my nephew's birthday party. The whole back of my head root to tip was tangles while my ends are what normally tangles. I spent about 30 minutes getting all those tangles out taking it very slowly using just my fingers.

Oh wow! You must have been panicking. I know I was.


Just wanna say, your hair is so gorgeous.

Aww, how sweet of you! Thank you :)