Knotted matted hair...cut 7 inches of hair!

[syze6]

I washed my hair Thursday and blow dried it. I put a little oil on my scalp/hair and put my hair in a bun. Friday evening...I went to scratch my head and noticed a section that was tangled and matted near the scalp. I proceeded to try to untangle with my hands and then the comb and it seem to not untangle. So I got under the running water and put some conditioner on it and combed and still nothing.

This went on for hours,...trying to get this matted knotted mess out of this section of hair. I was exhausted and put gobs of conditioner on it, went to bed about 12 with a plastic cap on. I got up at 7am the next morning and tried again...fail! I even tried applying heat and NOTHING! My daughter tried to help me when my arms gave out and NOTHING! I swear this knotted mess was about three inches down from my new growth on my hair strands and I tried and tried under running water.

I even went back and put creme of nature on it and still nothing! I could hear hair ripping everywhere but the Knotted area. Finally at 8pm that night after spending ALL day trying to get it out I had to cut it off. Yep...I was left with about 1 1/2 inches of new growth in that area. Did I mention I had to take ibuprofen for two days because my head ached like crazy. It is still sore to the touch! My hair appointment for my touch up is Saturday. Here is a pic of my hairstyle I will get that is already in the making!!!

My before:
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=tich...109&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0,i:170


My after:
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=tich...75&start=73&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:73,i:382


I guess it was time for a change!

 

[faithVA]

I wish you had consulted the board when it first happened. There are pros in knot removal here. But you will successfully move past this.

 

[lamaria211]

I agree with faithVA you should have consulted with the board first there are plenty women here (including myself) who have gone thru this before. I'm sorry for your loss and I'm certain your hair will return better than before

 

[syze6]

I forgot to mention all the gobs of olive oil I applied to it as well.

 

[alive]

i'm kind of confused by the pictures

 

[BraunSugar]

i'm kind of confused by the pictures

I think she is saying that her hair was the length of the first pic, and the hairstyle she is getting from her stylist is the second pic where it looks like the right side is shaved down or closely cropped. I think.

 

[syze6]

I think she is saying that her hair was the length of the first pic, and the hairstyle she is getting from her stylist is the second pic where it looks like the right side is shaved down or closely cropped. I think.

Yep that's right!

The matted area covered and it is almost as low as the shaved side of the second pic. I figure I'll try that style out for a while.

 

[NJoy]

I feel your pain. I had the same thing happen. I eventually ended up BC'g even tho it wasn't as bad as i expected.

I asked for help but nothing worked but the scissors. Sorry.

 

[yardyspice]

Next time get some Cowboy Magic. It really is magic. Sorry OP

 

[luckiestdestiny]

Sorry to hear this cowboy magic would've unraveled it and prevented you from cutting. But maybe its good to know for future use. I always have some on standby just in case.

 

[abcd09]

This happened to me a year ago due to protein overload. I had to cut a matt out that started several inches away from the new growth. Every now and then my hair wants to mini matt too. I'm sorry you had to cut. Did u put your hair in a bun while wet? What do u think caused it to happen? For me, not stretching while drying and not applying a very moisturizing leave in aids in matting. I lost alot of hair when that happened and it took a long time to get back to semi normal. I tried everything but no amount of oil or conditioner would help. Loc detangler helped some. Using a prepoo with aloe vera juice and borax on wash days helps with some tangling,.as well as stretching straight hair while drying, combing several times while drying, avoiding direct heat,smoothing the cuticle, removing shed hair, not bunching hair together etc. Hth

 

[FearfullyMade]

Where do you get it from, what is it and what does it look like?

 

[luckiestdestiny]

Do you mean cowboy magic? Amazon. For just a little over $5.50 you can't beat the price, and can save a lot of hair in the process. It's one of the reasons my hair appears so thick as I am keeping every strand on my head that I can lol! No pulling out even one unnecessary strand with a comb. Anything that looks like a slight tangle and its out with the magic. If you look at the reviews you'll hear people talking about it for human hair and also for animals because it can be used for both. It was made originally for horses (tails) but people started using it and it mentions on the bottle it is safe for human use. There really is nothing like it. Grab a dollop and massage into a matt....wait a minute and you will see any matts and nots slip out as you work it through your fingers. I use it on all wash days regardless as a natural you never know when a knot will start to form or matt

amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Magic-Detangler-Shine/dp/B000A6XGY6/ref=pd_sbs_sg_1/188-5043897-2142707

 

[NJoy]

Depends on the type of tangling. Cowboy Magic did nothing for my knot. It only got tighter.

 

[luckiestdestiny]

Depends on the type of tangling. Cowboy Magic did nothing for my knot. It only got tighter.

Wow really? Wonder if it was a bad batch or because I use it in combination with just for me detangling spray. I spray that on first then use cowboy magic. If Im lazy I just use cowboy magic. I've had all kinds of knots and never have a problem...it could also be hair type or texture or even relaxed versus natural. Who knows? I guess everyone has to find what works for them. But I think the general rule of thumb is to try everything before resorting to scissors...go to a knott thread or whatever to listen to everyone's solutions. I'd try all before cutting (that should be the last resort). But again I've had health setbacks and stuff(more than once affecting my progress) so I'm not letting unnecesssary setbacks stop me if I can help it. Whereas someone else may not care and just chop away.

 

[bride91501]

We've become knot removal pros in my house. When all else fails, I spray on my AVG/Castor Oil/Water mix, and baggie for up to 24 hours. Works every time - the knots and matted areas just disappear.

Sorry you had to cut, but your new 'do is cute

 

[syze6]

I don't think anything would have removed that knotted mess! It was as if a spool of thread was wand around a patch of hair. I mean you would have though hair was crocheted and weaved around my hair strands. I have the hair that I cut and tried to untangle it where the matte is and still zilch! I'll know next time to use cowboy magic and see what happens. I really am excited about trying a new hairstyle. I've had long hair my entire life and have always wore it in a bun or side part with the hair falling down on both sides. Long hair has gotten boring to me. The older I get the longer my hair gets, and it's like my face is hidden behind all this hair on the sides.

 

[divachyk]

I've been there as there was no LHCF suggestion that helped my situation. I too had to chop. You'll get past this and it will grow back.

 

[Whimsy]

Cowboy Magic + slow 2 finger massage on the knot + gently removing hairs from the knot strand by strand = success for me.

Sorry you had to cut OP but it'll grow back nice n healthy anyway.

 

[syze6]

It's crazy because when I cut that part of the hair...I felt a sense of freedom. My family has always thought the hair is a women's glory. My dad would freak if I even thought about cutting my hair. I started to feel as if I was holing on to my hair as a security blanket. I was known for having long real hair in the family. Many thought I had tracks or weave because it is down my back. I had to tell folks black women really have long hair! I had been thinking about a change and was kind of fearful of doing it. Wow...what a difference a day makes! LOL!

 

[luckiestdestiny]

It's crazy because when I cut that part of the hair...I felt a sense of freedom. My family has always thought the hair is a women's glory. My dad would freak if I even thought about cutting my hair. I started to feel as if I was holing on to my hair as a security blanket. I was known for having long real hair in the family. Many thought I had tracks or weave because it is down my back. I had to tell folks black women really have long hair! I had been thinking about a change and was kind of fearful of doing it. Wow...what a difference a day makes! LOL!

Seems to me you wanted it short. Everyone keep moving! Nothing to see here! I kid. Congrats then because to me having long hair is fun and freeing. If the opposite is freeing for you, then the knot was actually the miracle that allowed you to do something different and express yourself.

 

[butterfly_wings]

I washed my hair Thursday and blow dried it. I put a little oil on my scalp/hair and put my hair in a bun. Friday evening...I went to scratch my head and noticed a section that was tangled and matted near the scalp. I proceeded to try to untangle with my hands and then the comb and it seem to not untangle. So I got under the running water and put some conditioner on it and combed and still nothing.

This went on for hours,...trying to get this matted knotted mess out of this section of hair. I was exhausted and put gobs of conditioner on it, went to bed about 12 with a plastic cap on. I got up at 7am the next morning and tried again...fail! I even tried applying heat and NOTHING! My daughter tried to help me when my arms gave out and NOTHING! I swear this knotted mess was about three inches down from my new growth on my hair strands and I tried and tried under running water.

I even went back and put creme of nature on it and still nothing! I could hear hair ripping everywhere but the Knotted area. Finally at 8pm that night after spending ALL day trying to get it out I had to cut it off. Yep...I was left with about 1 1/2 inches of new growth in that area. Did I mention I had to take ibuprofen for two days because my head ached like crazy. It is still sore to the touch! My hair appointment for my touch up is Saturday. Here is a pic of my hairstyle I will get that is already in the making!!!

My before:
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=tichina+arnold&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1016&bih=695&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnso&tbnid=xFJtEW9JCbfOvM:&imgrefurl=http://myfavoritestars.blog.com/2010/12/31/tichina-arnold/&docid=l7s5J1om-yIOmM&imgurl=http://myfavoritestars.blog.com/files/2010/12/tichina-arnold-31.jpg&w=292&h=438&ei=yPtqUJ2iEMepyAHwoIHYBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=476&vpy=4&dur=2134&hovh=275&hovw=183&tx=99&ty=135&sig=105390381895309771221&page=1&tbnh=149&tbnw=109&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0,i:170

My after:
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=tichina+arnold&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1016&bih=695&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnso&tbnid=MRVC6Wfo5J3xiM:&imgrefurl=http://thehouseoffabulous.blogspot.com/2010/11/lorraine-schwartz-2b-happy-jewelry.html&docid=2KkgHpLF5gCNcM&imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ND920tPjWkA/TOyHwxiXEKI/AAAAAAAA_lw/QKvWYunD40Q/s1600/tichina%252Barnold%252Blorraine%252Bface.jpg&w=315&h=598&ei=yPtqUJ2iEMepyAHwoIHYBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=461&vpy=176&dur=128&hovh=310&hovw=163&tx=117&ty=159&sig=105390381895309771221&page=4&tbnh=142&tbnw=75&start=73&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:73,i:382

I guess it was time for a change!

Oh no sorry to hear this, what was the cause do you think?

 

[Poohbear]

i'm kind of confused by the pictures

Me too. I thought she was being sarcastic about that actress.

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