HELP!! I'm 11 weeks post and my NG MATTED TOGETHER!!!

[D.Lisha]

☆═━Ladies of LHCF━═☆
I am a 4a/b relaxed head
Currently at 11 weeks post (yes this is my first major stretch)

Oº°‘¨Here's the Story: ¨‘°ºO
Last Thursday, I washed my hair using a mixture of Pantene ProV relaxed and Natural && my Cream of Nature Moisturizing Shampoo (so I can hurry up and use up the bottle)
then I proceeded to apply my Olive Oil Deep Conditioner (Organics by Africa's Best)
Popped on a shower cap and DCed Over night
The next morning I rinsed out the DC and my hair felt buttery *** usual
I then applied some Elasta QP Mango Butter and threw my hair up into a wet bun
So fast forward to that evening.....as I was running my fingers through my hair I felt a big clump of hair erplexed........it honestly felt like a mini dreadlock
so I thought to my self "oh h-e double hockey sticks NO!!!"
I grabbed my wide-toothed comb (yes I know I should've used a fine-toothed comb instead....but dnt judge me! lol)
and proceeded to detangle like a mad (yet gentle) woman.......
From that nite on i have been closely monitoring my hair as to make sure that doesn't happen again!!!!!
But my question to you ladies is....what do you think caused this?
I'll admit I don't comb by roots very often...(scared to touch them b/c of the breakage that comes with stretching).....could this be the culprit?
Or what?
LHCF LADIES I NEED YOUR HELP!!
​

 

[Solitude]

I think you kind of answered your own question. You need to detangle all the way to the roots to prevent them from matting. You don't have to use a fine-tooth come for this. You can use a wide tooth comb. I use my Aveda paddle brush to detangle all the way through my roots during a stretch.

Either detangle with conditioner still in your hair, or rinse out the conditioner, apply your leave-ins and then detangle. You probably have a good amount of new growth after 11 weeks, but it should still be manageable. Since you're new to stretching, it will get easier and easier each time you extend the time between relaxers. Pre-LHCF, I relaxed every 6 to 8 weeks. I now relax every 6 months and I'm thinking about going for a year. HTH

 

[LittleLuxe]

Lol, your posts are always very...I can see the emotion in them, and yes that's a compliment

When my new growth got matted I learned the lesson that because of the curliness when I laid down my hair would press together. No problem for the relaxed strands but the new growth...yuck. Matting. I realized my new growth needed a ton of moisture/lubrication to help combat that and since I can't get all the way to the root with my regular moisturizer I bought myself a spray bottle of oil and etc.

Maybe that will work for you

 

[RennAlisha426]

s curl no drip on your NG as needed

 

[HappilyLiberal]

I have been stretching 13 weeks for the last 1.5 years. I do two things to cut down on the matting.

(1) I always rollerset (magnetic rollers) after washing and dry under a hooded dryer. This straightens out some of the new growth and cuts down on the potential for matting. The straightened hair remains relatively straight until I wash again (I wash my hair 2-3 times a week with a DC every time I wash).

(2) I rollerset my dry hair every night (on those same magnetic rollers) and moisturize and apply a growth aid to my scalp and new growth as I am putting the rollers in.

Other than this, I baggy my ponytail and hide the baggy under a phony bun everyday. I am trying to do a six month stretch this time (10 months if I get to six months and think I am doing OK).

 

[$inna-$pice]

The same thing happened to me last week too and I was only 7 wks post, but had a lot of new growth. My hair was all tangled on the right side of my head and I realized it was because I had not detangled enough. I think you're taking a step in the right direction by realizing that you need to detangle all the way down to the roots. Make sure you use a wide tooth comb though; you really don't want to use a fine tooth comb for this because the teeth are too small to get through all that new growth and will only end up breaking your hair. That kind of comb is better for making fine adjustments to your hair, not detangling. Another tip is when you shampoo your hair, try to squeeze some out in your hand and mix it with water to get a lather first rather than applying it directly to your hair and getting a lather that way. It will cause less friction so you should have less tangling. Hope this helps!

 

[Solitude]

I think these ladies brought up another good point. Sometimes you need a different leave-in conditioner, one with good slip, to help you detangle/smooth that area.

 

[D.Lisha]

I think you kind of answered your own question. You need to detangle all the way to the roots to prevent them from matting. You don't have to use a fine-tooth come for this. You can use a wide tooth comb. I use my Aveda paddle brush to detangle all the way through my roots during a stretch.

Either detangle with conditioner still in your hair, or rinse out the conditioner, apply your leave-ins and then detangle. You probably have a good amount of new growth after 11 weeks, but it should still be manageable. Since you're new to stretching, it will get easier and easier each time you extend the time between relaxers. Pre-LHCF, I relaxed every 6 to 8 weeks. I now relax every 6 months and I'm thinking about going for a year. HTH

Thanks for the input Solitude!
@ the Bolded: I will definitely be stepping up my detangling game on my up and coming Co-wash day

 

[D.Lisha]

Lol, your posts are always very...I can see the emotion in them, and yes that's a compliment

When my new growth got matted I learned the lesson that because of the curliness when I laid down my hair would press together. No problem for the relaxed strands but the new growth...yuck. Matting. I realized my new growth needed a ton of moisture/lubrication to help combat that and since I can't get all the way to the root with my regular moisturizer I bought myself a spray bottle of oil and etc.

Maybe that will work for you

@ the bolded: Thanks gurl lol, i'll admit I do get pretty emotional when it comes to maintaining my mane

Also, if you don't mind me asking...what kind of oil do you use to help combat the matting? do you think there's one oil out there that does best? Or would jst any kind of oil do the trick?

 

[HappilyLiberal]

Oh... one other thing...

I mix 2 oz. of ACV and 26 oz. of water in a 28 oz. spray bottle. I spray this on my hair after washing and the tangles melt like butter. AND... you can't smell the ACV when your hair is dry.

 

[D.Lisha]

Oh... one other thing...

I mix 2 oz. of ACV and 26 oz. of water in a 28 oz. spray bottle. I spray this on my hair after washing and the tangles melt like butter. AND... you can't smell the ACV when your hair is dry.

Thanks for the tip liberal!
I would have thanked you...but i can't find the darn "thank you" button on this retarted layout

 

[NYAmicas]

Going to try the ACV water mixture because I have problems with my NG at 8 weeks. Good luck on your stretch OP.

 

[Supergirl]

LittleLuxe and Solitude have the right idea according to my experience. This happened to me my first major stretch as well. The wet bun did me in too quite a bit. If you're not going through the new growth to separate it, it's going to matte.

Lisa Akbari also recommends rinsing "inside" your new growth before you shampoo. Shampoo, spreading shampoo throughout the new growth, rinse it out by rinsing all through/inside the new growth. Then when you condition, be sure and separate hair with fingers and apply conditioner throughout the new growth as well. Again, on the rinse, rinse all through/inside the new growth. These tips from Akbari have really been instrumental in helping me with stretches. It really helps to keep the new growth separate so that it is not sticking together and eventually matting. Be careful with the wet buns. In my experience, they can contribute to matting. If you're going to wet bun, make sure the new growth has been combed through before making the bun and don't leave the bun in for days at a time. Take it down and at least finger comb all the way to the roots and then put it back up--at least every other day.

I've also noticed that some women co-wash more often when stretching, but for me that isn't the case. In fact, I wash less. I go to every 2-3 weeks rather than once/week. It helps in that I don't have to manipulate wet hair as often and it does get more difficult to manipulate without breakage the longer the stretch.

You'll get it. Stretching takes practice!

 

[D.Lisha]

Thanks for the helpful tips ladies
I guess when it all boils down to it...I need to stop being so afraid of my roots
this experience has definitely served as a "lesson learned" for me, smh.

 

[czyfaith77]

I think you kind of answered your own question. You need to detangle all the way to the roots to prevent them from matting. You don't have to use a fine-tooth come for this. You can use a wide tooth comb. I use my Aveda paddle brush to detangle all the way through my roots during a stretch.

Either detangle with conditioner still in your hair, or rinse out the conditioner, apply your leave-ins and then detangle. You probably have a good amount of new growth after 11 weeks, but it should still be manageable. Since you're new to stretching, it will get easier and easier each time you extend the time between relaxers. Pre-LHCF, I relaxed every 6 to 8 weeks. I now relax every 6 months and I'm thinking about going for a year. HTH

I agree with this post. I also find Wild Growth Hair Oil to be helpful in managing new growth as it keeps it soft and pliable. A little goes a long ways. Light or regular what ever your preference and you alter the scent as well. I am actually going to add peppermint oil to mine soon as I like the cool tingle. Hope everything works out.

 

[PinkPebbles]

LittleLuxe and Solitude have the right idea according to my experience. This happened to me my first major stretch as well. The wet bun did me in too quite a bit. If you're not going through the new growth to separate it, it's going to matte.

Lisa Akbari also recommends rinsing "inside" your new growth before you shampoo. Shampoo, spreading shampoo throughout the new growth, rinse it out by rinsing all through/inside the new growth. Then when you condition, be sure and separate hair with fingers and apply conditioner throughout the new growth as well. Again, on the rinse, rinse all through/inside the new growth. These tips from Akbari have really been instrumental in helping me with stretches. It really helps to keep the new growth separate so that it is not sticking together and eventually matting. Be careful with the wet buns. In my experience, they can contribute to matting. If you're going to wet bun, make sure the new growth has been combed through before making the bun and don't leave the bun in for days at a time. Take it down and at least finger comb all the way to the roots and then put it back up--at least every other day.

I've also noticed that some women co-wash more often when stretching, but for me that isn't the case. In fact, I wash less. I go to every 2-3 weeks rather than once/week. It helps in that I don't have to manipulate wet hair as often and it does get more difficult to manipulate without breakage the longer the stretch.

You'll get it. Stretching takes practice!

Supergirl, I'm glad you mentioned 'wash less'. I've been thinking about this as of lately as I prepare for my stretch in the upcoming weeks. My only concern is my scalp; it can flake up after day 5.

What do you put on your scalp?

 

[Supergirl]

^^Nothing really! You may be able to keep the flakies down by drinking a good amount of water and taking an Omega 3 supplement. If not, I could understand co-washing/washing more often.