Avaya
Well-Known Member
My hair severely matted nearly three years ago (from 10/16/07). Fortunately, I went to a beautician who was able to comb out the matted section without cutting my hair and without my hair being severely damaged (I swear, my hair takes a licking and keeps on ticking; by all that is reasonable, I should be **********).
I was able to create the following regimen by piecing together advice from various sources (LHCF included). #'s 9-11 are my own thing. 1-8 is what you want to focus on to prevent matting:
1. Wash scalp with diluted clarifying shampoo one week before braid removal; this helps eliminate product buildup at the base of the braid - I use Nexxus Aloe Rid.
(I've changed this a bit. Since beginning to work out regularly, I now wash my scalp with diluted shampoo weekly. The shampoo I use is Paul Mitchell's Instant Moisture Daily Shampoo)
2. Take out braids and comb/brush hair THOROUGHLY in order to remove tangles and dead hair that didn't have the opportunity to shed naturally while in braids; don't get lazy here ladies, it's too important. You just don't want to know how much damage a few strands of dead unshed hair can cause when they interlock with the rest of your hair.
Remove any "clumpy" bits gently with your fingers, pulling individual hairs out of the "clumpy" bit one at a time until the clump is no more.
3. Load hair with conditioners and leave it in overnight - I use Lekair's Cholesterol and Creme of Natures Nourishing conditioner (the bottle with the purple writing)
(Edited 12/29/08 - I do not use protein conditioners of any kind when I am several months post relaxer and have over an inch worth of new growth. I found that protein conditioners encouraged tangles for me so no more Lekair's).
4. Wash hair with a neutralizing shampoo - I use Vitale's neutralizing shampoo
5. Next wash hair with Creme of Nature shampoo - I use the Regular shampoo (the one with the red writing on the bottle)
6. Wash hair with a moisturizing shampoo - I use Paul Mitchell's Instant Moisture Daily Shampoo
(Edited 12/29/08 - I save the PM Instant moisture for my next shampoo. For my post braids washing, I now use PM Skinny shampoo after the CON.
7. Deep condition - I use Paul Mitchell's SuperCharged
8. Acidic condition - I use Nexxus Ensure but this last time I forgot this step and my hair was still tangle free
(Edited 12/29/08 - now I use French Perm Stabilizer instead of the Nexxus Ensure).
9. Rinse out conditioner - I use Fructis Garnier Sleek and Shine
10. Leave in conditioner - I use Dove Advanced Care Sheer Moisture Leave-In Replenishing Mist and Fructis Garnier Sleek and Shine Serum
11. Dry and style as usual
I would highly recommend staying away from heavy proteins immediately coming out of braids (I think this was a big factor in the matting of my hair that I discussed in the onset of this post).
Do your protein treatment the following week (or following wash, whatever your regimen is).
I wanted to be sure this regimen worked and wasn't just a fluke. I've done it several times now and oh how I wished I'd known then what I know now.
I took it off of my signature a while ago but I'm a 4a/b just in case you were wondering.
It's all about pH. Hair (or the protective mantle of the hair) has a pH of 4.5-5.5 (acidic). The neutralizing shampoo and acidic conditioner both serve the same purpose: return the hair to its normal pH. When the hair is at its normal pH the cuticles of the hair shaft lie flat. All of this helps to eliminate tangles. Its really quite interesting.
How the hairs pH gets off balance, however, I don't know.
Hope this helps someone!
I was able to create the following regimen by piecing together advice from various sources (LHCF included). #'s 9-11 are my own thing. 1-8 is what you want to focus on to prevent matting:
1. Wash scalp with diluted clarifying shampoo one week before braid removal; this helps eliminate product buildup at the base of the braid - I use Nexxus Aloe Rid.
(I've changed this a bit. Since beginning to work out regularly, I now wash my scalp with diluted shampoo weekly. The shampoo I use is Paul Mitchell's Instant Moisture Daily Shampoo)
2. Take out braids and comb/brush hair THOROUGHLY in order to remove tangles and dead hair that didn't have the opportunity to shed naturally while in braids; don't get lazy here ladies, it's too important. You just don't want to know how much damage a few strands of dead unshed hair can cause when they interlock with the rest of your hair.
Remove any "clumpy" bits gently with your fingers, pulling individual hairs out of the "clumpy" bit one at a time until the clump is no more.
3. Load hair with conditioners and leave it in overnight - I use Lekair's Cholesterol and Creme of Natures Nourishing conditioner (the bottle with the purple writing)
(Edited 12/29/08 - I do not use protein conditioners of any kind when I am several months post relaxer and have over an inch worth of new growth. I found that protein conditioners encouraged tangles for me so no more Lekair's).
4. Wash hair with a neutralizing shampoo - I use Vitale's neutralizing shampoo
5. Next wash hair with Creme of Nature shampoo - I use the Regular shampoo (the one with the red writing on the bottle)
6. Wash hair with a moisturizing shampoo - I use Paul Mitchell's Instant Moisture Daily Shampoo
(Edited 12/29/08 - I save the PM Instant moisture for my next shampoo. For my post braids washing, I now use PM Skinny shampoo after the CON.
7. Deep condition - I use Paul Mitchell's SuperCharged
8. Acidic condition - I use Nexxus Ensure but this last time I forgot this step and my hair was still tangle free
(Edited 12/29/08 - now I use French Perm Stabilizer instead of the Nexxus Ensure).
9. Rinse out conditioner - I use Fructis Garnier Sleek and Shine
10. Leave in conditioner - I use Dove Advanced Care Sheer Moisture Leave-In Replenishing Mist and Fructis Garnier Sleek and Shine Serum
11. Dry and style as usual
I would highly recommend staying away from heavy proteins immediately coming out of braids (I think this was a big factor in the matting of my hair that I discussed in the onset of this post).
Do your protein treatment the following week (or following wash, whatever your regimen is).
I wanted to be sure this regimen worked and wasn't just a fluke. I've done it several times now and oh how I wished I'd known then what I know now.
I took it off of my signature a while ago but I'm a 4a/b just in case you were wondering.
It's all about pH. Hair (or the protective mantle of the hair) has a pH of 4.5-5.5 (acidic). The neutralizing shampoo and acidic conditioner both serve the same purpose: return the hair to its normal pH. When the hair is at its normal pH the cuticles of the hair shaft lie flat. All of this helps to eliminate tangles. Its really quite interesting.
How the hairs pH gets off balance, however, I don't know.
Hope this helps someone!
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