I cutting off my hair I can't take it anymore

[sweethair]

I've been having a lot of problems with my hair. Bad stylist, bad perm and now after shampooing I have 2 of the bigest knots in the back of my hair that I can't get out. I don't know to do. i put conditioner in it, oils and it will not lossen up. It's all matted. Maybe God telling me something. No matter what I do I can't get it right. Maybe I not meant to have long hair. I'm so up set.

 

[Whimsy]

Aw, don't be upset. If you're going to cut, go to a good salon. BUT dont make any rash decisions. Take some deep breaths and GENTLY try to untangle those bigmama knots again.

 

[WomanlyCharm]

It's gonna be alright, I know how upsetting all that can be . I'm sorry this is happening to you.

Is there anyone around who can help you gently detangle your hair?

 

[Doll]

Girl don't do it! I've had the same issues lately. I had so many knots last wash and lost so much hair that I have not washed my hair going on 3 weeks! I am afraid, but I WILL NOT GIVE UP ...

... AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU!

 

[dynamic1]

Stop and count to 10. I understand your frustration. Tangles and matting can be frustrating. When I had bad matting scenarios I used Selah's (sela) tangle buster routine I found on LHCF. It helped tremendously. Another thing I would suggest is Cream of Nature Braid and Weave Ease-out (Works for non-weavers too). However, do not use too much because it can soften the hair too much. This helped me get knots out of my hair several times. Next, you have to have a lot of patience.

Porosity control after shampooing works wonders as well. Shampoo can make your hair dry and tangle.

Nevertheless, if this feeling is not temporary, just go for it and get a nice haircut!

 

[Mahalialee4]

Peanut butter will remove gum so have you tried that? I know. It is radical. But on a small section, as a last ditch effort? bonjour

 

[sweethair]

I know yall but I just can't deal with it anymore. Im in tears right now . I had lost a lot of hair when I put in a bad perm and now this!! I've been trying my best I treat my hair like lace , wearing it in a bun all the time and counting the minutes when it will get thicker and longer. But now I have these knots that I telling you will not come up. All I hear is my hair snapping off. Even if I don't want to cut it. I will have to so these knots will come out. Nothing is working!

 

[determined_to_grow]

Aw, don't be upset. If you're going to cut, go to a good salon. BUT dont make any rash decisions. Take some deep breaths and GENTLY try to untangle those bigmama knots again.

Co-sign. IF you cut you have to think about what your next step would be- are you going to go natural or perm it again? I think you should try untangling small pieces with a straight pin- I worked for me once when I had a weave- maybe that will work for you.

 

[WomanlyCharm]

Sweethair, don't cry.

Here is Selah's tanglebuster routine...give it a try. I know there are women on this board who've used it and say it does work wonders. If nothing else is working, it won't hurt to try this.

1) Section hair down center w/fingers or comb.

2) Gently and thoroughly saturate each section.

3) Before-hand, you will take a plastic pitcher that holds say 2 q. of water.
Pour in about 1/8 c.-1/4 c. of vinegar or so (cv or white). I just eyeball amt. Then pour in ALOT of conditioner. I use a cheapie or something I won't buy again for this stage. My hair is a few inches past my shoulders so I dump in about 1/2 c. or so.
Add about 3 tbsp. of light oil - Amla, coconut etc. I also put in about 2 tbsp of Elasta Recovery, but that's optional. Fill w/water, stir with hand.

4) Pour SLOWLY over each section, holding palm of other hand under hair to catch liquid against hair. Don't rub or manipulate hair now! Loosely pin up each section for about 3 min.

5) Take down. Gently finger comb as much as you can. Rinse about 3/4 of mixture out. Don't overrinse.

6) Shampoo only ONCE. Massage scalp moving hair as little as possible. Don't rub and manipulate hair length. Gently squeeze length, milking shampoo down it. I do this for about 60 - 90 seconds each side. Your hair will be clean, so don't worry about short time frame. Shampooing too long & multiple times causes tangles. Gently rinse each section.

7) Now apply your good conditioner liberally. Again, pin up hair. Let sit for about 3 min.

8) Take hair down. Gently finger comb. Only at this point should you comb hair. I use a seamless wide tooth comb from Sally's by Cricket ($1.99). Seamless ones are a must. Gently rinse, cool water.

9) Do another vinegar mixture, now just minus the conditioner. Again, use the coolest water you can stand to close those cuticles. Do NOT rinse out.
10) When towel drying, do not run. Gently pat/squeeze dry. That's it!

 

[Supergirl]

Try putting lots of serum (something with cones) on the knots and then pulling hairs out of the knot one at a time or a few at a time. You may still lose some, but not as much as just cutting it out or yanking the knot.

If this doesn't work, go to a salon and have someone there help you to get those knots out. A friend of mine had to do this once after braids.

 

[Whimsy]

dont even use a comb right now. get a nice wad of conditioner or oil and saturate the knot, then use YOUR FINGERS only to slowly and gently work away at the knot.

 

[InJesusName]

Aww it's OK sweetheart ! I had the same thing happen when I took my braids out about a month ago. Just be patient. I co-sign on what others have said. Try saturating your hair with conditioner and gently working the knots out with your fingers as carefully as possible. You may lose some hairs, but it will be better than cutting your hair. By the way, what's your regimen? There may be some things you can add to it that will soften your curl pattern or prevent future tangles.

 

[Denim And Leather]

Awww, don't cry, hon. It's going to be alright! Please don't do anything hasty, just do what the other ladies here have suggested, it'll work.

And please don't give up! You'll have long, thick hair, just don't give up. (((hugs))))

 

[Stationwagon]

Did the tips work for you? The conditioner trick really worked for me, as well as using some braid removal spray. I wish you luck.

 

[beyondcute]

Aww sweetie! I reall hope those knots work themselves out. I usuallyhave success with conditioner, a small toothed comb, and lots of extra time on my hands. I went almost 2 weeks without combing my hair this summer AFTER swimming in a pool with a rubberband in my hair. It took me almost 3 hour to get the rubber band out but its possible

 

[Arcadian]

I had a knotting issue this weekend too and I don't even have braids. Look, best thing you can do is to not irrationally cut your hair. Take a big big deep breath and a little time to see if you can't get the knots out without doing too much damage. Please don't rip them out either because you'll be doing your hair and your scalp a diservice.

In my case, the hair was just rough and crazy anyway so it needed to go and that was the last straw for my hair. However in your case it sounds to me like there may be something that could be done to minimize the hair loss.

The ladies here are giving you really excellent advice; please don't pass it off as impossible.

You'll get there.:Rose:

-A

 

[carmella25]

Ive been there. Dont give up keep working on those knots.

 

[sweethair]

Thanks everyone for your support. I tried to take of the knots the best I could but I lost a lot of hair and I had to cut the the knots out. Im so sad I haven't even flat iron my hair to sarced to see the damage, how thin it is. But I may get a weave but I'm worried about the thinning. Or I may just get a rollerset, cut off about two inches and leave it in a bun for a month or two. I'm really disappointment I feel like the work I've been doing for the past 3 months have been for nothing. But everything happens for a reason. I know long hair is possible because of all the long, thick, beautiful hair I see on this forum. Once again thank you for everyones support and advice. I'll take it one day at a time. Hopfully in a month I will have some good news to share with you about my hair progess.