Braid Buildup: Comb out before or after wash

[DaDragonPrincess]

Also my first time in kinky wists a few years ago I didnt know any better and tried to wash the gunk out. I went to my hairdresser crying cause of the knots (after the shop was closed at that!). She told me I would have to pull the knots apart strand by strand to save my hair.

I thought about getting them, but i'm scared now, after what happen to my mom hair, plus I didn't know what to do after I helped her take them out. Her hair was like draided in some places,now I know and have learned from that lesson.erplexed And my mom had knots too, like little driads, I felt bad because she had some hair lost and she came to me for help, and I never took any of them things out before,because I never had them. We stayed up two nights picking them things out, it took almost a full week,to get them completely out.

 

[turnergirl]

With braids I am always sure to get the gunk out first. I refuse to let water hit the gunk and cause it all to merge at the roots. Yucky and OUch

 

[Aggie]

It's critical to get the gunk out before washing. After you wet your hair with all that buildup still in it, it is much weaker and the tugging and pulling will ultimately cause a greater degree of hair loss than with dry hair. The matting will also be greater if the buildup is not removed first. You want to avoid this at all cost. I always clear up the gunk as I undo each braid. I never wait to do the entire head all at once because I run out of patience and end up combing too roughly so I remove the gunk from each braid as I undo them. I lose a whole lot LESS hair this way. I don't know but, when I oil my braids at the roots before undoing them, the braids seem to slip out of my hair and undoing them is easier for me too.

 

[Aggie]

I have to add, many people keep their braids in wayyy too long and wonder why they have so much trouble taking them down. Extension braids are not meant to stay in longer than 6-8 weeks at a time without complications, especially if done with synthetic extensions. If one is washing their braids, then this is doubly true. Matting is bound to take place if kept in much longer than this. It's not worth it to keep the braids in longer than necessary ladies. We would end up defeating the purpose of our hair growing journey if we ignore certain methods that are known to work effetively. The way I see it - save a few bucks this way = lose a lot of hair.

 

[newgrowth15]

The best method that works for me is to wash and condition my hair while still in the braids. I leave the conditioner in my hair and remove the braids. The extension hair and the gunk slide right off of my hair and makes the process simple and fairly quick. Keep in mind that I saturate my hair with conditioner before I begin the braid removal process.

 

[mshoneyfly]

Saturating the braids with conditioner has worked for me many times in the past but its been such a long time. I forgot about this during a recent weave takedown. I wanted to wash my hair soo bad that I washed after taking down the braids but didnt detangle first. I had knots upon knots

I think what saved my hair was 1) I did a protein and moisture DC so my hair was pretty strong and 2) I slathered the hair with coconut oil and 3) I took 3 days to gently slide each strand out of each knot. Most of what came out was shed hairs

I think what happens is the conditioner swells up the braid and kind of loosens it to allow the buildup to come off easily. I will remember this next time.

I LOVE this HHJ!!

 

[TLC1020]

Get the gunk out and detangle before you wash, because if not your hair will be a matted mess.