*sigh* setback time

[NJoy]

I've literally been detangling my hair for days. I got all but about 20% detangled and put into twists. I thought I'd load my hair with conditioner and try to detangle the rest while I was watching a fight on tv. Why oh why did I get too lazy to wash it out and then just pulled my twists together with the intention of washing out the conditioner the next day.

I know good and well that I can't lump my twists together while wet overnight. Anyway, my twists have tangled up into a big knot. Now that I think about it, I braided my twists with hair that still needed to be detangled. Anyway... i've been trying for the past few days to pick it apart a bit at a time. That's only made it worse.

Here's what I'm working with.

Need a closer look?

Exactly!

The more I tug on it, the tighter the knot gets. I've been ripping hair left and right. This sort of thing happened when I was going thru my mom's illness and I ended up just ripping my braids apart. Not good. Not good at all.

I grabbed scissors and have decided that I'm gonna BC, like it or not. Hubby said that I should just leave it alone. Erm, will the knot just magically fall loose doing that? I think knot...er, not!

But, to get him off my back, I've decided to wait until tomorrow when he's not around. I have no idea what my hair will look like after this. It's a shame because the other half of my hair is fine.

If it were not for the knot, I can detangle it. But, I don't think that knot's going anywhere. I may cut into it and see if I can salvage anything. But, I may just be kidding myself.

Ah well. At least I know that it'll grow back.

I'll keep you posted. Just wanted to show this freakin sitchiation that I'm in.

 

[irisak]

Oh noes! I had that happen to me after taking down a weave. It took days to detangle and that was with not even half the hair you have. Sorry that happened to you.

Sent from my HTC EVO using LHCF. any spelling errors should be blamed on auto-correct.

 

[Pompous Blue]

I'm wishing you luck on working it out (literally).....A hug to you and hope the best for your efforts.....Oh, my!!! My heart is hurting for you.....I'm with you in spirit.....

Hope it turns out to be a minor setback.....Oh, man!!!

 

[virtuenow]

Are you relaxed or natural? I know there are certain things I couldn't do while relaxed that I can get by as a natural. Oh, and how long has it been since you last detangled. Somethings going on here b/c you should be able to twist your hair together w/o it forming everlasting knots-- whther drenched in conditioner or not.

 

[NJoy]

Are you relaxed or natural? I know there are certain things I couldn't do while relaxed that I can get by as a natural. Oh, and how long has it been since you last detangled. Somethings going on here b/c you should be able to twist your hair together w/o it forming everlasting knots-- whther drenched in conditioner or not.

I'm transitioning, about 16 months post. My troubles started by lumping my hair together to bun for phonytails. Trying to separate that was crazy enough but it was mostly time consuming. It was the hair webbing and wrapping around each other.

I went out of town for a week and took my time detangling small sections at a time and putting them in twists while covering up with wigs during the day.

But still, that was just detangling. My problem is my relaxed ends tangle when I put braids or twists together. I was using crisco on my ends to avoid that and it was working for me but, as I said in my OP, I got lazy and just braided the twists on the left side of my head into a french braid. I tried to do the right side, the best I could to keep it stretched but, this was the side with the undetangled section left in the back. So I used that one section as a section in the braid...with conditioner in my hair...under a plastic cap.

If I could've found the end of that braid and unbraided it from there, it would've been great. But it was all clumped. And I started tugging sections to free them. That only tightened the knot that is the plaited hair. And since I've been pulling sections, it looks a mess. I can't see the end of the knot.

Basically, it's not just tangled but knotted...complements of my brilliant, half-asleep thinking. I don't think there's a remedy other than the scissors.

I blame this on my relaxed ends. I should've cut them when I considered it a couple weeks ago. Now I'm gonna be forced into a BC..and hope it looks decent.

Blaaaaahhhh...

 

[Anavrin]

Nooooooooooo! dont cut it I dont want to send you on some kind of product run or anything, but when my hair DREADED a couple of months back, i got a CON argan oil pack from walmart and left it in and it got rid of them completely. Maybe you could try the same with olive oil and conditioner. :/ i just hate setbacks...

 

[SUPER SWEET]

Imma wishing you the best.... That's so hard to do without getting tired and ripping through it.

 

[Rain20]

Try PCJ detangling spray. I mean a lot of it and let sit for 30 mins or so and it really helps to loosen knots. Someone else had a similar situation on here and they mentioned cowboy magic detangler helped.

 

[virtuenow]

Whenever I had knots, detangle strand by strand. Pull one strand out of the knot at a time. It takes forever, but if your strands are strong & in good condition, I believe they should budge. Like someone said, sometimes you have to pull the strands in the right order; so you have to search and find the ones that are ready to budge. Be patient, I know from your vision post that its important to keep some length.

 

[Seamonster]

Just looks like you need a two step protein, and some serious M&S. Try Dudley's DRC, followed with KBB Luscious locks. Use a glycerine spray as a leave in, put a butter on top, and sleep with a baggy. When your hair gets moist enough, the tangle will be able to be removed.

 

[BraunSugar]

Have you tried using some grapeseed oil or aloe vera juice? Both help me a lot when I am detangling. What kind of condish are you using to try to detangle? I'd hate for you to have to cut if you aren't ready. Hopefully we can come up with a solution where you won't have to.

 

[longhairdreaming]

I have no advice but I know you'll make it through. Gotta love all the positivity and advice from the ladies !

 

[lamaria211]

Sorry for your troubles hun. I no what your going thru the same thing happened to me when I took out some micros a few yrs back, I had to go to walmart at 4am and buy a relaxer!! But that was way before my hhj. My only suggestion is be patient and gentle as u can

 

[Dayjoy]

Nooo! Is there ANYONE that can help you detangle it? The whole situation may look different, or at least doable from a different angle. I know that working on DD's hair seems so much easier than working on my own-- and not because her texture is more easily managed--it isn't. I wish I knew you and you were nearby. I would SO get to work on that with you and we would end up successful.

 

[amwcah]

Even the impossible can be done. I would just take my time and detangle it. I have had 8 hour detangle sessions in the past.

Try to use the product(s) that give you the greatest slip.

 

[caliscurls]

Oh NJoy hate to hear this!! This happened to me once and I literally got a sewing needle out and detangled one strand at a time. Took forever but I lost little hair. Whatever you decide to do I'm sure that at the end of the day you'll still have a beautiful head of hair!

Good luck!!

 

[SimJam]

Please update us ... hope u didnt give up and BC before u're ready

 

[faithVA]

...................

 

[Leesh]

Oh Wow NJoy, So sorry for this...
Is there someone who can help? That usually helps with the anxiety of doing it all yourself. In order not to lose too much hair, absolute patience is in order....

Wishing you the best Doll!!!

 

[napbella]

I agree with Dayjoy, find someone you trust to help you. As a long hair transitioner you've inspired me so much to really believe I can possibly transition without bcing. God bless.

 

[Your Cheeziness]

Just looks like you need a two step protein, and some serious M&S. Try Dudley's DRC, followed with KBB Luscious locks. Use a glycerine spray as a leave in, put a butter on top, and sleep with a baggy. When your hair gets moist enough, the tangle will be able to be removed.

+1 That happened to me when taking out braids some months back. Luckily, I was able to snag a last minute appointment at the salon. The diagnosis was too much moisture making my hair limp and difficult to detangle. She combed it out and gave me an Aphogee 2 Step treatment. Voila, magic!

Also, from experience, using conditioner or anything water based to detangle is a disaster. I only detangle with oil when taking out protective styles. The lubrication and gentle handling takes care of my hair.

 

[Curlykale]

NJoy A big big hug! Take a deep breath and try to feel calm, it helps a lot when detangling. The best idea that comes into my mind is an overnight Chicoro's prepoo with aloe juice and a lot of coconut oil and then pulling your strands upwards towards the scalp, a little bit at a time, while holding the knot with the other hand. I hope this idea is still on time!

 

[ScorpioLove]

First i would try to oil my hair very well then go under a dryer for ten min. The main thing is that it has to be taken out strand by strand. This has happened twice before to me and i lost alot of hair but at least i salvaged some length. Aloe jiuce helps too. If all else fails try roux porosity. It took a week of repeated treatment but it can be done

 

[rririla]

NOOOOOO....don't cut it....My ex had dreds to the middle of his back, and I literally picked them out with an icepick(I know crazy), it took a week but they all came out with minimal damage...only for him to get them back 2 years later but that's another story...I have seen people comb out dreds, so if they can do it surely you can get through that knot, Please don't cut that beautiful hair!!!!!

 

[PJaye]

I feel your pain. Ironically, yesterday I spent almost three hours battling knots, tangles, dreads and lots of breakage (Setback Summer indeed). At any rate, I slathered my head with Tresemme Naturals before covering it with an obscene amount of serum (some unwanted Fantasia Frizz Buster that had been lying around) and went to work.

I would recommend that you not tug on the knot because that will only tighten it. Instead flatten it out with your fingers while gently smushing it apart to loosen it up. Do this only after you have detangled below and above the knot; that way, once you have loosened it, you can ease the tangles down the hairs and out of existence. Also, always detangle while sitting rather than standing in front of a mirror because it will decrease the likelihood of rushing through the process due to frustration and discomfort. These tricks helped me get through the Godzilla-sized knots and dreads; the others broke off and one had to be cut off. So, try detangling again before you cut. I don’t want to derail your thread, I just wanted to offer some empathy and encouragement. I’m crossing my fingers for ya.

My problems arose as a result of not fully detangling before doing a protein treatment (a really dumb, lazy move on my part). I took pictures to remind me of my unadulterated stupidity.

 

[NappyNelle]

Oh no!! I'm so sorry to read this. I hope you can pick that knot out before BC'ing earlier than you intended.

 

[NJoy]

Thanks Ladies. There's some really good advice being shared and I appreciate all of it.

Well, I did end up cutting 2 of my front twist loose. I don't think I lost too much length with that. And with all that I've been trying to get rid of tangles (aloe juice, cowboy magic, herbal essences silkening detangler, porosity control, aussie moist, CHI serum to name a few) the dreading nearer to the roots have all released. But that knot. I do like the suggestion of flattening the knot instead of tugging at it. That makes sense. I was trying to tug one of my braids loose and I know that tightened everything up.

I'll take my time and work on it a little at a time. Sometimes when I go to work on it, I get so discouraged that I just put it in a bantu knot and leave it alone. Other times, my hubby is on my nerves about the whole thing. If I try to work on it in front of him, this is he big opportunity to dole out all the "I-told-you-so's", the "this-natural-thing-is-too-much-work" and the ever so helpful, "why don't you just perm it? You never had this much trouble with permed hair." Whatever dude. Eithere you help or back up off me. Needless to say, when he's around (and he's always on me like white on rice), I put my hair away.

It such that I can easily hide the knot and make my hair look presentable so, that makes me want to take my time with it. Especially after hearing some of you say that it took you a week to detangle and de-knot.

But last night, with hubby right there, and I was dead dog tired, I was SO frustrated and SO ready to grab them scissors!!!!! You. just. don't. know.

Anywho, please keep the suggestions coming and I'll keep you posted. I regretted ripping my braids when my mom was sick. I don't want to do the same....if at all possible. Otherwise, hair does grow back. *sigh*

 

[Evolving78]

if i can take down locs for a week, you can detangle! Mizani has a very nice detangling spray!

 

[Vshanell]

I wouldn't cut it NJoy. Anytime people comb locs out you should be able to get that out. Maybe do some research on loc removal (people who have combed out their locs). Hope you get it out!

 

[Leslie_C]

So sorry this happened! I saw a spray at a BSS that is for taking down locs....that should work! See if you can find a product like that. Also I think oil vs water based product will work better....soak it down with oil and use something like a needle. Ive been through similar situations in the past and got frustrated and ripped them out *shudder*...but I know with patience it can be done. A coworker had a dred in her hair the size of a tennis ball and she was able to get most of it out. Good luck and keep us posted!