Reasons for hair matting? (pics included)

[bb09]

It must be a combination of the products you're using, something is keeping your cuticles from closing.

~*~ShopAholic~*~ -gorgeous hair. I didn't realise it was yours!
I have no idea what's keeping my cuticles from closing.. My hair is even Worse after i relax it. Shampoo, dc, moisturiser =tangles. Just dc, then moisturiser =tangles. So it's lose-lose. I think i’m going back to oil prepooing, atleast b4 shampooing.

 

[bb09]

@ everyone. When I next do my hair, I’ll update it here. I’m not sure if it’s going to take 1 or 2 washes to fix, but I hope it gets better. Has anyone seen other threads on making sure you apply product (properly) everywhere? Can you bump them pls, or reply to http://www.longhaircareforum.com/ha...etting-product-inside-sections-your-hair.html. I’m gonna up my moisture, leave the protein/ceramides alone for a bit.

 

[bb09]

Sorry, double post

 

[divachyk]

divachyk, That thread was VERY helpful! I'm not at the stage where i could run a comb through my hair yet. I just finger detangled, and the knots at the demarcation line were rediculous!

I think i'm gonna start airdrying my hair before applying leave-ins as well. Do you leave your hair hanging, or in a ponytail while drying? How long does it take for you to get to 95% dry?

Somewhere else in this thread I think you asked how do we get product into the sections of the hair. I separate hair in 4 sections and clip them to keep them out of the way. I work with one section at a time and use the relaxer method where you part the hair and smooth the product into the hair. Does that help?

I use the scarf method to air dry. This is done by tying a scarf around my edges and nape and leave the hair hanging. Check this out: YouTube - Hairlicious Inc: The Scarf Method

I tried ponytailing but that prolonged drying time. It takes my hair about an hour to dry with hanging loosely because I leave my hair sopping wet when I get out of the shower. I leave it sopping wet because it makes it easier to run the comb through it. I apply scurl to sopping wet hair and run the comb through it to distribute product when I first get out of the shower. This gives my hair some moisture while air drying. I then put the scarf on my hair, let it air dry to 95%, then saturate hair in scurl, seal and detangle.

 

[JC Jane]

This used to happen to me all.the.time! I totally agree with the ladies above that are suggesting ACV rinses to close cuticles.

I went a step further though and put a few drops of ACV in my leave in sprays. After doing this, I had very few problems with matting. I also would mix PC in with my deep con. These two steps saved a tremendous amount of my hair.

 

[chejam]

I don't think it's available in the UK. Thanks for the suggestion though !chejam

Ooh so sorry about that bb09. My bad..

 

[BostonMaria]

What deep conditioner and regular conditioner are you using? When my hair was relaxed it didn't like all conditioners, I needed one with lots of slip.

I personally do an Aphogee treatment when my hair sheds too much. I only reccomend it to people that do not have issues with protein.

 

[temfash]

Porosity control actually makes my hair worse for some reason.. it leaves my hair tangled.

I used l'oreal elvive antibreakage conditioner -I actually used it directly over the castile soap -Kimmaytube buffering technique, rinsed; then used it again, followed by Nature's gate pomegranate sunflower conditioner.

I clarified about 2 weeks ago with Avalon Organic's lemon clarifying shampoo. As soon as i rinse my hair out though, the effects of Any dc i use goes.

I have tangling issues when I use PC and cold water rinses my hair sticks together like velcro I'm taking notes, OP thanks for this thread.

 

[brittanynic16]

Nevermind. Already good advice given.

 

[gadgetdiva]

Yeah Castille soap and my hair DID NOT get along! I've tried it twice; once as natural and again as relaxed...it was a tangled mess. Neva again

The ladies here have given you some useful suggestions. I hope you'll find one that will work for you. Let us know

 

[bb09]

@brittanynic16 -i would have loved to hear your advice ! Different things have worked for ppl in different ways !

And at everyone who wrote -thank you sooo much. I'll reply to individual posts when I get the chance.

 

[bb09]

Well, an update to that^. I can't 'thank' and I can't post without it getting lost (some of the time).
I might go back to lurking, and PMs. 20 minutes for one post is seriously long.

 

[LaidBak]

Porosity control actually makes my hair worse for some reason.. it leaves my hair tangled.
.

It will do that if you have hard water. I used it for a year with great success i the U.S., then moved to Turkey which has terribly hard water. It started to leave my hair a tangled mess. Now that I have a water softener the PC is back to doing its good work.

 

[temfash]

It will do that if you have hard water. I used it for a year with great success i the U.S., then moved to Turkey which has terribly hard water. It started to leave my hair a tangled mess. Now that I have a water softener the PC is back to doing its good work.

Oh snap, so that maybe the reason it did'nt work for me the water in london is VERY HARD.

 

[Honi]

Honi, thanks beautiful. I'll have to try that. Do you ever acv rinse after just shampooing though? And i'm always worried the towel is robbing the moisture lol. I can't believe i forgot to add a shower cap on top as well -just thinking about it.

Forgot to tell ya....I wet my turban wrap with very hot water (using rubber gloves to wring it out ) and then put a bootleg plastic cap (Shoprite bag) on my head

 

[bb09]

Honi, thank you. Do you ever use bottled shampoo -not the castile soap? If you do shampoo, do you use the same acv rinse/measurements?

 

[Honi]

Honi, thank you. Do you ever use bottled shampoo -not the castile soap? If you do shampoo, do you use the same acv rinse/measurements?

I don't use commercial shampoos anymore. Just the castile soap. I was getting dryness and tangles when I used certain shampoos and when cream of nature changed their formula I just gave it up all together. Never thought to use the rinse though. Are you thinking of trying the rinse with shampoos to see if it works better for you?

 

[bb09]

btw, I did wash my hair yesterday.. I cowashed with a tea tree conditioner (faith in nature), then dc'd with their seaweed conditioner, before using the chocolate conditioner as a leave-in. I didn't get as many matted sections, but so many knots at the end of my hair.. For some reason, when I shampoo or condition, right after the final rinse, or as soon as my hair's not saturated with water, I get knots . 5/10 hairs which tangle. Then that whole piece comes out. I lost/lose so much hair though.

 

[bb09]

Update^. As for the matting, I have 1 or 2 sections in my crown now, that are meshed together like glue. I'm not sure whether to comb it out dry, or add condish and risk it getting worse.
I'm really not happy with the knots though. My hair/ends clump together when wet. But is it possible to Not lose 5/10 hairs in one clump -and just 1 instead? It's not all shed hair either.

 

[africanqueen456]

my reasons were not washing in sections, and and not detangling throughly before I deep conditioned or shampooed.Also not detangling regularly (2x a week)

 

[bb09]

I don't use commercial shampoos anymore. Just the castile soap. I was getting dryness and tangles when I used certain shampoos and when cream of nature changed their formula I just gave it up all together. Never thought to use the rinse though. Are you thinking of trying the rinse with shampoos to see if it works better for you?

Honi -I didn't see your post between mine, sorry! Yeah, i was thinking if it's okay to use that same acv rinse with shampoo. I wasn't sure if you added any extra acv to remove soap deposits, or just for ph balance

 

[bb09]

I'll probably use less acv if I'm using it with shampoo? ^

 

[brittle_hair]

Hey bb09, I personally think the matting is a Lye relaxer issue on type 4 hair - I've just switched back to no lye because of it. Granted there is the potential of dryness issues and lack of volume with no lye, but i'd rather that that than lose clumps of hair with matting. Have a look at this thread: HELP! WHY IS LYE MAKING MY HAIR MATTED?

 

[Curlykale]

I would try the following solutions:
- check your porosity and try ACV rinses
- try to avoid butters and humectants and see what happens
- properly moisturize daily, braid or twist at night when moisturizing (using your hands only to avoid too much manipulation). if you want a different look than a braidout you can still lightly wet your hair in the morning.
- try oil rinsing. definitely this one makes a difference. you shampoo, you apply an oil on the whole length and leave it for a couple of minutes. You rinse under warm water fingercombing and the knots should melt at that point. You then apply conditioner or DC, use a wide tooth comb and rinse. If your hair is still oily, do another conditioner (as oil melts well in conditioner).

oil rinsing is the reason why I don't need to detangle anymore, there are some very good threads about it here (I discovered this technique through a thread).

 

[starfish79]

Several people have already said it but I really think you should ditch the castille soap. I used it a couple of times and it sucked the life right out of my hair. If in your position I would clarify then d/c with a low/no protein conditioner and then use Kimmaytube's leave in.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

sounds like my hair was pre-hair journey.

After learning my hair and being in denial for such a long time, i came to the conclusion that my hair had porosity issues and it was just plain damaged. The cuticle had been ripped, shredded, and lifted up to the point that it would take all sorts of product to make it lay down


I'm not sure about castile soap, is it trying? I see that you say you diluted it with water.

Have you considered trying a moisturizing shampoo? Finding the right DC for your hair may be your best bet and then do it weekly or twice a week, just to continuously infuse your hair with that moisture.

You said your hair is fine, mine is too, and what i found is that my fine strands had been stretched to the max and as they tried to retract, they would tangle, some of them would never retract and left thin spots in my strands.


try to detangle your hair B4 shampooing it if you can. it takes longer, but once damaged or struggling hair gets wet, it tends to tangle worse.

Which porosity control did you try? they have different products. . . .I think there is something comparable to PC that I've seen posted on the board, I can't remember what it is though.

also, ACV just doesn't do everyone's hair justice. my hair HATES the stuff with a passion. it leaves my hair feeling like straw(while it's wet).

 

[HeChangedMyName]

Ok, I re-read your op--i responded in bold italics

I can't take this hair.

Not only does it look a mess when i airdry -http://www.longhaircareforum.com/ha...erfect-hair-washday-days-go.html#post12096803, it mattes now as well. I'm 2 years -actually 3! into my hair journey, and i'm actually fed up. I can't exactly hand my hair over to someone else because I don't want it to get worse.

I'm texlaxed 4a/b. perhaps your hair doesn't like being texlaxed. For years I was texlaxing and didn't realize it. I just thought i was relaxing just enough to keep it from being bone straight and leaving texture. My hair was in the worse shape ever while i was doing that. I am relaxed now and fully relax and my hair is much better off. I transitioned 17 months, then re-relaxed. I've been having serious problems with my hair -the tangles, and split ends. Regime:
I wash -I used castile soap the last time with lots of water -diluted, then DC. Deep conditioning actually makes my hair more tangled though. So now, i use a protein conditionerYour hair may not be benefiting from protein conditioner since it is not fully processed. How often do you use protein condish? You may have protein overload, which is cured by moisture moisture moisture -just under 10 minutes, then a moisture conditioner -for just under 10 minutes -I got the idea from LaidBak (?) for controlling breakage.

The last time i did my hair, i left conditioner in, then let it airdry.Try hood drying on low for a while. Some of our hair doesn't do well with air drying. I know there are some ladies on the board who have experienced that, myself included. That's when i made yesterday's post.. it looked awful while it dried. Then nice again this morning (I scarf airdried).. till i discovered the matting inside.What kind of comb are you using to detangle? Do you comb or just finger comb?

It's the roots that tangle as well as the length. When my hair is wet, i literally can't comb through, or moisturise it if it's soaking, or i'll get crazy breakage. Sounds like your hair is severely damaged, i had a setback last winter and ended up having to go to a professional. She used a DRC treatment and my hair IMMEDIATELY stopped breaking and splitting, she also trimmed every end on my head
What should I do?

It really sounds like you have some type of damage, perhaps chemical, or over abuse of protein or castile.

What's your water intake like? not drinking enough water can also wreak havoc on your hair. When you DC, try heavily oiling your scalp before getting under the dryer. For some reason, this has been a lifesaver for my hair and my DC's work much better with the additional oil. I also oil the ends after applying DC.

 

[bb09]

I would try the following solutions:
- check your porosity and try ACV rinses
- try to avoid butters and humectants and see what happens
- properly moisturize daily, braid or twist at night when moisturizing (using your hands only to avoid too much manipulation). if you want a different look than a braidout you can still lightly wet your hair in the morning.
- try oil rinsing. definitely this one makes a difference. you shampoo, you apply an oil on the whole length and leave it for a couple of minutes. You rinse under warm water fingercombing and the knots should melt at that point. You then apply conditioner or DC, use a wide tooth comb and rinse. If your hair is still oily, do another conditioner (as oil melts well in conditioner).

oil rinsing is the reason why I don't need to detangle anymore, there are some very good threads about it here (I discovered this technique through a thread).

@ciccina -wish I knew where the smilies were on quick reply, but thanks for chiming in! Does oil rinsing block moisture though? I remember the one or 2 reviews where oil rinsing was going great for some people, but after a few Weeks, their hair was worse for it. It became dry. Is oil rinsing something you can do Before shampooing? I just don't want to end up blocking moisture from my dc. You said, oil melts well in conditioner, so would that mean, my dc really won't absorb?

 

[bb09]

Several people have already said it but I really think you should ditch the castille soap. I used it a couple of times and it sucked the life right out of my hair. If in your position I would clarify then d/c with a low/no protein conditioner and then use Kimmaytube's leave in.

starfish79, thank you. The thing is, shampoo can suck the life out of my hair like that. My hair would feel off, and feel like a film was on it. It's only when I use condish on top before rinsing (Kimmaytube's buffering technique), that I don't get that stripped feeling.

I'm not gonna use the castile soap again though if it means raised cuticles! I don't normally use it, and my hair already doesn't take to moisturising conditioners. I don't need to mess that up more lol

 

[bb09]

sounds like my hair was pre-hair journey.

After learning my hair and being in denial for such a long time, i came to the conclusion that my hair had porosity issues and it was just plain damaged. The cuticle had been ripped, shredded, and lifted up to the point that it would take all sorts of product to make it lay down
My hair probably is porous. I bought ph strips tonight though. I haven’t really done anything to damage it –e.g. heatwise or dyeing. It's just Very underprocessed. The 1st two vids/pics were after my first relaxer -which didn't go well.. it was really really underprocessed.

I'm not sure about castile soap, is it trying? I see that you say you diluted it with water.
I diluted it with water, and aloe vera juice. My hair didn't feel stripped from what I can remember. I'm not gonna re-use it, if it's gonna exacerbate certain problems.

Have you considered trying a moisturizing shampoo? Finding the right DC for your hair may be your best bet and then do it weekly or twice a week, just to continuously infuse your hair with that moisture.
No DC works for my hair moisture wise. They all make my hair feel good, and saturated with moisture, till I rinse it all out. AO GPB is the only one that's made a difference -but it isn't moisturising. My hair actually takes longer to dry with it. And combined with a few others, (I think) it's given me slip

You said your hair is fine, mine is too, and what i found is that my fine strands had been stretched to the max and as they tried to retract, they would tangle, some of them would never retract and left thin spots in my strands.
Yes!!! I used to get the thin spots. Now (for the past yr /yr and a half), I get split ends. How do you avoid your hairs getting stretched to the max? And what do you mean by as they tried to retract.. Can you give an example pls

try to detangle your hair B4 shampooing it if you can. it takes longer, but once damaged or struggling hair gets wet, it tends to tangle worse.
I'll definitely start. I think that's what got the tangles started.!

Which porosity control did you try? they have different products. . . .I think there is something comparable to PC that I've seen posted on the board, I can't remember what it is though.
The roux porosity control corrector conditioner –blue bottle.
I've used the abba ph balanced leave-in spray in the past -I can't think of the name! But it dried on my hair soo quickly. So I'm not sure if ph balanced products even work on me.

also, ACV just doesn't do everyone's hair justice. my hair HATES the stuff with a passion. it leaves my hair feeling like straw(while it's wet).
Really? Do you use a lot? I remember the correct amount was something like ¾'s of a tsp for 2 cups or 500ml.

Thanks for replying! How was this possibly shorter than 10 characters