It is normal for mats to occur on braided hair. To be precise, matted hair is the condition of your hair strands when they become dirty and get intertwined in tangles.
The problem arises mostly for braided hair.
You must have your braids clean to detangle matted hair. Wash your hair with hydrating shampoo, and apple cider vinegar, to clean your hair. Then slowly use tools like a thin-ended comb or wide-tooth comb for detangling each strand or braid.
Try to retain the health of your natural hair, and moisturize it regularly to avoid the situation of matted hair.
Do not allow the buildup of dirt on your hair, wash them regularly following the right instructions.
Why is your hair matted after braids?
As mentioned in the beginning, you have matted hair mostly on braids. When you undertake hairstyles with a braid, you cannot rinse them frequently to prevent their unraveling.
This reduction in the frequency of washing your hair causes the buildup of dirt on your hair.
Eventually, the locs tangle up with each other creating a total mess. The matted section of your hair will hurt when you try to detangle them with your fingers by pulling them.
Maintenance of braids is not easy. What’s easy is to get them wrong. Cleaning the locked strands needs to be done in a balanced way.
That balance is difficult to find which leads to the locs getting matted.
- Wearing braids or hair extensions of similar style for longer than usual causes matting of hair.
- Not cleaning the braids in the right intervals allows external elements to settle on your scalp.
- Loss of natural oil from the hair shaft makes the strands dry up and get into tangles. Natural hair health is lost contributing to matting.
How do I keep my hair from getting matted after braids?
Preventing the matting of hair after braids are possible. You just cannot show complacency if following the steps. It will take patience and hard work.
You must-have products like tea-tree oil, natural hair conditioner, and herbal or mild shampoo at your disposal to properly maintain your braids.
- Oil Matted Sections: Applying oil on matted sections can prevent the situation. This will keep your scalp moisturized and help avoid matting.
- Gently Brush Braids: Sort a process to gently brush your braids. This will prevent the locs to knot into tangles. Do not be harsh on the stubborn areas of your braid, execute in small sections.
- Apply Hair Products: Apply products that have content like antiseptic oil or essential oils. It will rule out the probability of having dead hair and will also not risk hair breakage.
How can I prevent my natural hair strands from getting matted after braids?
One of the best solutions is to wear braid-styled hair extensions. Wearing them will act as a protective style.
But whatever you do, be gentle with it. Being aggressive may affect your entire head, especially if your scalp has sensitive skin.
What are some home remedies for matted hair after braids?
- Regularly apply warm oil to your hair immediately after taking the style. Doing so will never allow a single knot to be created.
- Comb your locs the way your stylist recommends. Do not ruin the style, but combing will prevent the knots to take place.
- Get rid of all the chemical-based shampoos or hair products from your collection.
What do you do to care for your hair after removing braids?
The thing you should focus on is providing rest to your hair from the pull it has gone through for several weeks.
1. Focus on tasks that will soften your hair again. Give special attention to the matted sections when you had the knots of the hairstyle.
2. Treat and rinse your hair with an herbal cleanser and CONDITIONER. You may already know about shampoos, but you should use a good conditioner as well.
3. You should also apply good serums or creams on your scalp if you find them in your nearby markets. Doing so will bring the nutrients back to your hair.
4. Give your hair a break from styling products like gel or wax for a few weeks. Do not opt for straightening your curls or knots. Deal with each knot carefully, which will be discussed later in this article.
What are some signs that my hair is matted after interlocked styling?
There are multiple signs that will tell you if you are already facing the problem. Observing any of these will instruct you to resort to reparations immediately.
- When you brush your locs, you will not be able to make the strokes smoothly. You will feel like there is a knot blocking you.
- You will shed hair when you comb them. Hair will be breaking starting from small sections as well.
- Your head will hurt when you stroke your locs with your fingers. The weight on your head will feel higher. Your head will feel more itchy and irritating.
What happens if the hair is severely matted?
In a situation like this, your hair will feel very uncomfortable to carry. You will feel inflammation in your skin while itching.
1. You can find oily flakes coming off your hair. It will be endless, the more you scratch, the more will be coming off.
2. The weight on your hair will increase, resulting in breakage and loss. The rate of shed hair will increase as well.
3. You may catch skin infections in your hair region as well. You must intervene to cure the problem before it gets to this stage.
How to avoid matted hair after removing your weave?
Do not hang on to the weaves for more than five to six weeks. Holding on to them for more than this time period will create the ideal environment for matted hair.
Wear a satin head scarf to protect your weaves from breakage as well as external elements like pollution and extra moisture.
Slowly detangle each knot if you have any after the removal of the weaves. The following section will discuss how to do so.
How to successfully and adequately detangle your hair from mats?
The key to success in this regard is to have the right tools at your disposal. There are a few tools that have been mentioned that can help make the process easier.
Just take it slow. Haste will make waste. You will lose more hair if you get restless. Slowly find a pattern and detangle them.
Products needed to detangle your hair
A rat tail comb works best to solve all your detangling issues. Using this for detangling hair is easy as its thin end helps lose the pressure on the locks.
Wide tooth comb is another option you can go with. Using this will assist the brushing process, and also make it easier to detangle.
Do not forget about a good conditioner. The reason for reiterating this so many times is that it can do magic. Only cleansers can never do the job. A conditioner is necessary.
And finally, a fine-tooth comb can also help you get rid of the painful knots. For the thinnest of mats, it eases the process to detangle them.
What to do after all the proceedings are done?
At this stage, your complete attention should be on rejuvenating your hair. By this, it is meant that you have to bring your hair back to life.
You need to undergo a hair care routine to regain the moisture and softness of your strands.
But remember to maintain a balance in everything. Too much application of products and maintenance will not allow your hair to relax.
Go slow, go steady. It will take time to get your hair back to normal. But the whole journey will be worth it. You can touch it up whichever you want again.
FAQs
It is better if you get in touch with a stylist. They can do it the safest way. But if you do it yourself, you need to have a rat-tailed comb for it.
You have to apply some oil to your locs. Then use a suitable comb to slowly find the patterns and untangle them.
You need to clean your hair as much as possible. Then apply some moisturizer to ease the proceedings. Then slowly use a pen or hair brush to clear them.
It should take about 30 minutes to detangle matted hair after braids. Be sure to use a good conditioner and detangling brush, and be gentle when combing through your hair.
There are a few risks associated with microbraiding, such as hair fall and shedding. To help mitigate these risks, it is important to use a hair cream with protein.
Verdict
You just have to keep an eye out for this problem from the beginning of your hairstyle journey. Doing so will give you the cushion to prepare for the tough times.
It is not that there is no way back. There is, you just have to be calm and patient and take the right steps.
