I feel as naturals, we all have that one time where we failed to detangle properly which resulted in horribly matted hair. Well mine occurred after the very first time I got box braids.
As mentioned in a previous post, box braids are one of my most favorite protective styles. Mainly because I’ve finally mastered the maintenance and care for them. But unfortunately, it hasn’t always been that way.
The first time I had box braids installed, I left them in for about two months. I had a decent amount of new growth and was excited about the new length I would see. It took FOREVER to take them out and once I did I hopped right in the shower to wash my hair, skipping the most important step of all, detangling.
I washed my hair and after the first rinse immediately noticed a bit of matting. I figured once I conditioned it would all clear up because I have very fine hair and detangling was never a big step in my regimen anyway. To no avail, my hair remained in the matted state even after conditioning.
Trying not to grow frustrated, I took a wide tooth come and went to work. Chunks of hair were failing out and breaking off and this is when I knew I needed some serious professional help.
I called my hair stylist at home and she told me to come right over and she would see what she could do. She spent HOURS trying to make her way through the mess.
Unfortunately, she had no choice but to bring out the scissors and I had to result in yet another big chop. Biggest lesson learned. Now every time I get some sort of protective style where my hair is braided for a period of time, I’m sure to go through each and every section to detangle properly so that this mishap will never happen again!
