QuoteReplyTopic: Best way to get out the dreads and matts? Posted: July 10 2005 at 12:21am
I have had eurolocs with eurolocs/hairlocs hair for the past 2.5 years
-- right now I only have around 75 extensions. The ones I have in
now have been in since January, and as soon as I get shrinkies in I
will attempt to take these out and reuse the hair with shrinkies.
I have two questions for those of you with more experience than me:
1. I keep reading about damage in removal of eurolocs, but
haven't found any posts discussing the way I remove them. First,
I condition the hell out of them. Then after the hair is dry, I
heat the locs with my flatiron and then gently slide them out. I
have breakage already, but I can't see that removing them in this way
increases it. Has anyone else tried this? What kind of results
did you have? They come out really easily for me.
2. Of course with six months growth on these, I have a ton of
dreads and matts as always. I usually work them out with several
shampoos, heavy conditioning, and working them out with my
fingers. I find that most of the hair in the dreads and matts are
usually hair that has broken off while they were in. Is there any
better or quicker way to get these out? Any shampoo or
conditioner in particular that will help?
My stylist has previously just moved the extensions up over the dreads and they have worked their way out eventually.
Anyway, I am done with hairlocs, eurolocs, and the stylist now :-)
Look into the line of products called Take Down. I've never used them myself but I've read great things about it helping with your specific problem. There are several places to buy it on the Internet. Good luck!
Why on Earth would you keep extensions in for so long?! After 7 months in the hair, of course your hair will be damaged! Despite what anyone tells you, 12 weeks is the max time to have extensions in! After that time, they all must come out and then you can reapply them if you wish after the shed hair is combed out.
Won't your hair stylist remove these for you? She must have the proper removal tool, and it's most definitely not a flat iron!
If you do indeed have the double crimped eurolocs in, than don't even bother trying to remove them yourself because they require a special tool. If it is the hairlocs, than probably you could buy the remover tool from a website such as hairpiece.com.
Hello there and please chill a bit :-) First, I just joined this
forum three days ago, and only then learned what you are telling me
about removing them completely. Second, I have been doing this
for 2.5 years so I am not new to it, and I usually get maintenance
every 3 or 4 months, but have only been taking them completely out once
a year. in this case my stylist is getting a divorce and hasn't
been readily available. When she looked at them 6 weeks ago they were
fine. Third, I have been removing them with the flatiron for the
past 2.5 years and my hair is ok -- I have a lot of hair. Fourth,
I keep reading on this forum that the removal tool is most likely
responsible for some of the breakage. Unlike some people, I have
to keep my cost in my budget, and that doesn't include spending
$1000-3000 dollars every few months, thus the reason for wanting to
move to a method that is feasible for DIY.
sherrie215
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Unfortunately for someone who has no idea other than what the extensionist tells them, some people dont know that they shouldnt leave them in for longer than 12 weeks. Hey I cant even make it that long before the regrowth is too long and the matting starts. Id be in a real mess if I didnt know any better and a stylist told me they could stay in for 6 months, They would probably have to be cut out!
mochachip
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As to getting the matts out patience and brusing from the ends in my opinion.
But I'm confused. How do you remove them with a flat iron?
They shouldn't be melting. I mean plpers yes I can see but a flat
iron I just don't understand.
Are you removing any glue? You shouldn't be with a ring method
but then again the 6-7 months thing is valid so maybe you have been
misinformed on what you havein your hair. Or maybe there is
something I'm missing.
Understanding exactly what you are doing will help us to give you better advice on your removal/dedreading.
I have eurolocs (the copper ones) with hairlocs hair. My stylist
was the one who told me I could remove them with a flatiron, or I could
pay her to take them out. It was easier to do them myself.
I just put the flatiron on top of the loc for a few seconds, and then
they slide out very easily. I know she uses pretipped hair, but I
don't know what it is pretipped with.
I don't really understand how heat of a flat iron can reopen a copper link. I have done a lot of Eurolocs in the past, and those links are clamped down so well that the only possible removal tool would be the pointy ended thing (which I do agree is damaging- and that's why I don't do eurolocs anymore).
But if it's worked for you in the past, then I guess go for it.
It's good to hear you're going to start doing your own hair because it sounds like your stylist isn't very informed on how to properly do extensions.
I have eurolocs (the copper ones) with hairlocs hair. My stylist
was the one who told me I could remove them with a flatiron, or I could
pay her to take them out. It was easier to do them myself.
I just put the flatiron on top of the loc for a few seconds, and then
they slide out very easily. I know she uses pretipped hair, but I
don't know what it is pretipped with.
If I may make a suggestion...
Don't use an iron to remove the locks as you're putting unnecessary tension on your hair. Get a small pair of pliers and open the locks by popping them open from the outside. If they're copper, they'll open very easily and you can slide the strand out. Support your own hair by holding it between two fingers while pulling the extension strand out if there's any tension.
You shouldnt ask for peoples advise and then rip them a new one because you didnt explain your self well.. In your first post you sounded like you left that sh*t in for over 6 months. And it sounds like youve got your first second and third of alls so i guess you dont need anyones advise.. You shouldnt have dreads... Put some good conditioner in your head and start combing. start from the bottom and work your way up.. SUCKS TO BE YOU.. i hate taken that sh*t out... I had a client leave a weave in for 6 months i kid you not.. that sh*t was so nasty... I charged her more to take it out then i did to put a new one in.. I lost her as a client but she would always do that to me... All $ aint good $... She stunk up the salon to.. good luck..
Kris
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Thats not very nice..Dont feel bad flygirl,most people are very misinformed.I was told I could wear great lengths for EIGHT MONTHS! I know how horrible would my hair have been.As far as matts go.I had crappy Bss hair in that tangled alot and tangled my natural hair with it.So the matting was probably due to alot of things.Wearing the hair for so long for one,crappy hair?
But I agree I havent worn locs before and the flatiron is completely uneccessary.Pliers will take them out just fine.
Kalika
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flygirl - you mentioned that your hairdresser would just move the hair farther up along the matts? I would never go back to her.
I know you were misinformed, so its not your fault, but the recommendation is to do a complete takedown every 12 weeks, then do your coloring, cutting, untangling or whatever have you, then do a reinstall. Its also the best way to comb out all the hair that shed and ended up cought, and do a deep conditioning scalp treatment.
The best way is to prevent. Always do your best to brush out your own hair underneath and between the bonds. As for right now it may be so bad you have to cut them out. The best kind of extensionest cares about your hair as well as the extensions. If she neglects either, time to find a new one.
Thanks for all the advice from everyone. I am learning so much i
didn't know from this forum and i am sure i will have a lot of
questions as i start doing these myself. The only reason I
started doing extensions was because the girl doing them was a friend
and I was getting a really good price on them. She told me that I
could keep them in for six months without maintenance, but of course I
found out that i couldn't without a complete mess. That's when I
started doing maintenance every 2-3 months. I do realize that the best
way to get out dreads and matts is to prevent them from occurring in
the first place, and I don't think it will be an issue with me doing
them myself.
mochachip
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I gots too say I'm still baffled by the flat iron being turned
on. Copper doesn't even get remotely softer at the temperatures a
flat iron can reach. BUt hey now you know.
YOu can move the locs up the same section of hair ifyou had big
sections of hair to begin with and you open, then comb fromt he bottom
to get out shed hair, then move up, then reclose. But if you
didn't have big sections to begin with, then you won't have enough hair
to support the extension when you do things this way.
another thing that helps with matts is combing through to your roots
with an appropriate device (typically, but not exclusively, a looper
brush). things are still stuck but then they are at least brushed
and stuck instead of matted and stuck into your attachment(whatever
method it may be)
Mochachip, I promise they come out easily with a flatiron. Have
you tried it? I know I have to be careful when drying my hair because
if the locs get to hot they slip out. My stylist told me from the
beginning that I could take them out that way. And I assume she
got that info from Eurolocs because that's where she did her
training. I do use a looper brush, but of course now they won't
brush because they are dreads. But I've been dealing with this a
while -- this will be the fifth time I have taken them out and dematted
so to speak, and they do work out fairly easy -- within a day or two
with a few shampoos and being really careful working them with my
fingers. I am going to buy the Takedown as well and I am sure
that will help as well. I will let you know how it goes.
mochachip
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I wonder it it has to do with the glue holding the tips together
loosening up. then the tips can come out. once the tips are
out then there is wiggle room to get the natural hair out....
I've not used double crimped rings/locs. With the single crimps
I've only used pliers though I will likely buy the opener tool if I do
a whole head that way again. But it's always been fast and easy
to take down. faster than shrinkies in my experience.
Though I like the hold of shrinkies better.
delin
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I'm with you mocha...I don't get the flat iron thing. When I've worn shrinkies and links simultanteously and mistook a link for a shrink in the back when I was doing a take-down...it wasn't pretty. So I can say yes, I've tried it...and no, I wouldn't recommend it.
You shouldnt ask for peoples advise and then rip them a new one because you didnt explain your self well.. In your first post you sounded like you left that sh*t in for over 6 months. And it sounds like youve got your first second and third of alls so i guess you dont need anyones advise.. You shouldnt have dreads... Put some good conditioner in your head and start combing. start from the bottom and work your way up.. SUCKS TO BE YOU.. i hate taken that sh*t out...
geesh- that is such harsh a response-
i am so sorry you are having such problems. lets see if i can help
take some time to work conditioner onto each matt and dread, rub it in real good onto each one. get a small comb and start working from the bottom up and you can even try a rat tail comb, the end and try to insert it into the dread and GENTLY move it away- i wish you were closer to me, i would certainly help you.
just remember to go slowly and dont get frustrated and rip out your hair. Your stylist should of been keeping up with you on your hair, and unfortunetly she has her own issues at hand to deal with, however, they will come out. Be patient.
i say it again, i love goldwell kerasilk conditioner, you can buy it online or at a salon. it is my fave so far. i have really really really matty natural hair. my own hair mats up naturally. it HURTS to brush MY OWN hair every day, so extensions are NO big deal.
one thing for prevention that has helped me. learning to brush my hair better. in the morning and at night when i brush my hair, i use my fingers to brush in between my extensions near my scalp at the end of every hair brushing. you see my first like two times with extensions i was getting matting near the scalp and i had NO IDEA why this was happening bc i was brushing!!! but jenna at www.dareyourhair.com got a hold of me two weeks into my extensions i think (maybe a month) once to just change out a few stereaky colors and so she saw all the mats and taught me that new way to brush and showed me to
HOW TO BRUSH YOUR strand by strand EXTENSIONS
use shine spray as needed (dome care, leave in conditioner, flasher, etc)
1. hold your extensions at the root. take a small section, start at the bottom of the section brushing an inch or so and work your way up brushing more and more until you reach the top.
2. continue until you complete your head.
3. use your looper brush and do your head again.
4. Use your fingers and do your inner roots to make sure there is no matting or dreading between your real hair and the extension method underneath. (this part is SO important to do EVERY DAY. I learned if I do this every day, I have NO PROBLEMS and I am SO PROUD!!!! YAY!)
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flygirl1 wrote:
.Dont feel bad flygirl,most people are very misinformed.I was told I could wear great lengths for EIGHT MONTHS! I know how horrible would my hair have been.As far as matts go.I had crappy Bss hair in that tangled alot and tangled my natural hair with it.So the matting was probably due to alot of things.Wearing the hair for so long for one,crappy hair?
