Best way to get out the dreads and matts?
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Category: Hair Extension Topics
Forum Name: Hair Extensions
Forum Description: Hair Extensions can be the quick fix for short hair.
URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=32774
Printed Date: February 06 2026 at 5:46pm
Topic: Best way to get out the dreads and matts?
Posted By: flygirl1
Subject: Best way to get out the dreads and matts?
Date Posted: July 10 2005 at 12:21am
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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 :-) |
Replies:
Posted By: amm
Date Posted: July 10 2005 at 3:37am
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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! ------------- http://shrinkies.net - Extension Supplies & Virgin Brazilian Hair |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 10 2005 at 8:07am
| Thanks amm! I will look into them. |
Posted By: metalgirl
Date Posted: July 10 2005 at 10:51am
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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.
------------- http://www.Godiva-Hair.com - http://www.Godiva-Hair.com http://www.MetamorphosisHairDesign.com - http://www.MetamorphosisHairDesign.com |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 10 2005 at 12:43pm
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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. |
Posted By: sherrie215
Date Posted: July 10 2005 at 1:06pm
| 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! |
Posted By: mochachip
Date Posted: July 10 2005 at 1:43pm
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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. Oh and Welcome! :)al |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 10 2005 at 2:29pm
| 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. |
Posted By: metalgirl
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 12:03am
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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. ------------- http://www.Godiva-Hair.com - http://www.Godiva-Hair.com http://www.MetamorphosisHairDesign.com - http://www.MetamorphosisHairDesign.com |
Posted By: amm
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 1:06am
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. ------------- http://shrinkies.net - Extension Supplies & Virgin Brazilian Hair |
flygirl1 wrote:Posted By: Kris408
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 1:17am
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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 |
Posted By: Longhairdreams
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 10:08am
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Thats not very nice. But I agree I havent worn locs before and the flatiron is completely uneccessary.Pliers will take them out just fine. ------------- 
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.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?Posted By: Kalika
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 10:54am
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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. |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 12:09pm
| 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. |
Posted By: mochachip
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 12:41pm
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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) |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 2:06pm
| 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. |
Posted By: mochachip
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 2:22pm
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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. |
Posted By: delin
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 7:36pm
| 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. |
Posted By: TanglesRC
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 8:43pm
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. good luck
------------- Bringing beauty, one head at a time... |
Posted By: MERGUTHRIE
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 9:01pm
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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 http://www.dareyourhair.com - 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!) (should we add this to 101?)
Mer
------------- i love plastikhaar |
Posted By: Bridget
Date Posted: July 14 2005 at 9:12am
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flygirl, that really sucks! Do you have any pics you can load? I just removed my extentubes and went thru the same thing w/the little knots and matting. I sprayed conditioner everywhere and sat there for like 45 min. working them all out. (I'll post pics in a little bit) |
Posted By: mamabunny
Date Posted: July 16 2005 at 10:06am
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Hey Flygirl- You might want to try bond remover shampoo- it safely eats through latex residue.They sell it in most black bss.I used this brand called Hair Ecstasy (very elegant title, non?).I had horrible latex matted dreads in my hair-I just left the goo on for a few hours, washed it twice and it was all gone.Now in emergencies I sometimes use latex 'coz I know I can always get most of the crap out with these products.Good luck! |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 16 2005 at 12:05pm
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Mer, thanks so much for posting -- I am going to try what you learned. This is a lot of good advice. I think I'll be attempting to do this next week -- taking out the eurolocs and then reusing the same hair with shrinkies. The hair itself is in good shape. I tried to call the number on the takedown website, but it was disconnected. I also called several beauty supply stores in my area and they didn't carry it. SO, I will try the bond remover shampoo and let everyone know how it goes.
|
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 16 2005 at 12:07pm
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Bridget, I don't have any pics of the matts. I tried taking some with my phone and they didn't show enough detail to be any good. I have some of me, which show my hair, but they weren't taken specifically for the hair, so again they aren't really detailed.
|
Posted By: TanglesRC
Date Posted: July 17 2005 at 6:25pm
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fly- where are u located??? ------------- Bringing beauty, one head at a time... |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 18 2005 at 12:29am
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I am near Allentown, PA. |
Posted By: zapevaj
Date Posted: July 18 2005 at 4:08pm
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Flygirl- the thing that's confusing most people is that what you were
doing with a flat-iron sounds like the way one would remove shrink
links (little shrinkable plastic tubes), but you say your stylist does
Eurolocs- which, last I knew, are small metal tubes that are crimped
flat with pliers. Which one sounds most like what you've got in? 'Cause
maybe Eurolocs came out with a shrinklink method or something, or maybe
your stylist is actually doing a shrinklink method instead of eurolocs,
ro something. As for the matts- I find it's far easier to work from the top. Like you said, most of the matted hairs are ones that are shead already, so rather than trying to pull -them- out of the tangle, I grab from the top and pull the hairs that are still attached to my head out of the dread, pulling up (towards the scalp). After doing this a few times, you can slide the baby-dread off of your own hair, and you're done. I had natural dreads for three years, and took them out recently this way, and maintained most of my hair with very little breakage. -Rae ------------- http://www.hairalchemy.net - Hair Alchemy |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 18 2005 at 9:49pm
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Thanks Rae! Your method is exactly what I was doing -- pulling
the hairs still attached to my head out of the dread to work the dreads
out. Sorry for the confusion about this, but again, I have metal Eurolocs on my hair, and they do come out easily with the flat iron. I heat them for a few seconds and they slide out. Also if I blow dry my roots with too much heat they also slip out. I am going to try a shrinkies install this week. |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 20 2005 at 2:29am
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THEY ARE OUT!!! Every last one of them! I took them out using the flatiron, and that was easy. Then washed my hair three times and scrubbed a lot. Dried it, and then worked the dreads out from the top. |
Posted By: zapevaj
Date Posted: July 20 2005 at 1:17pm
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Dontcha just love that naked-scalp feeling? Not so much the naked-hair
feeling (I hate my hair without extensions), but being able to run a
brush right over your scalp again is kinda nice. -Rae ------------- http://www.hairalchemy.net - Hair Alchemy |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 20 2005 at 4:20pm
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I LOVe that feeling too, but it was short lived -- I put in black and red HH today using shrinkies. Rae, I can't get your site to come up. Any help with that?
|
Posted By: Jenny_RR
Date Posted: July 20 2005 at 10:03pm
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Congratulations on getting them out, and don't feel bad about leaving
them in for so long--there are so many claims that you can leave these
things in for 8 months or a year, it's ridiculous. I'm suprised, frankly, that they came out with a flatiron, but perhaps that was enough to melt the waxy tip inside so it slid right out. Interesting technique. :) |
Posted By: zapevaj
Date Posted: July 21 2005 at 6:36am
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Flygirl- oooo, red! Photos? My site seems to be comingup now- maybe my hosting provider went down briefly? ------------- http://www.hairalchemy.net - Hair Alchemy |
Posted By: flygirl1
Date Posted: July 21 2005 at 9:16am
| Hi I actually did this while I was on a trip for work (I am a pilot) and didn't bring my camera. I will take some pics and post them when I get home. It was my first attempt, and I have never cut hair, so we (myself and the flight attendant) pre-layered the red. Then we did a row of black at the bottom, a row of red above that, and more black above that still... Then we took down the sections and filled in the holes so that the hair would have a v taper down the back. I bought a feather razor and we trimmed it a little. How do the other DIY people cut their own hair, especially in the back? I have seen some pretty nice DIY pics. |