A woman spent $1k trying to get rid of a mat in her hair - after unsuccessfully trying to get rid of it by smothering her head in olive oil, hair masks and even fabric softener. Elle Batchelor, 33, went for a swim in the ocean at in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and then an 8km run with her hair tied up in a plait. When she tried to take her hair out of a plait later that evening, it had matted together, and she was unable to get a brush through it. Elle's hair was so knotted she had to rush to seek the assistance of her best friend, Sarah, 30- to help detangle the mess. After going live on TikTok, 88,000 people joined to offer their assistance. Followers offered unusual solutions - including olive oil and a hair mask but the tangle got worse when they tried fabric softener. The following day, Elle left it to the professionals and paid a hefty $1,000 in Evo hair conditioner and labour for her friend, Chad, hairdresser to 'de-mat' her hair. Elle, a social media strategist, from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, said: "I went for a swim in the morning in the ocean and it got all salty. "I then went for an 8km run so I put my hair up. "I took my hair out of the hair band and it looked like a pine cone- it was stuck in shape. "This was when I first met my hair mat - who I nicknamed Mat - and it was love at first sight." Elle frantically tried to de-tangle her mane, but nothing would work so she went over to her best friend Sarah's house for assistance. They took to TikTok live to try and find a solution. "We tried to comb it out for hours and then went on YouTube to find an answer, but all of the tutorials were so long and convoluted," Elle said. "We decided to go on TikTok live and thought 10 people would join, but 88k people popped up. "They were telling us different things - a hairdresser told us to put olive oil in it. "We tried a hair mask and a conditioner, and it was getting worse and worse. "Someone suggested a fabric softener and it was the worst idea ever - it solidified." Elle went to sleep that night in a sleeping cap and took it off to "a beehive the size of Texas". Elle became increasingly anxious about the mat as she had an important presentation to deliver to clients. Sarah suggested going to her hair stylist friend, Chad, to sort out the mess. Elle added: "At that point I thought I was going to have to shave my head. "Chad took part in the separation negotiations, it took three and a half hours and 1.2 million people tuned in to watch. "People were invested in it, I felt really supported. "Chad used 10 bottles of Evo - a professional detangler - and gently combed mat out strand-by-strand. It slowly disintegrated. "It was the second-most expensive break-up I've ever been through." The initial hair mask cost $24.99, taking Sarah out for dinner as payment will set her back $150, Chad's labour cost $390 and 10 bottles of Evo conditioner cost $100. In the end, Chad didn't charge Elle for his hard graft. "It was a hot 48-hour-whirlwind, it was a bit like Romeo and Juliet," Elle said. "I don't want people to be upset with Mat, it was a co-dependent relationship and I needed to cut him out of my life - but we're on good terms. "I felt liberated like after any bad break up - it's tough while you're going through it but after it you feel free and lighter."
