6 Ways to Deal With Single Strand Knots

Single strand knots. If you have naturally textured hair, they’re inevitable and, unfortunately, not completely preventable. But, there are a few things you can do to reduce the chances of them showing up.

A single strand knot forms when a strand of hair curls up on itself, creating a knot. They usually turn up the longer the hair is and the tighter the coil. So you TWA-wearing ladies probably won’t have to deal with this for a while but this list should help you handle the situation once you get some length.

Regular Trims

Staying on top of your trims is probably one of the best ways to control the occurrence of single strand knots. Actually, the existence of knots is one of the signs that you may need a trim. There is no one rule for how often everyone should trim their hair since everyone’s hair, lifestyle and circumstance is different. But a good schedule to follow is once every season or every three months, just to make sure everything stays on the up and up.

Wear Protective Styles

Kinky, coily or super curly strands will often become friendly and knot on themselves the more they’re worn loosely. If you limit wearing loose styles and opt for protective styles that keep your ends tucked away, the better your chances of keeping single strand knots at bay.

Keep Hair Stretched

If you still want to rock a loose style, try those that keep the hair stretched like braid-outs or twist-outs so there’s less chance of your strands intermingling and possibly creating knots.

Wash & Detangle Hair in Sections

As your hair gets longer, this is a good habit to get into. It’ll make wash day much easier and will help prevent knotting.

Moisturize & Seal Your Ends

This is something you should be doing anyways but if you start finding these knots often, this may be something you need to work on. While you would moisturize your damp hair right after washing, you may need to repeat the process a few times before your next wash, depending on how often you do so. Single strand knots will normally show up near the ends of the strand so be sure to pay special attention to those ends, especially when it comes to sealing with your oil or butter of choice.

Cut ‘Em Off

If you do find a knot, you can go ahead and cut it off. You may be tempted to just pull it right off the strand but that’ll only make matters worse. Don’t do it!

What do you do to keep single strand knots under control?

Xoxo,

Toia B.