Natural Hair: How To Prevent Single Strand Knots
Single strand knots are very common within the curly hair community. These knots feel like small beads along your hair shaft. This problem isn’t necessarily a result of bad hair care habits, but it can lead to damage if measures aren't implemented to minimize them.
What Causes Single Strand Knots?
First, we need to recognize that single strand knots are perfectly normal and not an indicator of bad hair care or unhealthy hair! Curly hair is more prone to tangles, which means that finding the occasional single strand knot shouldn’t be cause for alarm. With that being said, what actually causes single strand knots?
There are a few things that cause single strand knots. Your hair is constantly shedding (about 100 strands of hair per day) and sometimes these strands tend to lock up around each other which, in turn, creates single strand knots. The other cause of single strand knots has to do with the structure of your curly hair. Because of the oval shaped follicles, curly hair tends to loop onto itself leading to the formation of knots. This is particularly true for individuals with tight curls and coils.
How to Prevent Single Strand Knots
Depending on your curl type, some individuals are more prone to single strand knots than others. However, we have a few simple tips to help minimize these knots:
1. Seal Your Ends With a Hair Butter or Oil
Not only will a hair butter such as Kinky Tresses Coconut Mango Hair Butter keep your hair hydrated and moisturized, a hair butter will help to keep your ends smooth and slippery, which will make them less likely to tangle and knot up. If butters are too heavy for your ends, try using an oil such as Kinky Tresses Nourishing Hair Oil.
2. Keep The Hair Stretched
Hairstyles like braids, buns or twists not only protect all of your natural hair, but they also keep the hair stretched so that the strands do not curl onto themselves and get tangled up. This option is perfect for someone who is very active or just out and about. These styles will keep your hair secured in place all day.
Photo credit: @deevatresses_studio
3. Deep Condition Regularly
As you may know, healthy hair is less prone to excessive dryness, loss of moisture, tangles and single strand knots. Make sure your hair is in its healthiest state by deep conditioning regularly. Every time wash day comes around, make sure you are taking the time to deep condition your hair thoroughly. Kinky Tresses Avocado Infusion Restorative Conditioner is a great option for deep conditioning because it provides the perfect balance of moisture and protein which is needed to maintain healthy tresses.
4. Use A Dryer For Wash & Gos
I am definitely a wash n go type of girl. However, if you are frequently getting single strand knots with your wash and gos, it could be because you are air drying instead of using a diffuser or a dryer. When your hair is air drying in it’s free, loose state, it will naturally shrink up and curl onto itself. Invest in a good hooded dryer or diffuser. Having your hair air dry every single time you do your wash n' go style may be what's causing the single strand knots. Additionally, wash and gos are more defined, less frizzy and last longer if they are set with heat from a dryer.
5. Keep Up With Trims
Keeping up with trims will definitely help to minimize the amount of single strand knots you experience. The healthier your ends are, the less likely they are to knot up and form pesky single strand knots. Trim your ends as needed or every 4 months to keep your hair healthy.
Singles strand knots can be irritating at times. However, as stated previously, single strand knots do not mean your hair is unhealthy or that your are following a bad hair care routine. Curly hair is bound to knot up, there is no way to permanently prevent them. However, the tips above will help reduce the amount of single strand knots you see in your hair strands. We hope you found these tips helpful! If you'd like to see more tips click here. Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
