7 Tips On How To Prevent Single Strand Knots Once And For All

I used to have a very bad habit of plucking my single strand knots right off the strands. I would literally feel one at the end of my hair and pull it off until I felt a smooth strand. Let me be clear, this is the worse way you could ever deal with these pesky little things.

For those of you who do not know what a single strand knot is, let me give you a short lesson. Curly hair has the tendency to not only curl and clump with your other strands but each strand can also curl on itself and form a knot at the end of your hair strand.

This is the nature of curly hair, stylists will tell you that it comes with the territory and a number of knots you have really increase around the time that you need a trim.

Most naturals myself included, find them to be pretty annoying and if you are anal about knots you will always have a pair of hair shears nearby to get rid of them the correct way.

Personally, I have tried the option of living with them but that did not last and over the years I have learned many ways of cutting down the amount I have drastically.

So how do you get rid of single strand knots? Here are 7 tips you can use in your own hair care regimens to get rid of the number of knots you have.

1. Do not cleanse in circular motions

When you shampoo there is no need to move your hands in circular motions all over your hair, the focus should always be your scalp.

Mixing and mingling your hair on purpose is the perfect formula for single strand knots. When you are rinsing your hair use praying hands in a downward motion encouraging your hair to stretch out as much as possible.

Detangle and style your hair in ways that keep your hair tangle-free using sections and twists or braids.

2. Keep your ends straight

Single strand knots occur mostly at the ends of our hair where the hair tends to coil the most. This means you have to find a way to stretch the ends and smooth them out as your hair dries or during dry sets.

You can stretch your ends using perm rods* or skinny flexi rods* on the ends of your hair for twist outs or braid outs.

I never ever do a twist out or braid out without perm rods* on the ends of my hair, it is mandatory and it cuts down my single strand knots significantly.

3. Stretch your hair

This leads me to stretching! We all love a dope fro but of you wear a fro every day, you better be prepared to contend with single strand knots every day.

Stretching your hair using heatless styles like twist outs, braid outs, flexi rod* sets, roller sets or twist and curls helps your hair to resist the temptation of curling on itself.

If you consistently stretch your hair, you will find that your knots will all but disappear. Find your signature stretch style and stick with it and watch your knots decrease significantly.

4. Dry hair

Single strand knots thrive in dry hair, so if your hair is dry and brittle you will notice that they will be all up and through your hair.

Keep your hair healthy and moisturized so that your ends remain untangled. Dry hair leads to tangled hair which is what causes the most single strand knots.

5. Be diligent with your regimen

Deep condition weekly to give your hair the best chance at retaining moisture as well as be very deliberate when applying all your products.

Focus on the ends of your hair when using conditioner, sealants, and your stylers so that the ends are trained to stay stretched.

6. Trim often

These days I am the girl with the best shears on the planet right in my product cabinet because a sistah is no longer afraid to trim inches of frazzled ends.

If your hair tangles a lot and for no reason, trim it!, If your styles are not looking quite right especially at the ends, trim it! If you have so many single strand knots that you have no idea what to do anymore, trim it!

We tell naturals all the time that when your ends are healthy everything else will get easier. Your styles will look better and your hair will clump in ways that do not encourage knots. If you think your knots are excessive, trim your hair and then start stretching your hair to prevent them from coming back.

7. Learn your “knot tolerance”

You do not have to accept single strand knots to the point of being detrimental to your hair, but if you are doing everything right and you still have one or two, that’s ok.

At the end of the day we do have curly hair and so you might have a few single strand knots here and there even with the best techniques being employed.

Know what is tolerable for your hair and deal with it accordingly. How do you deal with single strand knots?