How To Create The Perfect Bantu Knot-Out Set On Natural Hair

Who doesn’t like a great bantu knot set? Bantu knots are essentially heatless twists that you can add to your hair in sections to make springy curls all over your head (In the Caribbean they call it ‘Chiney bumps’).

A ‘Bantu knot-out’ is simply the release of the knots to create a curly fro or curly set. The thing about this hair style is that it looks different on everyone depending on the texture of the hair and in some cases how you choose to achieve the style. Here are the basic steps you will need to achieve a Bantu knot out.

Step 1

Start out with a clean slate – Cleansing the hair is a great way to start though not always necessary when doing Bantu knots. If the hair is clean and free of product you can add the products you will need to set the knots with enough confidence to know that your hair won’t be weighed down from previous product applications or ‘dirty hair’.

Step 2

Moisturize and condition – After a thorough cleanse, condition or moisturize the hair as usual in sections adding twists as you go along; this is the foundation for creating the knots. If you do decide to create the knots on dry hair just spray each section with your water based moisturizer to help with conditioning the hair prior to twisting. – try not to drench the section, just enough to keep your hair moist.

Step 3

‘Get to twistin’ – Each twist will be used to create its own knot against your head.  Grab a twist and literally twist it unto itself until it begins to curl and twirling it around with your fingers until you have a small knot against your head. Continue doing this with each of the twists you created in Step 2. The bigger the twist/knot the fluffier your result will be. If you want a lot of tight curls then you should make more twists and more knots.

Step 4

Added security -Secure each knot with a bobby pin if necessary, sometimes the act of twisting the hair will create such a tight knot that there is no fear of unraveling. But have some handy just in case.

Step 5

Air dry – If you created the knots on wet hair then allow them to dry thoroughly overnight to ensure a smooth result. If you created the knots on dry hair it helps to spritz them with a little water based moisturizer so that they can be moist and set well overnight

Step 6

The release – Coat your fingers with a little oil as you get ready to release each knot to ensure that you do not create any frizz. Release the knot carefully. Once done decide how much separation you will want in order to get your desired look. The more you separate the fluffier the result will be – you decide!

As it gets colder bantu knot sets should become more popular as the air is less humid and it is a great way to stretch your hair. Have you tried this style lately? What have been your results thus far?