Does your hair naturally dred up or form knots that hang on the end of your hair?

[Bigghair]

Natural hair coils on itself. The shed hairs become entangled, this is not considered to be dreads. I agree with AFashionSlave. Locing takes months. These are just tangles from shed hair or individual strand knots.

 

[ToyToy]

My hair doesn't dred, but it does have knots. I keep it in braids (single braids) now, which has greatly minimised the problem. I have 4a/b natural hair.

 

[LovelyLionessa]

I get single strand knots. I just trim them off as I find them.

 

[keluric]

I use silicone products so my hair stays lubricated and won't mat together.

 

[stormy07]

I get the little end knots, although I didn't start noticing them untill after I flat ironed my hair. I tend to leave my hair in a bun or a couple plaits with the ends tucked up to combat them.

 

[Eisani]

I've never had this problem until this month. I'm a year post texlax and I really think the relaxed ends are causing the problem. It looks like the shed hairs are tangling and knotting around my hair. I cut them out and will be getting a 2" trim this wk so hopefully that will help. I also realized I haven't been using my Denman much lately. I need to go back to using it every 2 days.

 

[anon123]

Ok. I'm officially worried. There's been several posts in the past week or so talking about accidental dread locks, so there's definitely a problem. From what I'm reading, it's a combo of co washing, air drying, not separating the strands enough, and product build up. African textured hair needs nothing to dread ...not even water, but nothing helps create UNcultivated dreads better than lots of water, air drying, wax, and not combing.

I hate to tell y'all but as your hair gets longer, this tendency grows. Relaxed heads don't have to worry much, fully relaxed I mean, but everybody from natural-textulaxed have to be concerned about the hair curling around itself. The reliance on conditioners simply gives this tendency the "glue" to hold the lock in place. Relaxed heads who "stretch" need to be super careful tho. If your new growth starts to dread close to your scalps, you have real problems...so watch for this.

My suggestion is that you detangle GENTLY while you still have conditioner in w/ a very wide toothed comb. Be careful about how much "water" you put on your head via leave ins and things....a little oil added to one will help give slip. Invest in a "horn" or "bone" comb. Then you'll have to shampoo every so often to remove the product build up from the conditioners. Remember people use wax to START dread locks, so you'll need to remove the wax off your strands every so.

Last but not least, run your fingers thru your whole head to check for them. The earlier you catch them, the easier it is to remove. If you air dry, section the hair off in some sort of style. The longer your hair is, the greater the risks of unintended dreads sneaking up on you.

As for single or a few strand knots, sorry girls, I can't help on prevention. They just seem to happen to everyone. The way I mostly avoid them is when I'm finishing off my plaiting at the ends, I'm VERY careful w/ how I choose to finish it. Take your braids/twists/plaits out VERY carefully and slowly. I find those little tangles come from impatience.

I totally agree. I remember when I tried the method from the biracial hair care guide of leaving all that conditioner in the hair. I didn't expect the curl definition (and rightly so, because I didn't get it), but someone suggested that it might help with the tangling. Negative. In fact it was like my hair was more glued together than before.

This is also why I'm not a big fan of "moisturizing" all the time. It's like it's blashphemy to suggest it on a black hair care site, but what you say just confirms what I feel. I can't comb my hair all the time because that's going to lead to breakage. But if I apply water or water-based products and don't comb, that leads to more knotting and tangling. Oil is better, so I'm more a proponent of "lubricated" hair than "moisturized". Moisture in a humid environment doesn't seem to cause this, but direct application of water to the hair does. I wonder if I should try steaming in dryer weather, then?

 

[CurlyMoo]

My hair knots up frequently but since I cut them out now I don't see them as often.

 

[LiberianGirl]

I don't know why I voted yeserplexed....I don't have this problem

 

[Lynnerie]

Well I voted when I was transitioning and now that I'm fully natural I do not have this problem anymore.

I never get knots or tangles and I co-wash my hair and airdry everyday.

I'm not sure if this will change with length but no problems so far. I think moisture is very important

I dont know what I'd do if I couldnt wet my hair everyday. I believe I'm a 4a.

 

[taj]

Yes, I get knots and balls at the ends of my hair. This happens when my hair is wet or if I sweat in it. My hair hasn't always done this. I thought that I was the only one experiencing this!

 

[NikStarrr]

Nope. I detangle once a week, so maybe that's why...

 

[bellecheveux]

I haven't really noticed any knots on my hair now that it's all natural, but when I was transitioning, I would get a few here and there. I would just snip them off and be on my way.

 

[curlcomplexity]

My hair dreads and tangles after every wash. I've just learned to deal with it and pull them apart gently. I detangle after every wash and that's it, no actual combing in between...I use my fingers and a brush to smooth.

 

[La Colocha]

I get the knots but i realized it is my fault. I always airdry its a habit i had even when i was relaxed i never used heat( Im a 4a natural now since last july). And i never do protective styles i always wash n go. But im changing that. Im twisting up my hair right now. I would like to know where do you buy a denman and how do you know which number to get?

 

[ANUBIS]

yeah i was struggling with this problem FOR MONTHS!!!! Even after relaxing after an 8th month stretch I had this happen EVERYTIME i washed my hair so i would get discouraged from getting my hair wet often. I finally decided to gently pull apart te dreads starting at the ends up then go over with a fine tooth comb then carefully use my denman brush over the section of hair to get all the shedded hair that finger combing wasnt getting. After that I havnt had a problem with tight dreads since. I was finger combing every week or so and never put a comb in my hair for like 6 months. So i recomend using a denman brush once in awhile to clean up those shed hairs that want to stick around lol

* I meant WIDE TOOTH COMB!

 

[*Michelle*]

I voted no.

 

[bnatural]

I thought I was the only one with this problem. I started applying MT every day instead of 3 days/week so I figured that's why it was dredding on the ends. MT does cause a lot of shedding and I do have a few split ends so it makes sense now what's going on with my hair. Thanks ladies for clearing that up for me.

 

[Lei*Lei]

This happens to me if i go too long without detangling, and do too many wash and gos without detangling.

I get dreds all throughout the middle of my head. I usually just try to gently comb it apart when this happens. I mainly try to prevent it by detangling every night before i go to bed and sleeping with my satin bonnet. Iv'e also started to limit my wash and gos.

 

[La Colocha]

I get the knots but i realized it is my fault. I always airdry its a habit i had even when i was relaxed i never used heat( Im a 4a natural now since last july). And i never do protective styles i always wash n go. But im changing that. Im twisting up my hair right now. I would like to know where do you buy a denman and how do you know which number to get?

I hardly ever get knots anymore. Now i always air dry in plaits and it has helped me tremendously, and i never sleep with my hair loose.

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

Transitioner checking in.

Knots are the DEVIL!!!

Today I really really detangled and i battled about 5 or 6 dready/tangled/knotty areas in the process. I am so sick of this!

 

[Pandora1975]

the hair on my nape does...my hair grows really really low at the back and so it rubs against my cloths and causes knots i usually fingercomb the hair several times which has resulted in less balls and overall frizziness

I get this- a lot. I finger them out. Same tor the ones on my longer hair.

 

[MrJohnsonsRib]

I've been getting those knots on sigle strands of hair too. Does that really come from air drying??? Please cause I hate the thought of trimming my ends every time I get a knot on my ends. I am so sick of this too long ot be short but too short to be long afro uneven puff!!! Argghhh!!! I just want to look like a cute African Goddess with my natural hair not like I was an extra in Roots....dang!! I'm about to sleep, eat, drink, walk, work with a head full of conditioner til I get enough hair to ponytail cause this aint cuttin it.

 

[mariofmagdal]

My hair is among the 3's, am natural, am a lil beyond waistlength. I noticed mine started to dred naturally as it grew longer. I don't get the knots at the ends, and it really is not all that bad to detangle. I have no idea what causes it. I just go on with my regular regime because it occurs naturally.

 

[darlingdiva]

I've been getting those knots on sigle strands of hair too. Does that really come from air drying??? Please cause I hate the thought of trimming my ends every time I get a knot on my ends. I am so sick of this too long ot be short but too short to be long afro uneven puff!!! Argghhh!!! I just want to look like a cute African Goddess with my natural hair not like I was an extra in Roots....dang!! I'm about to sleep, eat, drink, walk, work with a head full of conditioner til I get enough hair to ponytail cause this aint cuttin it.

You don't have to trim every time you get a knot on your ends. You can use a needle to get the knot out, depending on how loose it is. This doesn't work all the time, but it helps sometimes.

I use this method when I do S&Ds.

 

[fyb87]

I voted No, Type 3 and Natural. I have gotten a few knots. But, that only occurs when I start combing my hair from the roots instead of the ends!! I don't do that very often.

 

[MrJohnsonsRib]

I voted No, Type 3 and Natural. I have gotten a few knots. But, that only occurs when I start combing my hair from the roots instead of the ends!! I don't do that very often.

Ooh that probably may be why my hair is has those single strand knots. I never comb from ends to roots...it's weird to me...maybe because my hair is like 5 inches before shrinkage and I just use a denman most times in the shower. I really gotta pick a regimen. Not just to get healthy hair but to better figure out what works and what don't work.

 

[fletches]

I used to only finger comb, but now since this post partum shedding my hair has been trying to dread up. Now I have to detangle daily & I get those dang knots at the ends too.

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

i was getting knots of shed hair when i was just finger detangling but not getting all the shed hairs out. now that i detangle with my fingers and a comb, i don't have them anymore.​

 

[sheava]

I still get a few single strand knots, but nothing like I used to get. I starting wearing my hair in twists one to two weeks at a time. At night I put my twists in three to four braids and sleep with a satin cap on my head. I also keep my ends moisturized and baggy my whole head about three to four times a week. The straighter I keep my hair (with twists and braids), the less knots I get (keeping my hair moisturized also helps). I also wear my twists in a bun during the day.