Curly Hair Means More Knots? Less Knots on Straight Hair?

[wyldcurlz]

pixie knots, fairy knots - whatever they're called...

i've spent the past hour cutting out those little knots and i'm sick of them! do you think i'd have less knots if i wore my hair straight (rollerset or flat ironed) than you get with curly hair, buns, braid outs/twist outs?? i hate seeing the length i'm losing (yes, even on a strand-by-strand basis) because of these knots. what are your thoughts?

 

[Dauntless]

I get these knots too...real bad in the nape...I usually wear my hair straight now to avoid this....It's seems the longer my hair got the worse they got...I wish I knew how to avoid them other then wearing it straight...

 

[Whimsy]

what's a pixie/fairy knot?

 

[MarieB]

I think she's talking about single-strand knots.

 

[PPGbubbles]

Yes when you wear your hair curly or naturally kinky you will find that you will have more Single strand knots (ssk) because the individual hair coils around itself and knots. Now to reduce or eliminated the number of knots you do not necessarily have to wear your hair straight.

If your wear strechted styles such as braid outs or twistwouts you will find the number of SSKs will be greatly reduced, if not elimiated.

Also I wash my hair in plaits or twist to cut down on SSKs because wash time used to created more problems for me in that area.

 

[wyldcurlz]

I get these knots too...real bad in the nape...I usually wear my hair straight now to avoid this....It's seems the longer my hair got the worse they got...I wish I knew how to avoid them other then wearing it straight...

i'm beginning to think that's the only way i can combat these things is by wearing it straight. then i feel like its a catch-22, straight = heat which could mean damage. but curly = rough knots that i have to cut! ugh!
thanks

ps: your hair is stunning and i'm now drooling!

 

[LatterGlory]

I've always been proactive towards finding answers.

1. They are also called fairy knots.

2. Protective stlyes e.g buns and roller setting helps to deter them.

3. Snip them off ASAP as they will cause more damage on the hair strand if left unchecked.

4. They are a natural occurence in curly hair.

5. Keeping hair well moisturized and using a deep conditioner seems to help.

6. Trim your hair every so often with good sharp scissors.

I got tons of SSKs when I was doing W&G.

 

[wyldcurlz]

what's a pixie/fairy knot?

I think she's talking about single-strand knots.

yes - single strand knots. (and thanks MarieB.) i've heard some people (probably mostly caucasians) calling them pixie knots or fairy knots. its those tiny little knots, as if your hair tied itself into a knot. usually its one strand. you can't get them untied so your only option (i think) is to cut them off just above the knot - or to try to prevent them. i hate them!!

 

[MrsHdrLe]

This is why I straighten my hair more than I'd like to in theory. I even started a thread about it (Is Heat Really That Bad), and the consensus is to basically do what works for your hair and you. Don't get caught up in someone else's journey and practices. If straightening with heat or relaxers (do your own research to determine which would work best for you) makes you feel better about handling you hair then do just that.

 

[locabouthair]

pixie knots, fairy knots - whatever they're called...

i've spent the past hour cutting out those little knots and i'm sick of them! do you think i'd have less knots if i wore my hair straight (rollerset or flat ironed) than you get with curly hair, buns, braid outs/twist outs?? i hate seeing the length i'm losing (yes, even on a strand-by-strand basis) because of these knots. what are your thoughts?

I got them a lot when I was natural. And I'm getting them a lot now because I'm stretching.

 

[aegis]

yes. this is why i am going to use heat regularly now. i used to braid my hair without flow drying it. i will be blowdrying it now beforehand

 

[ChristmasCarol]

My youngest daughter (natural) has this problem, too. I can sometimes pick them loose with a straight pin. I've stopped cutting them all off, but I also rarely let her wear her hair loose in puffs anymore, and that's helped immensely. I also keep castor oil on her ends, and I think the heaviness keeps them away a bit.

 

[SweetSpirit86]

I didn't have issues with knots at all when I was relaxed. Just issues with pulling a comb through NG.

 

[PinkSkates]

During the summer when I wear my hair in its natural state, I keep the knots to a minimum by stretching out my ends and coating them with my favorite moisturizer every other day. The layer of moisturizer makes it harder for the hair strands to wrap around itself and one another.

 

[wyldcurlz]

During the summer when I wear my hair in its natural state, I keep the knots to a minimum by stretching out my ends and coating them with my favorite moisturizer every other day. The layer of moisturizer makes it harder for the hair strands to wrap around itself and one another.

THANKS!! ...and this is probably a dumb question but how do you stretch your ends while you're wearing hair/drying hair in its natural state? this is my main problem, because my hair seems to do better when i go longer without heat, but i've got to do something to straighten my ends or whatever will keep them from wrapping around each other.

i moisturize nightly - maybe too often? with a little leave-in and some oil (either coconut, jojoba, avocado or grapeseed) to seal.

 

[productjunkie814]

I found that I get less of them them when I wear my hair in twists and twist outs. When I do notice that I have more of them than I would like, I do a rreeeallllyyy small trim.

 

[Myjourney2009]

During the summer when I wear my hair in its natural state, I keep the knots to a minimum by stretching out my ends and coating them with my favorite moisturizer every other day. The layer of moisturizer makes it harder for the hair strands to wrap around itself and one another.

This is true indeed, my daughter was always getting these stupid knots and I could not for the life of me figure out why. I was putting my homemade leave in on her hair everyday and still those dumb knots. I chalked it up to her swimming and I got her a trim, but days later those darn knots again and I knew it was not her ends because the stylist cut of a good inch. Later on that week as I was putting the leave-in on her hair I had the thought to pull down and twirl her hair in the direction of the coil (she is natural and wears braids and the end coils/spirals) and tried that for the week and no more knots. The verdict was that her ends were not getting the moisture when I was just running my hands down her braids with the leave in.

My hair is getting those knots and I am relaxed, I know it is because of this dye I have and I cant wait until I can get it is gone. My ends do not hold moisture at all. I just cut them off as I feel them and KIM.

 

[PinkSkates]

THANKS!! ...and this is probably a dumb question but how do you stretch your ends while you're wearing hair/drying hair in its natural state? this is my main problem, because my hair seems to do better when i go longer without heat, but i've got to do something to straighten my ends or whatever will keep them from wrapping around each other.

i moisturize nightly - maybe too often? with a little leave-in and some oil (either coconut, jojoba, avocado or grapeseed) to seal.

Sorry for the late response...and no its not a dumb question. When I'm wearing my hair 100% natural,(no heat whatsoever) I section it into 8-10 sections, apply a butter or oil as I braid or twist my hair. I apply clips or bands down the length of my hair. The weight of the clips and or bands stretch the hair as it dries.