Does anyone not care about single strand knots?

[glamazon386]

I know I have some SSKs but I leave them alone. I only really seem to notice them when my hair is straight. They're not out of control or causing tangles and breakage. They don't bother me so I don't bother them.

 

[DarkVictory]

I never paid attention to them before joining this forum; I never knew they were supposed to be a problem, just that they were a fact of curly/coily hair.

Ditto. I detangle with my fingers or Denman knockoff only. Since I don't use a comb, there's nothing for them to catch on. I rarely get splits, either.

Responses range from "they tear my head up" to "What are they?" Definitely aeems like one of those individual things.

 

[Yoshi3329]

ok...i have the Redken Anti-Snap. I need to pull that out.

Rice Bran oil? Do you mind me asking why you pre poo with it? I don't think i have ever used this oil.

I choose Rice bran oil because it was cheapest when I bought it online. Wheat germ oil cost too much.

 

[Prettyeyes]

You can get ssk's with short hair, I get them but I noticed that if you just snip them as you see them you will not get a big tangle and you also don't have to lose length. My dd has longer hair and she gets them I just snip em' and keep going!

If you are not fully natural you may start to get them once you BC becuase the straight ends are helping keep them at bay right now for you!

 

[RedVelvet310]

I don't care about them.. I've had them since I started my natural journey and my hair is still growing beautifully

 

[chebaby]

i dont really get ssk and when i do i dont panic lol. i rarely trim my hair and id like to keep it that way but i do wash and gos all week long so.....

 

[MadisonK]

I choose Rice bran oil because it was cheapest when I bought it online. Wheat germ oil cost too much.

Thanks! I have a lot of different types of oils, but no rice bran or wheat germ. I wonder if i'm missing out.

 

[MadisonK]

I wonder if people with a finer texture hair get SSK more than coarser hair. My hair is coarse and thick.

 

[Determined22]

I do 98% wash and go's and I don't think i have ever had a SSK...that I know of. lol Is it because my hair is still really short? What causes SSK?

I co-washed & wore a wash a go for the first 8 months that I was natural & I didn't notice them because I kept my hair shrunken all the time. When I started to keep my hair stretched is when I started noticing them - I have A LOT of shrinkage & my hair coils up as soon as moisture hits it, so keeping the ends stretched when I'm wearing twists or a twistout is a challenge.

I'm considering keeping my hair straightened this winter, or hidden under a half-wig to see if that helps the SSK problem. I'm tired of cutting them off everytime I twist my hair.

 

[Louisex3]

they annoy the hell out of me, i'm debating whether to cut, but some strands, the knot is quite high up, so this results in sacirficing length

 

[La Colocha]

I hardly get them at all and when i do i don't mind it.

 

[silenttullip]

Welp for the past 6 months I haven't cared about them and it's going alright lol

 

[NikStarrr]

Nope. Don't care. They don't cause the hair to break--not in my case, that is. Plus, they tend to only be on the last 1-2 inches of my hair. As long as I trim periodically (my norm is about 3 times a year), it keeps them to a minimum.

 

[Quita]

I was plagued with SSKs for almost a year, I got lazy, stopped DC'ing on a regular basis, my hair was dry and shedding, there was always tons of hair when I removed the wig and unbraided my hair, then more hair in the tub enough for me to grab in clumps and put in the trash and then more hair when I went to braid my hair to go back under the wig; and I stopped coming to LHCF no reason just being lazy; (Wigging it until July 2011)

well lesson learned I bought a steamer, I co-wash twice a week and DC twice a week; brought back Giovini Direct leave-in and incorporated wheat germ oil; I have to say I've gone from shedding tons of hair to less then 10 strands of shed hair per wash and maybe or 2 SSks per wash. That's a drastic change and I'm not anexpert but I truly believe that increasing moisture level helped almost eliminate SSks and shedding for me.

 

[Morenita]

They ignore the ever living (insert explicative here) out of me. I did wash n go's for the first 5 months after my b/c and had a big surprise when I straightened and found my head full of them. I noticed them when I went to flat iron and my maxiglide kept catching on my ends, which felt crispy and raggedy. I couldn't understand why, until I looked closer. I spent 2 days, taking hours here and there to snip them out, there were literally over 200. (My hair is extremely coily.) I definitely notice that they catch on clothes, and have seen them on broken hairs so I'm leaning towards the thought that they are more of a detriment.

I have since began a new regimen in hopes of both reducing the number of ssk's, and obtaining healthier hair overall and at least 90% length retention. Just the usual stuff, d/cing, keeping my hair in stretched styles, moisturizing frequently, etc. Here's to hoping. If none of that cuts back on them, I'll probably just give in and accept them as a fact of being natural. I can guarantee that they won't make me go back to relaxers however.

 

[glamazon386]

This question is for the Ladies who mentioned that they didn't start seeing SSKs until their hair got longer - At what length did SSKs become a problem for you? I'm thinking I'm not in the long hair territory yet and that may be why I haven't had a problem just yet.

 

[IrisDaVirus]

They've never really bothered me. As long as I stay on top of detangling, my hair doesn't get overwhelmed by them. Deep conditioning and oil rinses are a big help too.

 

[Vshanell]

Just reading the responses I think there may be some confusion for some on what single strand knots are. It's an actual knot on one single strand of hair. The curl ties itself up through manipulation and handling and forms a knot. No product will really help prevent that. If you have curls/coils there's a strong chance that they will form knots on their own no matter what you do.

IMO the only way to prevent or reduce them would be to wear stretched styles all the time or keep your hair straight.

The knot would start like this.....

Then through handling, combing, any manipulation that loop will totally close to this....

 

[Vshanell]

I found this info online....there's an actual name for this (Trichonodosis)....

http://naturalhairrules.blogspot.com/2010/06/maneandchics-10-tips-for-preventing-one.html

Trichonodosis also known as One Strand Knots, Single Strand Knots, Fairy Knots, Pixie Knots and Peppercorn Knots are one of the most annoying things about having naturally curly to kinky hair. I've rarely ever heard them referred to as endearing (and only if the person was being sarcastic). Most women either hate or ignore them. They charge them as just a necessary evil of being natural. When I first cut off my relaxed ends, I became all too familiar with these little nasties. Over time, I learned a few ways to manage these vexatious diminutive tangles. So before you sentence yourself to countless hours of your life staring at your strands through a magnifying glass — needle and scissors in tow — here are a couple of ideas on how to prevent single strand knots or reduce their occurrence.

1. Moisturize at least twice a day with a nutritive moisturizer. Look for super moisturizing natural ingredients. Remember that oil is not a moisturizer. Make sure the strands are moisturized before you seal with an oil. Moisturized hair is less likely to knot up.

2. Do not give your hair the opportunity to coil up on it's own: wear protective styles, braids, braid outs, twist outs or roller sets. For extra protection against knots, set the ends on rollers. This may be difficult to swallow if you're a 'wash-n-go' type of girl, but if the knots are really getting on your nerves, you will have to decide whether you love your 'fro more or hate the knots.

3. Protect your hair while you sleep. Wear silk/satin bonnets or scarves to bed. Braid, twist, bun or place your hair so that it's comfortable for you to sleep, but in a way that it won't coil up on it's own ends. Friction from cotton bedding can damage the hair over time if it's not being protected.

4. Deep condition or use deep treatments on your hair weekly and really focus on taking care of those ends. Healthy hair is less likely to tangle, mat and knot.

5. Employ the use of oiling well-conditioned wet hair (also) known as oil rinsing to seal to make your hair easier to detangle. One way is to deep condition, apply oil and use a heat cap or wear the treatment overnight. Another way is to shampoo, oil, condition and rinse the hair. This makes the hair easier to detangle and prevents knots and matting.

6. Do thorough, but careful detangling. Use a seamless fine tooth comb after detangling with a wide tooth comb or your fingers (and perhaps a Denman brush). Always start and the ends and work your way up. This is not something you'd want to do everyday because using a comb in a hurry is tantamount to using a pair of scissors if you aren't careful. A careful detangling should take A LOT of time. Divide your hair into sections and detangle each section before moving on to another section.

7. If you must shampoo, only apply the shampoo to your scalp. I shampoo once a month or less. I find that applying shampoo to my scalp on dry hair before any water ever touches my hair is a far superior method than the traditional way of shampooing. I section my hair and apply to my scalp as if I'm greasing my scalp and then rinse out in the shower, making sure to really massage all of the shampoo out. Sometimes I also apply shampoo to my scalp , diluted with water, with an applicator bottle. With both methods, my hair never mats up, it's far easier to detangle and that means I loose less hair when I wash. Shampoo can strip old fragile ends — a breeding ground for fairy knots.

8. Stay away from towels and cotton. I never ever use towels or cotton on my hair. They can snag on curly and kinky hair, causing split ends and those dreaded knots. Would you wipe down a Bentley with a cotton bath towel? Treat your hair the same.

9. Smooth your hair. Before styling or setting your hair, run your fingers down sections of your hair as if you are flat ironing your hair between your fingers. This will reduce frizz, stretch, smooth and lessen the chances of getting knots.

10. Keep your hands out of your hair. Too much manipulation will scratch the cuticle, wreak havoc and can lead to split or splitting ends and pixie knots. Would you claw at antique cotton drapes or a fabulous silk dress?

 

[Ediese]

I had horrible tangling and ssks when I first became natural. It got worse the longer my hair grew. My curls would clump together, and I guess the shed hair would knot up. I had to make sure I detangled daily, but I still had this issue. The only thing that got of them was the bkt.

Now that my bkt has long worn off, I've found that really keeping my hair moist and twisting it up helps alot. I don't have issues with those pesky knots anymore. If I ever tried wash n gos, I know it'd be trouble, so I don't do it.

 

[Ediese]

Thanks for posting Pokahontas! That must be what's helping my hair now. I moisturize twice a day everyday, twist my hair, and I no longer have ssks.

Oh yea, I don't hardly cowash anymore. That leaves me open to trouble. I wash less frequently too.

 

[EllePixie]

Yes, thank you! I know my main problem is that I have MAJOR Hand in Hair syndrome and I try to not touch my hair but I'm always twisting my curls around! I need gloves...

 

[Anew]

I keep my hair in pixie braids 100% of the time, I've experienced SSKs only a few times since going natural. When I did see an SSk I would just cut that little knot off

 

[IrrationalThoughts]

I don't think I have a strand that doesn't have them. I think it comes with the territory. My hair is super coily, so...

I don't do wng all that often anymore, but they are still there. I found 1 strand with 4. I just cut, cut, cut. I may star carrying scissors around.

 

[SweetSpirit86]

Not for me. But this is probably because I tend to overanalyze EVERYTHING. For me, one SSK can lead to snags on other hairs that wrap themselves around that SSK and cause an MSK and then get snapped off and cause split ends while I'm detangling. So no...I can't ignore SSKs, don't have the strength lol.

 

[Janet']

Great post Pokahantas!!!

 

[Lynnerie]

I have a pair of scissors in my car and I used to keep a pair in my purse. I was obsessing over the SSK's. Now, if I have that I notice I will get rid of it but I don't allow them to control me and how I wear my hair.

I think the worse thing is snapping them off which is why I keep scissors just incase. Although I get them they are closer to the ends of my hair and they haven't affected my retention.

 

[darlingdiva]

I wonder if people with a finer texture hair get SSK more than coarser hair. My hair is coarse and thick.

I wonder about this too. My strands are fine and I have single-strand knots galore.

I co-washed & wore a wash a go for the first 8 months that I was natural & I didn't notice them because I kept my hair shrunken all the time. When I started to keep my hair stretched is when I started noticing them - I have A LOT of shrinkage & my hair coils up as soon as moisture hits it, so keeping the ends stretched when I'm wearing twists or a twistout is a challenge.

I'm considering keeping my hair straightened this winter, or hidden under a half-wig to see if that helps the SSK problem. I'm tired of cutting them off everytime I twist my hair.

This is what I plan on doing.

they annoy the hell out of me, i'm debating whether to cut, but some strands, the knot is quite high up, so this results in sacirficing length

DITTO! I HATE THEM!

Just reading the responses I think there may be some confusion for some on what single strand knots are. It's an actual knot on one single strand of hair. The curl ties itself up through manipulation and handling and forms a knot. No product will really help prevent that. If you have curls/coils there's a strong chance that they will form knots on their own no matter what you do.

IMO the only way to prevent or reduce them would be to wear stretched styles all the time or keep your hair straight.

The knot would start like this.....

Then through handling, combing, any manipulation that loop will totally close to this....

This is exactly what my hair does. I have to care about them because they wreak havoc on my hair if I ignore them. I've heard that grease helps to keep them at bay, so I've been sealing my ends with grease.

 

[freecurl]

I HATE them!!!

 

[Forever in Bloom]

Thanks for posting Pokahontas! That must be what's helping my hair now. I moisturize twice a day everyday, twist my hair, and I no longer have ssks.

Oh yea, I don't hardly cowash anymore. That leaves me open to trouble. I wash less frequently too.

Yep. I've been doing all of these things Those SSK's are going bye bye; not to mention that I have been doing S & D's every now and again. Yay!!