single.strand.knots

[LatterGlory]

____________________

 

[Ms Lala]

It's normal. Keeping the hair stretched and sealing w/shea butter are helping me. ALso keeping my hands out of my hair helps because I'm not manipulating it (I like playing in my hair). I think it comes w/long hair territory. On long hair community there are lots of ladies with various textures of hair that get them as their hair gets long. It's not just kinky hair that gets this but I do think kinky hair is more prone to the single strand knots.

 

[Ms.Christ3n]

I just BCed for the fourth time. I cut off about 13 inches of hair. I needed a change. Now my hair is riddled with knots, and there is NOTHING I can do about them other than snip them off as I find them. When my hair was longer, I kept them at bay by keeping my hair stretched. When I'd wear it curly, as in my avatar, I'd be sure to do a search and destroy immediately after. Whatever you do, don't snap them off using your fingernails.

Oh no! That's what I do!

 

[dynamic1]

If I wear a wash-n-go, I put oil on my hair and stretch it before I wash it. Never start rinsing your hair in an unstretched fro!

The more lubricated my wash-n-go, the less SSKs I get. In addition, removing shed hair and detangling more often cuts down on tangles, which create SSKs. If I let my hair dry without a good leave-in, it becomes knot city. I have come to the point that I must keep my hair stretched, detangled, and moisturized to avoid too many SSKs. Products with mucilage herbs help minimize my tangles and knots. I need to be more consistent with using these again.

ETA: Never pull your hair apart to separate a tangle.

 

[SweetTea]

Like others have said, washing your hair in sections may help. What helps me avoid SSKs is keeping my ends oiled and off of each other. My ends always get extra moisturizer and then I gently comb them specifically before styling or wrapping my hair up for the night. When I let my hair get too dry, that's when I got SSKs.

 

[foxee]

As the other ladies mentioned washing in braids and moisturizing really helps but the only thing that completely eliminated my SSK was BKT.

 

[loulou82]

I bought nice shears from Sally's for the sole purpose of snipping off SSKs. Don't break them or snap them with your hands. You want to have a clean snip with scissors so the hair stand is left blunt and less likely to be frayed or torn at the end.

I get them often but they haven't hindered my progress. You have 100,000 plus hair strands on your head, so trimming off a few SSKs shouldn't be noticeable to your overall hair length.

 

[bellebebe]

LMAO!!!! hahahaha!

wth? I, King Tangle of Single Strand Knots is shocked that you would dare to threaten me! That's it, girlie, I is gonna be all up in yo hurr like my name is search warrant!

Don't you let me catch you out of braids, twists, moisturizer, ACV rinse, oil rinse, honey rinse ... hell, don't let me catch YOU outside da house or its ON, little girl!

 

[Aggie]

I'll be honest, I am newly natural and has been now for almost 2 months (7 weeks to be exact). I have seen maybe 2 or 3 knots when I had henna'ed my hair and after washing, DCing and moisturizing my hair in big braids, I no longer see or feel them in my hair anymore. The braids really do work to keep the SSK at bay for me.

 

[L.Brown1114]

thanks ladies i will try oil rinses. i have micros in right now, after i take these bad boys out i will try that and if that doesnt work hopefully my hair will be long enough to wash in braids

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Does this method prevent them for you entirely or just minimize them?

I would say both...it prevents my hair from tangling in the first place and minimizes them to a very miniscule amount every once in a blue moon

To anyone who knows what are considered "stretched" natural hairstyles that prevent SSKs where the hair is down/out? Twist outs, braid outs, bantu knot outs??

Yep, Straw Sets, flexi-rod sets, rollersets, presses, curl-former sets..pixie braids, mini twists etc

 

[Tyra]

When I get them, I cut them immediately.
W&G's are the friggin devil sometimes.
SSK burn my soul.

 

[Nubenap22]

Am I the only one who gets them in the nape and edges?? I keep it moisturized and seal it with castor oil but like my nape ( the very bottom hairs =1 inch) get napp city!!! Any advice on these?

 

[Ms.Christ3n]

I just braided my hair with shea butter...I'm going to try this for a while to see if this helps my knots

 

[L.Brown1114]

Am I the only one who gets them in the nape and edges?? I keep it moisturized and seal it with castor oil but like my nape ( the very bottom hairs =1 inch) get napp city!!! Any advice on these?

i get them there too, i have no idea how to deal with those!

 

[Qurlyqt]

SSK are evil evil:. I really abhor them! I just recently wore wash & go or loose styles for about a week and those pesky knots wreaked havoc on my ends! I had to pull out the scissors TWICE in 2 weeks!

 

[missykeyana]

I've accepted them as a part of being natural, but I notice that when I am wearing more twists/twistouts and less wash & gos, I get less of them. I normally don't cut them out because they are not hindering my retention, but I get a trim every three months to minimize their impact.

 

[tiffal1922]

Bumping this thread for some more insight on SSKs in the nape area...idk how to tackle them!!!

 

[ZkittyKurls]

Ive always snaped them off with my fingers..maybe i should keep a small pr of scissors with me at all times..lol! but if i see them mostly at the ends, does it mean that its time for a trim? or that its inevitable because my hair curls at the ends... :\

 

[glamazon386]

Keeping your hair stretched should help keep the knots at bay.