Single strand knots are normal when it comes to curly, kinky hair since the curls are tightly held, the looser the curls, the less the single strand knots. Single strands happen when a single strand twist around itself forming a knot.

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So, we are taking a break from the moisturizing series and talk single strand knots. Ever put your hands in your hair and feel some little balls at the end or anywhere on you strand? Well, those are the little annoying single strand knots or fairy knots.

Single strand knots are caused by manipulation, lack of moisture, improper or skipping detangling & deep conditioning, trims or dusting. As I type this I’ve got a couple of single strand knots which I’ll be dusting or rather searching and destroying them.

During my transitioning days, I never had the patience to detangle so I would just pull and break them off but now I know better and doing better. Never pull them off your hair just trim your hair to reduce bigger knots due to knotting and tangling with shed hair. You can’t completely get rid of single strand but you can minimize the occurrence which will too minimize breakage.

Experiencing severe Hair breakage? 12 ways to stop it.

How to reduce single strand knots on type 4 hair.

Proper Detangling

Detangling the right way will reduce knots. Use an instant detangler or conditioner to give you a good slip and detangle from the ends to the roots. Catch up detangling tips and how to properly detangle here.

Moisturizing and sealing

Dry hair is prone to knotting so keep your strands moisturized, use LOC/LCO methods to moisturize your hair paying more attention to your ends since they are the driest and oldest part of your hair. Moisturized hair is less likely to tangle and knot, get to know about more ways to moisturize and seal in the moisture here.

Moisturizing products and tools for 4C Natural Hair.

How to keep Type 4 Natural Hair Moisturized for Longer

Top 40 Leave-In conditioners for 4C Natural Hair.

How to use leave-in Conditioners on Type 4 Natural Hair.

Avoid/ Go slow on Wash & Go

Have always wanted to nail a wash and go, Pinterest unleashed the FOMO in me. You know a girl has to feel cute and wow everyone around but the thought of my hair tangling gets me into a Nah, not today sis. I tried a wash and go once and had a few feel good hours and a couple of pictures. That aside, due to shrunken state of hair, it tends to attract, twist, loop on each other causing knots and tangles. Avoid wash and go if you can or just wear once in a while.

Stretch your hair/Protect your ends.

Stretched hair is less likely to wrap around each other since the curls aren’t tightly bound that’s the reason why type 1&2 don’t struggle much with knots and tangles. Always stretch your hair before wearing a protective style. You can stretch your hair with minimal heat or without heat.
Protect your ends by wearing protective styles that tuck them or tie up your hair to keep it off your jewels and clothes.

Stretching 4C Natural Hair; Flat twists Vs Braids.

Work with sectioned hair.

Washing all of your hair at once can cause single strand knots and tangles since your hair is shrunken state and all over the place making it easy to wrap around each other. Wash, detangle, moisturize and style in sections to reduce occurrence of knots and tangles, sectioned hair is easy to work with.
Some naturals wash their hair in twists or braid to reduce hair knotting and tangling , haven’t tried that yet but when I do I will let you know all about the experience.

Why sectioning Natural Hair is important.

Regular trims and dusting.

Healthy and moisturized ends are less likely to knot and tangle. Trimming or dusting restores health to your strands meaning less breakage, knots, tangles and frizz. Missed posts on how to know you need a trim and how to dust, catch up on them here and here.

Bed time care

Sleep on a satin/silk pillowcase, bonnet or scarf to reduce friction between your hair and material having it wrap around each other. Hold your hair in a high puff or chunky twists and braids to reduce knotting and tangling. I must confess lately I’ve been sleeping with my twists and braid-outs out and that’s one of the reasons why my hair got a couple of single strand knots , a girl knows better now and will do better moving forwards. Life’s full of lessons, learning and unlearning.

How to Prevent Natural Hair from Tangling at Night.

Night twist out routine to keep Curls popping for longer.

Hope you found this helpful, see you on the next post on moisturizing using the baggy method. Share this with your family, friends, colleagues and everyone you feel needs this. Sharing is caring ???.

How do you minimize single strand knots?