Taking care of hair with Single Strand Knots

So you’ve noticed that you have Single Strand Knots (SSK’s) on your beautiful mane? Nearly every natural curses them trust me! I believe in the old saying “Prevention is better than cure” however, some things are inevitable and for most of us SSK’s come with the territory of being natural. Due to the nature of how our hair grows, the curls can coil up on itself and cause knots, excessive dry hair can cause friction which can invite knots, shrinkage causes the curls to tangle up and can cause knots, over manipulation can also cause tangles and knots which can create SSK’s. Like I said, for many of us no matter how much tender loving care we give our crowns SSK’s can appear.

So what can you do if you already have SSK’s?

1. TRIM – the most obvious and efficient solution is to trim. Depending on where the knots start, you can get away with really minimal dusting or you might need to trim a little more and remember to keep a trim/dust routine.

2. SEEK & DESTROY – for this you basically look for the knots and eliminate them by snipping just above the SSK. This can be a time consuming and tedious however, if you are someone with patience this method might work for you.

3. KEEPING IT STRETCHED – when your hair is stretched there is less chances for it to become tangled since shrinkage isn’t causing your curls to do the tango and with that comes the possibility of less knots.

4. DETANGLE WITH SLIP – you want to avoid creating more knots and also avoid other strands from joining forces so while detangling, make sure you are using a conditioner that has sufficient slip.

5. WORK IN SECTIONS – whether you are washing, detangling, or even styling your hair, always work in sections. This creates less chances for your hair to knot up and create additional SSK’s.

6. SATIN/SILK PROTECTION – it is vital to use either a satin/silk bonnet, scarf or pillow case while you sleep. Cotton is not our friend because it not only causes moisture loss but it might cause friction on the strands and create more SSK’s

7. KEEP YOUR HAIR UP – try sleeping with your hair either in a pineapple, multiple pineapples, a loose bun, twists etc, anything where your hair is not loose and smooshed while you sleep as this again can cause friction and knots.

moisture is important regardless of the situation but it is even more vital for those that are plagued with SSK’s. Apart from moisturising after you wash your hair you want to moisturise during the week as well. Moisture helps with the reduction of driness and friction so hopefully reduces the chances of knots.

[by Maicurls]