Attack of the hair knots

[Nay]

I don't know if it was all the braidouts I've been wearing, the more frequent hair washing, or the new shampoo and conditioner I tried, but this past week I noticed A GANG of hair knots throughout my hair! ARRRGGGGH!!!

Anyway, I think I'll go back to washing my hair once a week, I'll alternate the braidout with my up-do more, but now I'm scared to try any other new shampoos or conditioners. It's back to my old standbys.

Don't you hate it when something wacky happens to your hair and you are not sure what to blame it on? Anyway, I was just venting.

 

[Lindy]

Nay,
This also happened to me recently. I did a braid-out, then stupidly, I got really lazy and didn't comb through my hair at all for the whole week!!

I wore it out for the first 2 days, then I just kept putting it up in a bun every day for the rest of the week.

When I went to shampoo it, during combout (after conditioning), I had these two big clumps of hair at the ends!!

After I was able to get them out, on closely examining them, they had lint fibers (from my clothes, I guess...) all through them!! I know now that if I do a braid-out, I have to make sure to comb it out and re-braid it every night.

 

[aqualung]

I've been lazy lately too. The knots are hiding down in the underprocessed hair from December's self relaxer and in the new growth.

Last week I detangled in sections with my fingers. (We won't discuss the size of the resulting hairball.) Tonight it's gonna be me in front of the mirror with a smallish toothed comb, some Sta-sof-fro, and Pantene light spray conditioner to detangle.

I simply MUST start detangling and combing thoroughly as stated above at least once a week. I'm also going to start washing my hair in braids to avoid tangling in the shower (growafrohairlong.com method).

For some reason I thought that wearing buns and ringlet styles would enable me to forego all the combing that would be required if I rollerset weekly.

Um, no, I still have to comb my hair.

I'm EXASPERATED right now.

 

[buffalosoldier]

I recently kept getting Loads of knots so I did a tiny trim and they stopped immediately. Maybe you could try that..

 

[Maestradiva77]

I get knots as well, so I feel you girl!

 

[Spagirl]

I experienced problems with knots on my hair strands this past summer. During that time I was wearing braid out styles. I have since learned that I have less hair problems if I start my braid set on dried hair and if I redo it nightly.

As with straw sets (same type of problem), I only do braid out on special occasions.

 

[SVT]

I'm real close to reaching a truce with my knots. I clip just above a knot when I see one and keep on steppin. Battling those knots has worn me out.

 

[LiLi]

Nay, I went through this before and have vowed not to go through it again. My thoughts on the reason why the knots form throughout your hair is because of not combing it out everyday. I used to conditioner wash my hair every day, finger comb it and then braid it up in about 8 big braids, take it out the next morning, and then repeat it. I thought this was really good for my hair UNTIL I started to feel around in my hair and felt big knots and I mean BIG all throughout my hair. I never noticed it before because the hair was so thick and the hair around it made it so that I couldn't feel those knots as I was rebraiding it everyday. So bascially I lost alot of hair and I didn't finally (stupidly) say it wasn't for me until one time I had a big puffy hair ball of knots after combing through all of my hair the size of an apple! Most of the knots were where my new growth met my processed hair and also in the areas where the relaxer wasn't left in as long as the other parts. My thoughts are if you are going to do a braidout everyday to make sure you comb through each part carefully everyday. This may not be for you but I'm just one of those people that cannot go a day without combing unless I want to deal with nasty knots especially since I relaxed only twice a year. HTH.

 

[aqualung]

LiLi,

I'm going to take your advice!

 

[Nay]

Okay, so it's not just me. Y'all know what I'm talking about. Those little knots drive me crazy. They feel so yucky when you run your finger down the strand of hair.

The weird thing, though, is that I've been wearing my braidout style pretty consistenly for the past few months without ANY problems. Then when I tried a new shampoo and hair moisturizer combination, my hair turned out really, really dry by day two. And I noticed all of the knots everywhere.

I had knots on the ends, knots in the middle, even a knot or two in the hair near my edges and my temple where the hair is really short! This hair here doesn't blow and move, so I don't know how it got knotty that high up.

Anyway, I washed and pressed my hair. Then I gave myself a trim. I cut about an inch off all around. Then I cut off some of the individual knots that I saw that were here and there. I'm sure I didn't get them all, but I feel better.

Hopefully, I won't have a repeat of this knot episode in the future!

 

[DDHair]

I know that while transitioning, the 2 textures have knotted up on several occassions. I hadn't dealt with them in a while, but they have returned in full force. Oh but when I took my braids out I combed my hair, and washed it by sections. Some people on the board suggested I do the sections or put vaseline on to weigh the ends down or sometimes I am just really care by finger combing when I wash.

 

[Tracy]

Any protein in that new find, Nay?

I was experiencing this when I began proteining a lot in the past few months. Not a huge problem, because I caught it before it got bad, but I ended up with a nice little tuft of hair when all was said and done. I went back to a silicone based conditioner for a week, and noticed and immediate difference.

One to grow on. I doubt you did any serious, longterm damage.

 

[Lindy]

[ QUOTE ]
Nay said:
the more frequent hair washing, or the new shampoo and conditioner I tried, but this past week I noticed A GANG of hair knots throughout my hair!

[/ QUOTE ]

Nay,
I think that the shampoo you use definitely has a bearing on how tangled your hair gets. In fact, I've started using my Elucence Moisture Benefits shampoo almost exclusively these days, because it practically guarantees an easy comb-out. If I use a shampoo with SLS, forget it!! My hair feels so hard and dry!!

The conditioner does soften it up, but I think my hair is more tangled when I use that type of shampoo. So I think it really COULD be that new shampoo/conditioner that you tried.