My hair is knotting on itself, what does this mean?

[Abby]

Hi! So I have 4b (I'm pretty sure) hair and I've just noticed that some of the strands have knots on them. Like the way you knot the end of thread. And I assume that these knots will just tighten on themselves and my hair will break at that point?
Does anyone know what causes this, is this common? Can I stop it? And, does this mean I should get a trim?

I really need some help!

 

[Victorian]

Those single-strand knots are pretty much inevitable for natural highly-textured hair. They'll happen even on healthy hair. Don't stress over them.

 

[RainbowCurls]

I have these too... I think it's just something that curly/coily hair does... curls back on itself and forms a knot

I cut some off individually recently, but I'm still finding more. I'm starting to think I should just leave them as more will form anyway and cutting them is just losing length.

 

[Vshanell]

I think their called "pixie knots". There's really nothing much you can do to prevent them. The curls of natural hair coil into each other and pull themselves into knots. I get lots of them.

 

[BeatriceFly]

i have these as well, sometimes even two on one strand!!
these things be doing overtime on my head for real!!

 

[Abby]

Thanks so much! I'm so relieved!

 

[glamazon386]

I get them too. I find that they only show up when my hair is feeling dry though.

 

[PhonyBaloney500]

Do y'all cut them or just leave them?

I leave them but when I get a trim (ever 5-6 months now) I start fishing around my own head. The hair in the front of my head is so split endy and knotty and I cut some of those off. Don't notice knots so much elsewhere.

 

[gn1g]

A doctor explained that it is like ingrown hairs on a mans beard. The hair curls back onto itself. She said extra moisturizer should help the only thing that helped me was going back to a perm.

 

[ajargon02]

Hi! So I have 4b (I'm pretty sure) hair and I've just noticed that some of the strands have knots on them. Like the way you knot the end of thread. And I assume that these knots will just tighten on themselves and my hair will break at that point?
Does anyone know what causes this, is this common? Can I stop it? And, does this mean I should get a trim?

I really need some help!

it means get a really good trim, and that will stop. I will assume that you might be natural. To stop it, trim it

 

[thefineprint]

i just ignore them and trim them off every 6 weeks. there really isn't much else I've found that gets rid of them except for protective styles of course

 

[so1913]

I get them too, just characteristic of the hair. To minimize keep your hair well moisturize and don't go too long with "lose" hair without detangling. I just make sure I get trims pretty regularly (overdue) to keep them under some control, but they're nothing to lose sleep over

 

[pebbles]

I get this too.

 

[darkflame213]

I used to get them a lot too. After about 7 months on the no-poo/curly girl method, they cleared up on their own.

 

[seraphinelle]

I used to get them a lot too. After about 7 months on the no-poo/curly girl method, they cleared up on their own.

what is the no-poo curly method?

TIA!
xxx

Oh yeah, I get these too, but since I have been actually taking care of my hair, LOL, they're sparse.

My aunt said the other day that my hair is alot softer, LMAO, people use to fight my tough hair.. now she can part it no problem, and doesn't mind braiding it.

My friend at one point refused to braid my hair because it was too tough, tee... I've come a long way people

 

[PaperClip]

I concur with regular trims to alleviate the knots. When I got a trim in October, whew! The knots were gone! My hair is doing well and I recognize that knots are part of this natural hair life so it's all good. When the knots get constant is when I know it's time to get a trim. I'm probably overdue now (every 6-8 weeks).

 

[Arcadian]

Thats interesting, I've gotten them on occassion and I'm relaxed. I guess its because I don't relax totally straight though.

-A

 

[Cheleigh]

I started getting these when I was transitioning.

I still get them now. I don't bother trimming them because when I tug at the strand, it doesn't break at the knot. Regular detangling and lots of moisture helps keep them at bay, but I have SUPER coily/curly hair, and so obviously, my hair's going to do this more than more loosely curled naturals.

 

[Stationwagon]

When my natural hair was longer, I used to get them. Someone on another board suggested to use a stickpin to get the knots out. It worked for me but was way too tedious. So I just cut my hair into a twa. I no longer have them anymore.

 

[camellia]

I always get those single strand knots. The only time I didn't have them was when I was flat ironing my hair three times a week and rarely washing or exposing my hair to moisture. It was stick straight and didn't get knots but in horrible condition.

I mostly just leave them alone. I don't handle my hair a lot, it's up almost all the time so when I do notice them I just let them be. Eventually they get trimmed off.

 

[Ayeshia]

I would not trim but do S&D instead. I made the mistake of doing excessive trims thinking it will help, and it hasnt, and has kept me above shoulder length for almost 3 years. Now that I have stopped ,my hair is starting to show some progress in terms of length...finally

 

[dynamic1]

I get knote as well. Sometimes I cut them and sometimes I leave them be. I find I get them more the more I allow my hair to shrink. If I stretch my hair out (semi-shingle ,plop or twist and bun) the less knotting I get.

 

[nadine1977canada]

Hi! So I have 4b (I'm pretty sure) hair and I've just noticed that some of the strands have knots on them. Like the way you knot the end of thread. And I assume that these knots will just tighten on themselves and my hair will break at that point?
Does anyone know what causes this, is this common? Can I stop it? And, does this mean I should get a trim?

I really need some help!

Last night, I accidentally stumbled on the solution to this problem. I had moisturized my hair like I do every night and then sealed with oil. But when I took my oil I was a bit too heavy handed on my ends. I folded in my ends I slept with my silk scarf on as usual. I woke this morning and noticed I had no KNOTS!!!! I think the trick is to moisturize your ends, seal with oil, and make sure then ends are saturated with oil.

I tried it again today, moisturized my ends, then seal with oil and soaked my ends with oil. I tucked my ends in today and kept the ends tucked all day ...I still had no knots on my ends. So for me that is the solution to not having knots anymore. I might try to start bunning my hair.
I hope this helped.

 

[darkflame213]

what is the no-poo curly method?

TIA!
xxx

Oh yeah, I get these too, but since I have been actually taking care of my hair, LOL, they're sparse.

My aunt said the other day that my hair is alot softer, LMAO, people use to fight my tough hair.. now she can part it no problem, and doesn't mind braiding it.

My friend at one point refused to braid my hair because it was too tough, tee... I've come a long way people

no-poo is using anything but soap to wash your hair. Most people use conditioner, but there are cleansing oils, teas, and the like that will do the same.