Are Single Strand Knots Hazardous to Your Hair???

[Carrie A]

I didn't realize I had soooo many. I just started looking at my hair and low and behold I found knots on strand after strand. Do SS knots contribute to tangles (like other hair wrapping around the knot)? I've noticed I seem to be getting more matting lately if I wear my hair loose. If I seek and destroy I'll be cutting a lot of hair. Some of the knots are mid strand.

 

[darlingdiva]

Part of the reason my hair tangles is that some of my knot-free hair wraps around the SS knots.

Sometimes, I catch the knot as it's forming. When that happens, I get a sewing pin and gently remove the knots. I don't do S&D's as often as I used to because 1) it is time consuming, and 2) you're right; you'll cut a lot of hair if you try to cut every knot (it's not possible to get each and every single knot anyway).

 

[Carrie A]

I've also used a pin on my multi-strand knots. I haven't tried it on the ss knots. I think if I just trim the knots will still come back.

 

[Weezy Jefferson]

They are hazardous to my sanity. I'm currently on day 2 of trying to snip them all out.

 

[sheba1]

While I don't think it's possible to have tightly curly hair and not have any knots, I think too many can cause tangling and damage. I did a pretty aggressive cut to get rid of most of them in April. I had done my first BKT and I believe that helped to keep them at bay. I've since begun keeping my hair either stretched or braided and added porosity control to my regimen weekly. With these things I have to worry about tangling and single strand knots very little now.

 

[MochaEyeCandy]

I have a few. I started taking a closer look at my shed hair, and that's when I noticed it. I don't know how bad mine are, trying assess my individual strands while still on my head has proven to be nothing more than an exercise in futility.

 

[LatterGlory]

_______________

 

[Nayna]

I have them but I don't worry about them as much as I did when I first discovered them. If I see them I deal with them but I don't look for them anymore. I just charge it to the game and KIM. As long as I wash in sections and let my hair dry stretched then they aren't a big deal at all. Or on the rare occasion I do a wash and go if I don't play with my hair while drying then it won't tangle as much. I noticed a huge decrease when I began doing this.

 

[MizzBrit]

i have them..mainly from letting my hair shrink all the way after washing..or wearing it out often.i minimize them by keeping my hair plaited up/stetched at night and moisturizing good..somtimes i clip some

 

[msa]

I have them. They only make things worse by causing more tangles and knots. They come from letting that hair shrink up (wash and go's, shrunken fros, wet buns, etc.). I've learned that keeping my ends stretched and moisturized prevent them from happening. Literally, my whole life of wearing my hair pressed, in braids, or blowdried I never had single strand knots. I only started getting them when I decided to wear my hair in its unstretched state.

 

[mkd]

I noticed them when I was co washing every night, I was wearing wash and go's and wet bunning. When I stopped co washing every day, they decreased dramatically.

 

[Carrie A]

i have them..mainly from letting my hair shrink all the way after washing..or wearing it out often.i minimize them by keeping my hair plaited up/stetched at night and moisturizing good..somtimes i clip some

I have them. They only make things worse by causing more tangles and knots. They come from letting that hair shrink up (wash and go's, shrunken fros, wet buns, etc.). I've learned that keeping my ends stretched and moisturized prevent them from happening. Literally, my whole life of wearing my hair pressed, in braids, or blowdried I never had single strand knots. I only started getting them when I decided to wear my hair in its unstretched state.

hmmm I've pretty much been wearing my hair in it's shrunken state too this past year minus a couple of roller sets. OK so I'm going to braid at night and see how that goes.

 

[Victorian]

Yeah, they were hazardous for me. Heed the warnings, girl. Broken hair erplexed That's why I started wearing my hair straight this year. Nary a knot now.
I kinda miss my coily puff sometimes, though, even though I'm enjoying my straight hair

 

[Ivey14]

***Deleted***

 

[msa]

hmmm I've pretty much been wearing my hair in it's shrunken state too this past year minus a couple of roller sets. OK so I'm going to braid at night and see how that goes.

I'm going to have to cut off about an inch of hair because of knots. I was detangling my hair tonight and my ends are just . I won't be wearing any type of shrunken styles anymore, that's for sure.

 

[tocktick]

Braiding actually increased my SSKs. I kept my hair loose for about a month prior to braiding and I found I didn't have many. I just kept my ends oiled, put my hair into 4 buns or big twists when at home (tucked the ends under) and banded to airdry. I also found bentonite clay helped immensely. I feel the difference in how much moisture my hair is able to retain and how tangled up it gets once it wears off.

I did braids to protective style but found when I took each braid down that nearly each section of hair had SSKs within it. It was very frustrating. Needless to say, I won't be using braid extensions to PS any more. Aside from SSKs being annoying they aren't actually hurting my hair, so I'm not trimming my hair until around summer 2010 (I S&D split ends though). I used to do 0.5 - 1" trims several times a year because of SSKs but they just set my progress back since they'd always spring up again anyway.

 

[Sapphire_chic]

I have to agree with Tick Tock. From my experience small/medium twists and small box braids increase my ssk.

I dont know how the tiny length of hair that pokes out of a twist or braids still manages to knot but it does...lots.
drying/keeping my hair in a few big braids keeps them mostly at bay...now if only this looked good as a style.

About whether they are hazardous or not, i think this depends on how bad you have them. when i'm overdue for an s&d i notice my shed hairs get caught in ssks more often, and when i try to pull the hair out i think it sometimes rips the knot out and may causie this ripped end to split.