Knot Therapy

Having a kinky,coily and/or curly hair texture means our hair is prone to knotting and that can cause damage if those hairs are not clipped as soon as they appear. Knots on the hair can cause split ends and can weaken the hair shaft which causes it to break more easily. Their are a few causes of knots:

Wrong Products: Study your hair and how it reacts when you put certain products in your hair. Does your hair seem to knot more, become more brittle? I noticed excessive knotting, it was so bad that I was dusting my hair every few days. The culprit was a conditioner and since I stopped using it my hair has fewer knots.

Loose Hairstyles: We all love to rock our loose hair styles like the curly 'fro but constantly wearing our hair in these styles may be contributing to knots.

Lack of Moisture/Conditioning: Our hair needs to be moisturized and well conditioned to maintain healthy hair. Lack of these two components in our routine can cause brittle ends to knot onto themselves which means less retention of growth and damaged hair. Moisturizing our hair a few times a week and conditioning on a weekly basis are great steps to take. Also, you may want to think about a leave-in conditioner as an option. I simply use my co-washing conditioners as my leave-ins (Herbal Essences and Nature's Gate) and my hair loves it.

Lack of Protection When Sleeping: It is so important to prep you hair for bed. Whether you do big twist, braids, bantu knots or skip this you need to cover your hair with satin scarf to protect your ends. I sometimes use shea butter or a light oil as a sealant when twisting my hair before bed. It allows my hair to be conditioned while I sleep and I wake up to smooth hydrated ends.

Constantly Touching Our Hair: I know, I know it's so soft!!! We do need to keep our hands out of our hair. constantly touching our hair can lead to knotting especially if we like to play with our ends. I am guilty of this one but I'm getting better.

Adapting good practices will be beneficial in retaining growth and allowing our hair to reach its full potential.