10 Tips for Preventing One Strand Knots

Trichonodosis also known as One Strand Knots, Single Strand Knots, Fairy Knots, Pixie Knots and Peppercorn Knots are one of the most annoying things about having naturally curly to kinky hair. I've rarely ever heard them referred to as endearing (and only if the person was being sarcastic). Most women either hate or ignore them. They charge them as just a necessary evil of being natural. When I first cut off my relaxed ends, I became all too familiar with these little nasties. Over time, I learned a few ways to manage these vexatious diminutive tangles. So before you sentence yourself to countless hours of your life staring at your strands through a magnifying glass — needle and scissors in tow — here are a couple of ideas on how to prevent single strand knots or reduce their occurrence.

1. Moisturize at least once or twice a day with a nutritive moisturizer. Monitor how long it takes for your hair to feel dry and just stay on top of it by actively moisturizing your hair. Look for super moisturizing natural ingredients. Moisturized hair is less likely to knot up. It's a good idea to carry around a spray bottle to spritz the hair with water or a mist. I love those Evian facial sprays and they are refreshing just to spray on your face and hair in the middle of the day. Dry hair is also a sign that your hair needs to be washed. You should be washing your hair at least once a week. You don't necessarily have to use shampoo, you should consider co-washing regularly if shampoos are too harsh. 
2. Do not give your hair the opportunity to coil up on it's own: wear protective styles, braids, braid outs, twist outs or roller sets. For extra protection against knots, set the ends on rollers. This may be difficult to swallow if you're a 'wash-n-go' type of girl, but if the knots are really getting on your nerves, you will have to decide whether you love your 'fro more or hate the knots.
3. Protect your hair while you sleep. Wear silk/satin bonnets or scarves to bed. Braid, twist, bun or place your hair so that it's comfortable for you to sleep, but in a way that it won't coil up on it's own ends. Friction from cotton bedding can damage the hair over time if it's not being protected. Be careful of the accessories/tools that you use overnight, you don't want anything that's going to snag or pull while you toss and turn.
4. Deep condition or use deep treatments on your hair weekly and really focus on taking care of those ends. Healthy hair is less likely to tangle, mat and knot.  
5. Employ the use of oiling well-conditioned wet hair (also) known as oil rinsing to make your hair easier to detangle. One way is to deep condition, apply oil and use a heat cap or wear the treatment overnight. Another way is to shampoo, oil, condition and rinse the hair. This makes the hair easier to detangle and prevents knots and matting. Obviously you want to skip this step if oils do not agree with your hair.
6. Do thorough, but careful detangling. Use a seamless fine tooth comb after detangling with a wide tooth comb or your fingers (and perhaps a Denman brush). Always start and the ends and work your way up. This is not something you'd want to do everyday because using a comb in a hurry is tantamount to using a pair of scissors if you aren't careful. A careful detangling should take A LOT of time. Divide your hair into sections and detangle each section before moving on to another section.
7. If you must shampoo, only apply the shampoo to your scalp. I shampoo once a month or less. I find that applying shampoo to my scalp on dry hair before any water ever touches my hair is a far superior method than the traditional way of shampooing. I section my hair and apply to my scalp as if I'm greasing my scalp and then rinse out in the shower, making sure to really massage all of the shampoo out. Sometimes I also apply shampoo to my scalp , diluted with water, with an applicator bottle. With both methods, my hair never mats up, it's far easier to detangle and that means I loose less hair when I wash. Shampoo can strip old fragile ends — a breeding ground for fairy knots. 
8. Stay away from towels and cotton. I never ever use towels or cotton on my hair. They can snag on curly and kinky hair, causing split ends and those dreaded knots. Would you wipe down a Bentley with a cotton bath towel? Treat your hair the same.
9. Smooth your hair. Before styling or setting your hair, run your fingers down sections of your hair as if you are flat ironing your hair between your fingers. This will reduce frizz, stretch, smooth and lessen the chances of getting knots. 
10. Keep your hands out of your hair. Too much manipulation will scratch the cuticle, wreak havoc and can lead to split or splitting ends and pixie knots. Would you claw at antique cotton drapes or a fabulous silk dress? Think of your hair that way.

Have you found ways to reduce pixie knots? Please share in the comments.