Mmmkay—Let's Talk About Fairy Knots, Shall We? (2024)

Oh, fairy knots—how the world detests thee. “They sound so sweet and cute, but fairy knots are a curly girl’s arch-nemesis,” says hairstylist and natural hair expert Jazzee Santiago. “There is nothing cute about them when they’re on your own head.” As a refresher, fairy knots (also called single-strand knots) are itty-bitty knots usually found in naturally coily and curly hair—and they’re so tiny, ~*only a little fairy could have created them*~. Well, that and a bit of damage. “Fairy knots are basically a coily person's version of a split end,” says Santiago. Fun!

And although knots are, annoyingly, just a fact of life when you’ve got curly or coily hair, there are a few things you can do to help prevent them (to an extent) and deal with them once they appear. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about single-strand knots and tangles, below.

What causes fairy knots?

I don’t want to ruin the image here, but spoiler: They’re not because of fairies. “Fairy knots are created when the ends of your hair split and then tangle around themselves,” says Santiago. Though all hair textures run the risk of their split ends tangling, coily hair is especially susceptible, because it naturally winds around itself. “When coily hair splits, those weak strands then curl and knot around other weak strands, wreaking havoc throughout your hair,” she says.

Should you cut fairy knots?

I know it’s not fun to hear, but a haircut is both the cure and the prevention. “No matter how gentle you are, the ends of your hair will degrade after a certain point, and you need to regularly trim those ends off to keep them from knotting,” says Santiago. “Think of your ends as the senior citizens of your hair—they’ve been through years and years of blow-drying, braiding, wrapping, tangling, and detangling, so they’ll naturally split after a certain point.”

If you see a knot, you can snip the strand of hair right above the knot to keep it from creating more damage, but ideally, you go see your stylist for a cut ASAP—and then commit to regular trims after that. “When you’re seeing fairy knots in your hair, it means you should have had a haircut a long time ago,” says Santiago. “Ask yourself when your last healthy haircut was, because I’m betting it was at least six months ago.” Which, no, isn’t ideal—but totally understandable given the current state of the world. Still, “if you’re trying to maintain your length and keep your natural hair healthy, you need to be getting a trim every three months, period,” she says.

How do you detangle single-strand knots?

If you really, really don’t want to cut your hair (um, don’t tell Santagio), know that it’s pretty impossible to detangle a fairy knot without any damage. “Even if you manage to get the knot out of your hair—which will require a ton of conditioner, patience, picking, and prying—you’ll still be left with a damaged strand of hair that’ll knot back up again,” says Santiago. That’s not to say you can’t try (you’ll need to massage conditioner over the wet knot with your fingers until it hopefully opens enough that you can unravel it), but your easiest and healthiest solution really is to snip it off.

How do you prevent fairy knots?

“Haircuts; the answer is always haircuts,” Santiago jokes (kinda). Outside of regular trims, your best plan of defense is moisturizing, detangling on the regular, and protective styling. Take notes, plz:

✔️ Knot-prevention #1: Moisturizing

“Moisturized hair is healthy hair, and healthy hair has smoother cuticles that are less prone to snagging,” she says. Aside from loading up on co-washes, leave-ins, and conditioners every week, Santiago also loves a good pre-poo oil treatment to help deeply moisturize hair and give it a little bit of slip for detangling later.

“30 minutes before you hop in the shower, get your hair wet in the sink, tub, whatever, massage your favorite hair oil through your hair until it’s totally saturated, then put on a plastic shower cap and let it sit,” says Santiago. The heat from your scalp will help the oils penetrate your hair cuticle, so by the time you co-wash or cleanse, your hair will already have a layer of protective moisture on it.

Which also brings us to…

✔️ Knot-prevention #2: Detangling

“People are often so scared of their hair shedding that they stay away from detangling it, which actually leads to more shedding, tangling, and breakage in the end,” says Santiago. “If you have 4c hair and you’re only doing a full detangle once every two weeks, that is not enough—you need to do it twice a week, ideally, to prevent those knots from forming in the first place.”

The best way to detangle? In the shower, with loads of conditioner…and even more patience. “The one thing a lot of people don’t realize is how wet you need to get your hair before detangling,” says Santiago. “You need to let that hair get totally saturated with water for at least 3-4 minutes before touching your conditioner.”

And, yes, how you apply your conditioner matters too. “People make the mistake of scrunching and squishing their conditioner into their hair, but that can only add to the tangles—you want to smooth handfuls of conditioner through your hair from roots to ends with the praying-hands method,” she says. “By smoothing and stretching it down the lengths of your hair, you’re helping align your strands and pre-detangle them.”

Once your hair is fully saturated with conditioner, you can start the detangling process, working section by section with your fingers (the gentlest method) or a detangling brush (the faster, but harsher method). “After detangling a section, twist it or loosely braid it to keep it from tangling up again when you move to the next section,” says Santiago. After fully detangling, undo your braids and twists, rinse out your conditioner, and apply your stylers as usual.

✔️ Knot-prevention #3: Protective styles

“A protective style is going to keep those ends contained and tucked away, which will help cut down on potential tangles,” says Santiago. Her number-one rule for protective styles? “Stretch your hair out beforehand,” she says. “You want to saturate your hair with conditioner, then blow it out with your blow dryer and comb attachment, using your fingers to stretch the hair.” The heat from the dryer will help the conditioner penetrate your strands, preventing them from drying out as quickly in your style.

A final note

“At the end of the day, your hair is coily and naturally dry, which means it’s going to split and knot sometimes,” says Santiago. “It’s not the end of the world—it’s just super frustrating.” What’s important is how you take care of those knots once you get them…which, yes, might require a trip to your stylist.