Created in Collaboration with My Fluffy Puffs
For those looking to style their hair in a curly vs kinky look, bantu knots outs are the perfect solution. Bantu knot outs, like a twist out or braid out, are a way to curl or ‘crimp’ your hair without heat. Depending on the number of bantu knots you do, you’ll end up with springy little curls or big wavy curls. (Check out Bantu Knot Outs on Different Lengths and Textures). I haven’t been a big fan of bantu knot outs because the very first time I did one, I didn’t realize how short it would make my hair look–you lose a little length when you curl your hair. But my hair has grown since then and I wanted to give this look another try. Because I don’t like to spend too much time on my hair, I took as many short cuts as possible — I did my bantu knot out on dry hair and only created six knots.
Products to Use on a Bantu Knot Out
A good styling product is critical for doing a bantu knot out on dry hair. I used Twist Frosting with Biotin by My Fluffy Puff. It’s great for this kind of styling because it’s light–it has an almost whipped texture, so it it was easy to apply and didn’t weigh down my air. It’s water-based so it added the perfect amount of moisture to my hair in order to set the curls. To take out the knots I put a little bit of olive oil on my fingers.
My Fluffy Puffs was created by small business owner Alyssa “Fluffy” who’s first line of products–The Hydrate Collection–helps you simplify your wash day. Per her website, “our Hydrate Collection will take the stress out of wash day for Afro and Curly textures. With just three products you can reduce hair loss after cleansing, detangle, moisturize and manage your curls.” I’ve yet to try the shampoo bar or Tropical Mango & Monoi Whip. But have been pleased with the Twist Frosting so far. I’m curious to see what effect it has on my hair over time, given it has biotin in it.
The Process
Putting in the bantu knots took about 20 – 30 minutes because I only did six of them. I let them set over night–really until the evening of the next day–and then took them out.
I started with a four-week old blow out. (Don’t ask how I got my blow out to last that long; you might not really want to know lol.) Bantu knot outs tend to work best on stretched or blown out hair.
Then created six bantus knots–four in the front and two huge ones in the back. I put four in the front because I wanted to make sure that the curls in this section were more defined.
Because I was looking for shortcuts, and didn’t care as much about the back section of my hair, I created two big bantus. This is where the Twist Frosting really came in handy. The bigger the bantu knot, the harder it is to create. So I really needed moisture here to make my hair more pliable. Note: I positioned the knots in the back of my head toward the sides so that I can comfortably rest my head on my pillow at night.
I wasn’t planning on wearing the knots themselves out, so my parts were all kinds of funky and sometimes non-existent *insert cry-laughing emoji*.
The following evening (I wore the same shirt for continuity 😉 I took out the knots. You’ll see that the curls in the back are less defined than the ones in the front. This is for two reasons — they were bigger, and also they needed more time to dry! Even though this was a bantu knot out on dry hair, the Twist Frosting really added quite a bit of moisture to my hair. And with bantu knots generally needing more time to dry because it’s harder for air to pass through them, waiting for them to fully dry was the one step I shouldn’t have skipped.
Fortunately, however, after separating the curls, the back section blended into the more curly front section. I was generally happy with the outcome; definitely better than the first time I tried a bantu knot out. If you compare this picture with the first one, you’ll see that I didn’t ‘lose’ too much length. I think that’s one of the main benefits of a bantu knot out on dry hair–because you’re not creating them on fully wet hair, the curls don’t set as tightly. I’ll probably do this style again, perhaps as a way to extend the life of an old braid out.
Alright now, let me know what you think of the results! Leave a comment below. If you’ve done a bantu knot out on dry hair, let me know what worked for you.
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