Super Cute Style: Bantu Knot-Out

Friday night, I stood in front of the mirror looking at my hot mess hair, and wondering what I was going to make of it for the weekend. I've been putting off doing my Flexi Rod set because well... it's just a lot of work. I splurged at Sally's (dragging my BF with me... he's such a trooper!) on rods, Lottabody, and other stuff I would need...but I just haven't been ready to commit that kind of time to a hairstyle (especially since I learned this weekend, my hair is going to do whatever the heck it wants to)...but let me not get too ahead of myself.

Anywho, as I stood in front of the mirror contemplating how I would make myself look decent for the weekend, I stumbled upon The KG Lifestyle's Bantu Knot video. Hmm, simple enough right? I certainly  hoped so. I've playfully twisted Bantu Knots into my hair before (usually 1 or 2) absentmindedly while reading or something, but I have never committed to knotting my entire head in hopes of achieving a cute style. Peep KG's video below for a Bantu Knot tutorial:

Here's my product/equipment list for my Bantu Knotting adventure:

•  Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil
• Cold Pressed Castor Oil
• Plastic applicator bottle
• Aussie Moist Conditioner
• Infusium 23 Repair & Renew Leave-In
• Wide tooth comb
• Hair clips
• Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie
• Tresemme Split Remedy Serum
• Bobby pins
• Satin bonnet

This is just my product list, comprised of some tried and trues + a few things I am trying out for future Fresh Features. Feel free to replicate, but if you know your hair and what products make it thrive, I would suggest using those instead.

Ready for the adventure? Let's go!!!


I started off with a pre-wash oil treatment and massage. I've incorporated scalp massages into my nightly routine -- not only does it help me de-stress, it stimulates hair growth. I use a mixture of Home Health's Cold Pressed Castor Oil and Virgin Unrefined Castor Oil, put it in the plastic applicator bottle and apply it to my scalp, then massage it in for about 10 minutes. Note: At room temperature, coconut oil is solid. I usually heat my oil mixture (inside the applicator bottle) in a hot water bath -- i.e. letting the bottle sit in a cup or bowl of hot water for 3-5 minutes. I recommend the pre-wash if you have dry, tight, itchy, flaky scalp, or just want to relax after a tough day.

Aerial view of my Bantu Knots

Next, I used my new favorite Aussie Moist Conditioner for a co-wash. A co wash is basically washing your hair using conditioner instead of shampoo. I'm not a huge fan of co-washing, but I went swimming on Thursday and had to go shampoo crazy to get the chlorine out. Plus, I totally needed to detangle.

Because I had already laced my scalp with oil, and washed my hair with a moisturizing conditioner, I skipped my special detangling spray. I just went at my damp hair gently with my trusty wide tooth-comb, and twisted my hair in sections as I went along.

I let my twists air-dry about 90% before I began my Bantu Knotting. Once almost dry, I applied a smidge of Tresemme Split Remedy serum to my ends, and a tiny bit of Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie to the shaft before twirling, knotting, and bobby pinning the ends. Some folks can tuck/hold their ends in without bobby pins, I'm just not one of them. Heads up: The less hair you twirl into a Bantu Knot, the tighter your actual curl will be. So for looser curls, use bigger knots and vice versa.

Undone Bantu Knots

Wooh! The hard part was over! Depending on your available resources, you can either just throw a satin bonnet on over it, or spray some heat protectant and sit under a dryer for about 30 minutes. I did the later. Side note: Bantu Knots are incredibly awkward to sleep on. Whether you're a back or side sleeper, your best bet is to prop yourself up on a couple of pillows...because laying on knots hurts. #justkeepingitreal

The next morning (post workout -- yes, I worked out looking like a crazy woman), I undid my knots, rubbed some coconut oil into my hands, and separated each section into a bunch of mini curls. After whipping my hair back n' forth, I applied some Ecostyler gel around the edges and bobby pinned one side back (because I think my hair looks better that way, because of my layers). Looking back at it, walking around at my Neph's track meet and hitting the gym looking like Jada Pinkett Smith in the Matrix Reloaded was totally worth it. Especially if the curls would hold up for a few days....

Enjoy!!! Did you try a Bantu Knot Out? Send pix to tinapatrice@gmail.com to be featured on The Mane Objective!