Dream, Live, Achieve: Knoxing 101

So when did this

Become this?

(Photo of Ona Carbonell and Andrea Fuentes of Spain)

That yummy child's treat has been put into the hair of Elite Synchronized Swimmers everywhere. Lucky (maybe?) for us, it's not flavored. However there's different ways to get that shiny, helmet-like structure painted onto our heads.

I've had some people ask how is it that I can get my Knox perfect every time? Well, my answer is that I'm still learning! However, I'm going to give yall a step by step Knoxing 101!

Items needed -

A fine toothed comb, 4 packets of Knox gelatin (or any unflavored jello) and a cup.

Don't forget what you need to put your hair up! You'll also need a hair net, but I hadn't taken it out of its packaging yet. So it's not pictured here.

Anyways! I love this brush. "The Wet Brush" may take a little longer to get through your hair, but it really is better for it.

Step 1 - The Bun

You're going to need access to hot water. REALLY hot water. So if you have a hot pot or a kettle, plug that in and fill it about halfway with water! You won't need all of it, but sometimes it's easier.

Let's start with a simple up do shall we? Get your hair wet and brush it into a tight pony tail. It should be at about eye level if you're wondering about placement.

Run the fine tooth comb through your hair to smooth everything down after its up. There might be a slight bump all the way around where the hair tie is, but don't worry! This will be covered by the bun.

Afterwards, we're going to take your hair into two pieces, and braid one side. Then wrap it as tightly as possible around the other one. You should end up with a hair-do that looks similar to an I dream of Jeanie style.

Clearly on a much smaller scale haha secure this braid down into the bun with hair pins in a triangle pattern. Pull the other piece apart and tighten the bun closer to your head. Then take the that bit and repeat the same braiding fun from earlier. Then we'll have a full bun!

Now, I have very thin hair. So your bun will more than likely look different than mine. However it should look similar!

Once again you're going to run the comb through your hair to pull everything back, and then wrap the hairnet around the bun. You should ideally not be able to see the hairnet at all when you're finished. The photo above has the hair net in! Wrap it as tightly as possible over the bun and pin again as needed.

Step 2 - Making the Knox

Pour the 4 packets of Knox into your cup, and pour some of the water in. Now this is the hard part, so I'll do my best to explain.

Add just enough water so that when you stir it, the powder melts. I would mix it with the pointed end of a rat tailed comb, but really anything is fine. Add small amounts of water to the mixture until you get a consistency similar but clearly thinner than honey.

It'll probably look like this. Set the cup aside for a few moments. We're going to take the bubbles off the top! I normally do my bun during this time, but I've also learned to do this very quickly. I wouldn't suggest it for beginners.

A few minutes later you should be able to take a spoon, or the end of the comb, and scoop the bubbles that have risen to the surface off the top of the Knox.

Cool right? Try to get as much of this out as you can. I was taught this by some Spanish teammates of mine. They use a different type of Knox than we do, but it's still the same idea! You should end up with something similar to this:

Semi gross right? Yeah. It won't smell the best either. Unfortunately I have yet to find a way around that.

Step 3 - The Knoxing Process

Alright! Now for the fun part...sorta. Knoxing doesn't only keep synchronized swimmers hair out of their face, it actually conditions and strengthens your hair! While I wouldn't suggest it for a weekly hair mask, it is another secret as to how girls who spend all day every day in the water can still have pretty hair.

Anyways! Comb the Knox through your hair. Basically all your trying to do is make sure that the Knox gets into ALL of your hair. It also is tightening the hair to your bun so that it doesn't move while you're swimming.

You hair should look wet at the end of this first stage. It dries very quickly so after going all around the head, you can do the second round! Turn the comb over and PUSH more Knox into your head this time. Don't make it hurt, but focus more on pushing it into your scalp that making it look pretty.

Looking good! Alright. Now for the last step. By this point your Knox in the cup is going to have cooled to true honey consistency. You can use the flat side of the comb, or a paint brush for this part. Some even just use their hands (not my personal favorite...)

What you're going to do is LAY the Knox on top. Very lightly smooth a layer of Knox over your head. It will come out as shiny and looking a little thicker than the rest of the Knox you've been using.

Do that ALL the way around your head. And you're done! I can do all of this in about 30minutes. This takes practice, so don't expect perfection on the first round! Use a hair drier to dry the Knox if you need, but it will dry quickly on its own.