Knots are bleached at the factory --- some wearers like to bleach areas they feel are not sufficiently bleached ..the front is always bleached...some feel the crown area in particular needs bleaching..it`s never been an issue for me. Bleaching weakens the hairs/knots and can lead to premature shedding so you have to be careful if/when doing it. Snipe has information on his info links for newbies... http://forum.toplace.com/showthread.php?tid=1719