All of our ropes and handles have loops or knots that are tied off by braiding one rope inside of another. When the end of the rope is cut the ends are left as is. The rope is braided back inside of the outside rope to finish off the knot or loop. The ends can't be burned or taped because it can wear on the outer rope. The best and safest way to finish off the rope is to leave it alone. As the outer rope expands and contracts, the inner strands can sometimes poke through the outer rope causing a frayed appearance. If the rope or handle is new, the integrity of the rope is not compromised at all by these protruding strands. If you would like to clean up these protruding strands, you can push the rope together to make them stick out just a little more and then trim them with scissors. As you pull the rope tight again, the strands will disappear inside of the outer rope.