The Mini Twist / Mini Braid Thread

[MzSwift]

@snoop

So I'm even further inspired by you and decided to twist my minis from the roots (instead of braiding the base of them for a few rotations before twisting).
This process is going so much faster than usual! I'm almost 3/4 of the way done! Taking down the braids takes the longest. Now I wonder how these will hold up!
It definitely works while I don't have any new growth but once I have two textures, I'm probably gonna braid the base and then twist.

@ItsMeLilLucky

Girl, I keep trying to sit my butt down somewhere but I have ideas and I have to try them out. Lol

 

[MzSwift]

Mini twists done!
I don't expect them to last as long as the braided base but I do like the way they look much better.
They'll look even better once I rinse them and they lay down.

 

[snoop]

They look so pretty. Do you braid them and then leave the ends loose? If so, how do you keep them from knotting?

 

[snoop]

I'm till taking these twists down. I'm going to try to get a couple more hours in today before going to dinner at my parents. I'll be so happy to wear medium/large twists for the next few weeks.

 

[MzSwift]

They look so pretty. Do you braid them and then leave the ends loose? If so, how do you keep them from knotting?

Thank you!

Yes, I always leave the bottom 1-2 inches loose bc I like for them to curl up when I wet the style. For some reason, when I twist all of the way to the end, I get more SSKs than when I don't. So I've been trying to make sure I do them this way since I was natural.

I incorporate things like baggying my bun, using extra product on my ends, intentionally doing more sessions of heavy sealing my ends and keeping my hair mostly covered (which flattens/stretches my ends) to keep them from tangling and knotting. Most of the time, I keep my twists/braids crosswrapped under a men's satin skull cap and then covered with a satin scarf or cotton bandana. I believe this constant physical pressure, especially if I wrap them while moist, helps to make and keep my ends straighter. It worked when I was natural too and I believe it's due to my hair texture being cottony. It's very soft (not silky tho), fluffy and easier to flatten.

 

[snoop]

They are out and I am free! I finished taking them down and rinsing them through the night before last. I had to rinse them because they smelled like ACV and hemp oil. I did some detangling when I was in the shower. Next step will be to make a cleansing hair mask and then either plait or twist my hair for two weeks.

 

[keranikki]

I installed my first set of mini braids on 21 April.



It roughly took 5 hours to install on curly hair, using water and APB 4Butta Blend.

Current takeaways:
-braiding damp hair is not the best choice, hair tangles while waiting to be parted.
-I was surprised to find that not all of my individual hairs are fine. I have some medium/thick hairs that are wiry and dry. They are mainly concentrated in the crown and upper nape area. They need some TLC.

I will refresh them every 4 weeks until September.

 

[MzSwift]

Look at those curly ends, @keranikki !!

Yes, no braiding on wet hair for us (mostly) fine-haired ladies! It will have the finished product looking quite scalpy!
I've learned to just braid dry and then soak with water and condish after they're done in order to moisturize them the first time.

 

[keranikki]

Look at those curly ends, @keranikki !!

Yes, no braiding on wet hair for us (mostly) fine-haired ladies! It will have the finished product looking quite scalpy!
I've learned to just braid dry and then soak with water and condish after they're done in order to moisturize them the first time.

Thank you! I will do this during my next refresh. I will tension dry my braids.

 

[faithVA]

I installed my first set of mini braids on 21 April.

View attachment 503410

It roughly took 5 hours to install on curly hair, using water and APB 4Butta Blend.

Current takeaways:
-braiding damp hair is not the best choice, hair tangles while waiting to be parted.
-I was surprised to find that not all of my individual hairs are fine. I have some medium/thick hairs that are wiry and dry. They are mainly concentrated in the crown and upper nape area. They need some TLC.

I will refresh them every 4 weeks until September.

Very nice. They look really good. And 5 hours isn't too bad

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

@keranikki Okay hang time!

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

I might just switch to braids. These twists have not been twisting Good thing I'm wearing headwraps

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

I might just switch to braids. These twists have not been twisting Good thing I'm wearing headwraps

I just started doing brists , I couldn't do it anymore.

 

[keranikki]

I just started doing brists , I couldn't do it anymore.

I actually installed brists, instead of braids, due to @MzSwift posts. I didn’t want to say twaids, because I braided then twisted hair, and twaids are the opposite of the order of operations, lol.

 

[faithVA]

I actually installed brists, instead of braids, due to @MzSwift posts. I didn’t want to say twaids, because I braided then twisted hair, and twaids are the opposite of the order of operations, lol.

We have a new word to learn? I just can't keep up

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

We have a new word to learn? I just can't keep up

It be like that sometimes lol

 

[MzSwift]

Y'all better trademark "twaids" and "brists" before it's too late!!

ETA: I had always had short hair before I joined the hair boards back in 2008 -- I'm talking 3" or less, usually shaved with a clipper. So during one of my "longer" moments of 2-3" of hair, I would install curly extension hair using those cheap little rubber bands. I started doing it back in 1998, while I was stationed in Vegas with no car and no way to find a braider. I'm not saying I created the technique but it came to me out of desperation for a new look and limited options and funds. lol And from then on out, I would install my extension braids that way, cheaply and by myself.

So when I joined the boards, I shared that with my fellow short-haired natty ladies so that they too could install extensions on short hair for a good long term PS. A few of them jokingly told me that I needed to trademark it but I was happy to just share a technique that would bring someone else happiness. And now I go on YT and see all sorts of rubber band extension install vids and I'm happy inside, even though the technique is different than what I did bc they're usually done on longer hair. Funnily, when I install extensions on my long hair now, I actually prefer to install them the way that I used to with the rubber bands!

 

[25InchesStarting'25]

After watching this, I will only be wearing Mini KBs in buns. Will be back here after Summer Braid & Hydrate Challenge is over in August
Buns

 

[fluffyforever]

I just had my mini twists in for a bit longer than a month. It took 4-5 hours to install and and 2-3 dedicated hours to take down. I loved them because it really is a breakage reducer!

I see that 4-5 weeks is my limit because my new growth starts webbing. It wasn’t too hard to untangle, but I don’t want to test it after a longer period of time.

I plan on installing again this weekend for another month. And then I will wear my hair loose for a week. My goal is to repeat this cycle for the rest of the year.