2-Strand Twists = Too Much Manipulation?

[wyldcurlz]

I'm trying two-strand twists as a protective styling method, but the times I've done it, I've noticed that I lose A LOT of hair.

Does this happen to anyone else? I'm wondering if I two strand twists are too much manipulation for my hair (which has recently been described as "fine.")

I'm questioning whether wash-n-go's are the way for me to go? Not sure and would love to get some opinions on this!

 

[LisaMar]

Bumping...

P.S. I share the same issue and I am also 3b/3c, BSL with fine strands.

 

[Nonie]

IMO, WNGs will cause you to lose more hair and not from shedding but tangles and breakage. Are you talmbout shed hair? When people worry about shedding and it isn't accompanied by balding or thinning hair, I just don't get the concern. And if it's shedding you are talking about, I consider that a blessing. Leaving shed hair in your mane is a recipe for tangles.

 

[wyldcurlz]

IMO, WNGs will cause you to lose more hair and not from shedding but tangles and breakage. Are you talmbout shed hair? When people worry about shedding and it isn't accompanied by balding or thinning hair, I just don't get the concern. And if it's shedding you are talking about, I consider that a blessing. Leaving shed hair in your mane is a recipe for tangles.

well, i'm not sure if its shedding or what it is. Nonie. i detangled prior to washing (which was my second detangling because i'd detangled on saturday afternoon too - and lost a TON of hair then because i hadn't detangled for about 5 days prior to that.) anyway, i detangled, washed and gently sectioned hair off to make twists and as i was twisting a lot of hair was coming out. more than i'd expect having just completed a detangling session. my concern is that my hair can't handle it....but i'm not sure. i just don't see how i could shed soooo much so often (and not eventually be bald.)

 

[NaturalJael]

My hair is fine and w&g's are a no-no for me if I want to retain any length. I find that if my twists are tangling I probably made then too small, I need to thoroughly detangle, or its time for a trim. I see beautiful mini twist all the time, but I'll never be able to wear them. I wear twists majority of the time.

 

[bunnie82]

I'm a fine hair natural and I CANNOT put twists in my hair....it ALWAYS becomes a hot tangled mess! Putting more than 4 twists in my hair is a nightmare! But wng's on the other hand are good for me....no manipulation tiil wash day and detangling is a breeze for me....

 

[wyldcurlz]

I'm a fine hair natural and I CANNOT put twists in my hair....it ALWAYS becomes a hot tangled mess! Putting more than 4 twists in my hair is a nightmare! But wng's on the other hand are good for me....no manipulation tiil wash day and detangling is a breeze for me....

bunnie82 okay, i think we're the same on this one! i haven't twisted enough times to notice if i tangle or not, but all the hair coming out! i don't know if my heart can handle it. so far my hair is pretty healthy with WNGs, the ends seem to be okay...i'm still learning my hair, though.

i'm looking for a protective style i can wear that is not a bun!

 

[westNDNbeauty]

Op consider the fact that you may not be used to the degree of manipulation required for twisting and you are comparing your hair loss to the amount of hair loss you experience during a lesser degree of manipulation.

I twist every time I wash and there is a good mount of shed hair that comes out during each phase of my wash day.

 

[Kinky4Agirl]

When I was natural.. .the only time my hair shedded during twisting sessions was when I needed a trim. The ends would be weak and uneven.

 

[Perfexion]

I posted something similar. I usually wear a pony puff but I wanted to try twists. I twisted my hair last night and when I was done the whole sink was full of hair. I never lose hair in a pony puff. I detangle once in the shower and I'm done.

 

[southerncitygirl]

keep in mind that on avg ppl lose 50-100 strands per day. when hair is curly tons of shed hair gets trapped till you detangle and many don't till wash day....sometimes i still have shed hair after detangling that still is trapped. if you did 2 strand twists i could see that extra shed hair coming out. i bet its not breakage just extra shed hair you didn't get. when the hair is twisted the shed hair wouldn't come out cause its in non-manipulated hair style.

 

[Nonie]

well, i'm not sure if its shedding or what it is. @Nonie. i detangled prior to washing (which was my second detangling because i'd detangled on saturday afternoon too - and lost a TON of hair then because i hadn't detangled for about 5 days prior to that.) anyway, i detangled, washed and gently sectioned hair off to make twists and as i was twisting a lot of hair was coming out. more than i'd expect having just completed a detangling session. my concern is that my hair can't handle it....but i'm not sure. i just don't see how i could shed soooo much so often (and not eventually be bald.)

wyldcurlz, did you count a hundred strands when you detangled, washed and then twisted? If not, then quit fussing over nothing.

You are SUPPOSED to lose up to 100 hairs a day. If you aren't, then you are probably going bald because it means no new hair will be growing out of your hair. Only normal growing hair sheds. If it isn't shedding, something is very wrong with you. Unless hair sheds, no new hairs will grow. And if all your follicles are working, then every day, 100 of them should be spitting out hair so that a new hair can grow in their place. If you're not shedding, it probably means those follicles that could be shedding today never did grow a new hair and so have been sitting empty (rotting).

I wish people would embrace shedding and realize it means their follicles are healthy!

 

[Nonie]

When I was natural.. .the only time my hair shedded during twisting sessions was when I needed a trim. The ends would be weak and uneven.

Kinky4Agirl, I think you're confusing shedding and breaking. Split ends will cause your hair to break. Shedding and bad ends have nothing to do with each other. Even if your hair was freshly trimmed, it would still shed if your follicles are healthy and NORMAL.

 

[LynnieB]

I've done lots of 2-strand twists and have never had a shedding problem that was a cause for concern. I always detangle my hair before doing the twists, if you're detangling AS your doing them, perhaps that's why it seems like you're seeing more?

Hair sheds. Sometimes, especially if your hair is long, it seems like alot when it really isn't.

I get lots of shed after taking out twists that have been in for 2-3 weeks but that's just because the twists hold on to hair that's normally shed anyway.

 

[wyldcurlz]

I've done lots of 2-strand twists and have never had a shedding problem that was a cause for concern. I always detangle my hair before doing the twists, if you're detangling AS your doing them, perhaps that's why it seems like you're seeing more?

Hair sheds. Sometimes, especially if your hair is long, it seems like alot when it really isn't.

I get lots of shed after taking out twists that have been in for 2-3 weeks but that's just because the twists hold on to hair that's normally shed anyway.

LynnieB no, I was already detangled when I started twisting.

Nonie - I get that shedding is normal and you're right, people need to realize that it's an indicator or healthy hair. However, there is such a thin as excessive shedding! That's my concern. Maybe my fine hair can't handle it. I'm trying to figure that out.

I think, as one of the other fine haired naturals said, I'll have to experiment with bigger sections of twists.

And, no matter what I want, as a corp consultant I'm realizing that I can't wear my hair in twists anyway (since mine shrink so much.) so I'll be looking for twisted buns, etc. ...or go back to wash-n-gos!

 

[Nonie]

@LynnieB no, I was already detangled when I started twisting.

@Nonie - I get that shedding is normal and you're right, people need to realize that it's an indicator or healthy hair. However, there is such a thin as excessive shedding! That's my concern. Maybe my fine hair can't handle it. I'm trying to figure that out.

I think, as one of the other fine haired naturals said, I'll have to experiment with bigger sections of twists.

And, no matter what I want, as a corp consultant I'm realizing that I can't wear my hair in twists anyway (since mine shrink so much.) so I'll be looking for twisted buns, etc. ...or go back to wash-n-gos!

wyldcurlz Why do you think your shedding is excessive? Are you balding? Are you shedding more than a hundred strands a day? If not, then you are getting yourself all worked up over nothing.

 

[wyldcurlz]

I'm a fine hair natural and I CANNOT put twists in my hair....it ALWAYS becomes a hot tangled mess! Putting more than 4 twists in my hair is a nightmare! But wng's on the other hand are good for me....no manipulation tiil wash day and detangling is a breeze for me....

I posted something similar. I usually wear a pony puff but I wanted to try twists. I twisted my hair last night and when I was done the whole sink was full of hair. I never lose hair in a pony puff. I detangle once in the shower and I'm done.

bunnie82 and Perfexion - okay ladies, update, i don't know if i can two-strand twist at all. maybe it is just not for the 3 of us (since i took some heat)

basically, tonight, i tried again, bigger twists. hair wasn't as detangled as it could've been (so maybe that is part of the problem) BUT once twisted, it coiled around itself, got super tangled and long story shortened, i had a huge fur ball which is now in the garbage. i think MAYBE one big twist will be okay or one braid, but I think my twist experiment has come to an end. as much as i wanted it to work, i really don't know that is works for MY hair! i seem to do better with WnG.

i wanted to hear your experiences too bunnie82 and Perfexion

 

[LunaGorgeous]

My hair is too fine for twists, whether big or small; they do more harm than good. They're really not for everyone.

 

[pookaloo83]

Twists. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I get tangles too at takedown. No matter how careful I am. I was better off doing my braidouts daily. Now I just bun. Keep the bun in for a few days, wash, then start over. I'll just do twists once in a while now.

Sent From My Pheauxne

 

[NaturalfienD]

wyldcurlz

I have type 4, fine hair that is in its natural state. When I would do twists (to keep my hair stretched or for twist outs) I would have HELLA breakage. HELLA. What I realized after a long while was that my hair did not like to be manipulated while damp with anything ... that included water and leave-in conditioner.

I would use mist my hair with water and then apply a little bit of Garnier leave-in daily or every other day prior to manipulating my hair. I did this because I thought the wisest thing to do was to have my hair moisturized with something before doing anything to it. When I would go to twist it, even after detangling and removing all the shed hair I could fine, I would have all type of hair on my bathroom floor or in my hands. It was very discouraging.

When I relied on twist outs or twisting for stretching purposes, this was an everyday thang. Now, I don't do that style because I am PSing for a minute ... but if I needed to twist my hair now, it would be done on dry hair and I wouldn't add leave-in (I switched from creamy leave-ins to liquid ones because the creamy stuff was too much for my hair) until the style was completed.

It is important to note that when I was in that stage of my hair journey that I had a lot of issues going on: overly porous strands, overly raggedy ends from not dusting, and I think I overloaded my hair with moisture at the time because I rarely used any protein.

All in all, I said all that to say you are not the only one and you are not losing your mind.

Do you add a lot of moisture to your hair before styling? If so, how do you think your hair would respond if you manipulated it and THEN applied your leave-in ...

 

[wyldcurlz]

wyldcurlz

I have type 4, fine hair that is in its natural state. When I would do twists (to keep my hair stretched or for twist outs) I would have HELLA breakage. HELLA. What I realized after a long while was that my hair did not like to be manipulated while damp with anything ... that included water and leave-in conditioner.

I would use mist my hair with water and then apply a little bit of Garnier leave-in daily or every other day prior to manipulating my hair. I did this because I thought the wisest thing to do was to have my hair moisturized with something before doing anything to it. When I would go to twist it, even after detangling and removing all the shed hair I could fine, I would have all type of hair on my bathroom floor or in my hands. It was very discouraging.

When I relied on twist outs or twisting for stretching purposes, this was an everyday thang. Now, I don't do that style because I am PSing for a minute ... but if I needed to twist my hair now, it would be done on dry hair and I wouldn't add leave-in (I switched from creamy leave-ins to liquid ones because the creamy stuff was too much for my hair) until the style was completed.

It is important to note that when I was in that stage of my hair journey that I had a lot of issues going on: overly porous strands, overly raggedy ends from not dusting, and I think I overloaded my hair with moisture at the time because I rarely used any protein.

All in all, I said all that to say you are not the only one and you are not losing your mind.

Do you add a lot of moisture to your hair before styling? If so, how do you think your hair would respond if you manipulated it and THEN applied your leave-in ...

NaturalfienD hi! thanks for the in-depth reply. to answer your question, yes I do add a lot of moisture to my hair before twisting, but still, i lose more strands than i'd like to in the process. i'm not sure if my hair would be better off if i manipulated then applied product. that's a good question and something i've never thought of before. i might give that a try in the next few weeks.

more than anything i don't like the fact that my hair tends to knot up when its twisted and i'm guessing that i'd have the same results no matter the method. i was nervous because i know this is a great protective style....

you know, not everyone has to wear protective styles, and i think i just need to realize that that is okay! i have had great hair health and results wearing WnG so i think that's what i'm going to stick with. (really, because of my job, i can't wear twists and make them look good anyway!) when i want to be more "protective" in my styling - i think i'll stick with one big braid or twist or a bun.