A Plan for Long 4b Hair: Has Anybody Tried This?

[afiya27]

Hello All,

This is my first post here. I have a TWA right now (~.75cm). I've been wearing it for a year now and I've been loving the simplicity and elegance (I had long locks for most of my 20s, and BCd them last year near my 30th bday). But I recently discovered this whole world of natural hair care support groups and advice online. Given that I last had comb/brush-ready hair in the non-internet 1990s, I was pleasantly surprised. All these sites and resources!...and the YouTube community is wonderful!...Okay, enough gushing. Bottom line, I'm considering growing out my TWA thanks to the internet, and I wanted to run this idea by you all (especially 4b folk like me):

I might not remember how this non-locked natural hair thing goes, but it seems to me that, given the (for me) new revelation online (YouTube) that it is possible to "take down" or unravel one's matted hair/locks, one could wear micro-two stranded twists (without extensions) for up to 2.5 months and get the matts out fairly easily. After all, you could water or co-wash it gently under a stocking cap each week without taking them out (something I did for my baby-locks). Then you could condition the hair, and retwist only the ones that need retouching each week (no combing, just retwist).

The reason this is exciting is because my plan for my hair (after ~1-1.5 years of growth) is to do just this! I figure, given the dreadlocks principle (ie our hair will grow if we don't comb/brush it), 4b hair will grow long WITHOUT extensions or extensive matting/dreads (my new challenge for myself) if you severely minimize combing and manipulation. The way I have worked the above plan out, I would only be extensively manipulating my hair ~4-8 times per year! After all, as mentioned, the worry that the hair will mat in 2.5 months of non-manipulation is solvable by the lock-detangling technique (given that most textures (even 4bs) take at least 3 months to completely lock). If full out dreads can be taken out, so can half way matted hair! ...Thus 4b hair will grow and be protected!...

Am I missing something here? Why haven't I found anyone doing this online? Has anyone tried something like this? Is there an obvious reason for this not to work in terms of fostering growth? Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Afiya27

 

[tiffers]

Welcome to the board!!!!!

I've heard of people taking down dreads, so I see the reasoning behind your idea I don't know much about dreads and twists though, so I'm probably not the one to answer your question!

Just wanted to pop in and say

 

[mscocoface]

Welcome aboard. Depending on your hair and how it operates you may want to test drive that theory with about 2 weeks or 3 weeks first to see how it goes.

Some of us including myself can only go a week or so before we need to take down the set of twists au natural particularly if we have been cowashing on a daily basis.

If you only cowash or wash weekly you may be able to go a lot further than two weeks or more without having to deal with the issue of your hair matting.

 

[discodumpling]

Although low-no manipulation techniques are part of many loose-natural's regimen, most of us, myself included, love to show our napps off I love twists but I love braids, bantus, roller sets & the occasional flat-iron...I enjoying my hair growth journey. My only goal is to see how long it will grow!

Within type 4 hair you will find many variations...mine will loc, dread & tangle in most places after wearing twists for more than 5 days...some ladies can rock twists much longer.

Perhaps you can start a challenge to see if anyone else will ride with your idea?
Good luck, welcome, & happy hair growing...we love new ideas round here!

 

[Nonie]

I'm in braids now, but prior to this, I was in twists continuously. I'd just touch them up one at a time as needed but otherwise I didn't undo them all or wear my hair out, nor did I use a comb. I washed them twice a week and could go to 4 weeks without undoing them. My hair didn't mat or lock. A few would unravel after a wash but otherwise, it worked for me.

 

[Mane Event]

There are dread removal products such as the ones one this webite: www.takedownproducts.com thatt are said to remove dreadlocks (up to 9 yrs old).

I havent tried it before. However, I did consider using it b/c I want to leave my sew-in for 4-5 months (of course getting a touch-up/tightened at least once a month). Anyway, I know my hair will be matted but I agree with your concept as long is there's a safe removal processes. I'm still researching and weighing my options...

 

[lashannasmall]

I had dreads in the past too. I have tried to explain how hard it is for your hair to really form dreads. People say that because they have a few tangles, their hair is matting up and dreading when really it is just tangled. I think your idea is good. I would go along with you but I don't like the way my natural hair looks in twists even though that is how I started my dreads. I have fine hair and it is thin and my twists are not that attractive. I never had those thick beautiful dreads that people envyed. I am growing mine out with weaves until I can wear a puff. That and twist outs will be my protective styles.

 

[afiya27]

Hello,

Thanks everyone for the welcomes and the responses! Wow! I'm pleased that no one has struck down the idea so far! Maybe there's hope for this. But like I said, there must be a catch that I don't remember given that I haven't had my hair fully natural since I was 13 (I had a relaxer and then extensions/braids and a texturizer from ages 13 to 20).

This is all a long way off, but maybe I could start experimenting as soon as I get a good 3-4 inches (within a year). As Mscocoface helpfully suggested, I could systematically twist my hair in the most mattable/tightly coiled region of my head first for just one week, then check for matting; then two weeks, then check, etc. That way, I could get a feel for how easily my hair mats. It was encouraging to hear from Nonie that her hair didn't mat in twists after a month. Do you have particularly 4b/c-ish hair Nonie? Were your twists thick or micro?

Thanks.

BTW, how does one go about starting a challenge? Also, should I wait till I have hair to initiate one? I don't want to look like a mad scientist trying to get others to do things and/or experiment when I can't right now... erplexed

 

[anon123]

I think it could work. People do undo their dreads to discover they have much longer hair. But I've also heard from people who undo their dreads that the ends are usually terrible and they have to cut a lot. My hair is the type that, if I tried to do that, I might be able to get them apart, but I'd have to do so much ripping that my hair would look terrible afterward. I know this because I washed my hair in twists just one or two times without taking them down. I just let them dry. And it took me like 4 or 5 days, working a couple hours each day, just to take those down. I can't even imagine what it would have been like if they had been in for months and I had washed them weekly all that time.

 

[Carrie A]

I have read about that on NP in the past. I've also read about people fully locking their hair with the intent of growing it out (then taking down). Here the majority seem to wear the hair loose or use braids (Crown and Glory). So this is a modified C & G sans synthetic hair. Sounds good if you can get a good detangling method (product). I think the idea of a massive detaingling session with the potential of hair breakage is like a phobia to folks here LOL. But you can start a challenge thread anytime.

Welcome, good luck, and happy growing!

 

[sunbubbles]

ITA with this theory! In fact Im in the middle of putting in a set of mini box braids right now and I wasnt planning on taking them out for 2-3 months.!! I do beleive it will help retain growth, just look at fotkis like, Hamira!! There does need to be patience when taking it down though .
There does need to be a clarification of "matted or tangled hair" and "Dreaded" because they are'nt the same thing. Then again really soft hair matts really quickly. Im sort of in a problem because I have 2 COMPLETEly different heads of hair on my head! My back half is completely from my dad: VERY soft and fine, 3c-4aish but still dense. And it matts in a HEARTBEAT!!
Now the top half is like my mom: spongy, slighty more coarse, med/thick strands, 4a-4bish but mostly 4b. It can stay in braids and twists much longer with out frizzing out. So I figure if I put these braids in and rebraid my back and front edges ( which I do anyhow) every 3-4 weeks itll be all good. In fact I KNOW itll be all good because thats how Ive been getting my growth, except its been in twist extensions............. WOW! You can tell Ive been thinking about this ALOT huh!
If you start a challenge Im sooooooo game for it! In fact Ill post a pic of my mini braids starting point when I get done with them!

 

[sunshinelady]

What you are talking about sounds a lot like the Crown and Glory technique. I don't know how well you would retain length with having to periodically do significant detangling. Most people that I have seen who undid their locks ended up with very fragile hair and lost more than half the length. And, how would you keep your hair neat?

But, try it and report back. We all may switch to this technique.

 

[sunbubbles]

What you are talking about sounds a lot like the Crown and Glory technique. I don't know how well you would retain length with having to periodically do significant detangling. Most people that I have seen who undid their locks ended up with very fragile hair and lost more than half the length. And, how would you keep your hair neat?

But, try it and report back. We all may switch to this technique.

Hey you're right!! It DID sound strangly familiar , but Ive never done mine w/o extension hair ( although others have) just to scared it would be too short I guess, but now that Ive gained some length Im ready! WOO HOO! oh well I missed the cut off date for the crown and glory challenge, so this will be the " you cant tell the difference" knock off LMBO!
yea locks are fragile when taken out, most of they time they've been in that state for a year and beyond, but 2 months isnt locks just a "heated" detangling session which I'd have to do weekly anyway if my hair was loose. Id rather take one LARGE 3 hour detangling session every 2 months than a 1 hour session every week or two. I admire you ladies who are blessed with all that patience!!! GIMME SOME!!! lol

 

[Nonie]

. It was encouraging to hear from Nonie that her hair didn't mat in twists after a month. Do you have particularly 4b/c-ish hair Nonie? Were your twists thick or micro?

I have 4B hair in every sense of the word and I am madly in love with how it can look different depending on what I've done to it. Here are some images of my hair so you know what I'm talking about (forgive the poor quality of some pics; I didn't own a real digicam back then):

Close up:

And yes, my twists are I guess micro *shrug* (these were 119 on only part of my head:

Another image of a different set but on my entire head:

 

[sunbubbles]

WOW Nonie, your twists are so pretty! What did you do to maintain?

 

[ThickHair]

I have worn my twist as long as 6 weeks and I did have some tangles and shed hair, but with lots of conditioner and the end of a rattail comb I was able to remove them. I have 4b hair BTW. I do my hair about 6-8 times per year.

 

[ThickHair]

Id rather take one LARGE 3 hour detangling session every 2 months than a 1 hour session every week or two. I admire you ladies who are blessed with all that patience!!! GIMME SOME!!! lol

ITA, people look at me crazy when I tell them that I need to set aside about 5-6 hours to do my hair. Then I have to remind folks that I do not have to do anything on a daily basis to my hair except take off my scarf, shake and go. 6 weeks of daily shake and go hair and all I have do do is scarifice 5-6 hours one Saturday afternoon. I will take "Why do I wear twist for $1000 Alex".

BTW I have extremely thick, 4b, right above mid waist hair. 5-6 hours is the time it takes from taking down the first twist, no pooing, detangling all the way through twisting up the last twist. Plus I have major shrinkage, so my hair always has to be wet to comb through.

 

[CurliDiva]

Hello All,

This is my first post here. I have a TWA right now (~.75cm). I've been wearing it for a year now and I've been loving the simplicity and elegance (I had long locks for most of my 20s, and BCd them last year near my 30th bday). But I recently discovered this whole world of natural hair care support groups and advice online. Given that I last had comb/brush-ready hair in the non-internet 1990s, I was pleasantly surprised. All these sites and resources!...and the YouTube community is wonderful!...Okay, enough gushing. Bottom line, I'm considering growing out my TWA thanks to the internet, and I wanted to run this idea by you all (especially 4b folk like me):

I might not remember how this non-locked natural hair thing goes, but it seems to me that, given the (for me) new revelation online (YouTube) that it is possible to "take down" or unravel one's matted hair/locks, one could wear micro-two stranded twists (without extensions) for up to 2.5 months and get the matts out fairly easily. After all, you could water or co-wash it gently under a stocking cap each week without taking them out (something I did for my baby-locks). Then you could condition the hair, and retwist only the ones that need retouching each week (no combing, just retwist).

The reason this is exciting is because my plan for my hair (after ~1-1.5 years of growth) is to do just this! I figure, given the dreadlocks principle (ie our hair will grow if we don't comb/brush it), 4b hair will grow long WITHOUT extensions or extensive matting/dreads (my new challenge for myself) if you severely minimize combing and manipulation. The way I have worked the above plan out, I would only be extensively manipulating my hair ~4-8 times per year! After all, as mentioned, the worry that the hair will mat in 2.5 months of non-manipulation is solvable by the lock-detangling technique (given that most textures (even 4bs) take at least 3 months to completely lock). If full out dreads can be taken out, so can half way matted hair! ...Thus 4b hair will grow and be protected!...

Am I missing something here? Why haven't I found anyone doing this online? Has anyone tried something like this? Is there an obvious reason for this not to work in terms of fostering growth? Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Afiya27

Welcome Afiya27!

This is a great idea.......please share more details as you work out your plans!

I guess I've seen how to release dreadlocks. This may teah me some better "detangling" prinicples for my loose natural hair.

Good luck, Curli

 

[CurliDiva]

ITA, people look at me crazy when I tell them that I need to set aside about 5-6 hours to do my hair. Then I have to remind folks that I do not have to do anything on a daily basis to my hair except take off my scarf, shake and go. 6 weeks of daily shake and go hair and all I have do do is scarifice 5-6 hours one Saturday afternoon. I will take "Why do I wear twist for $1000 Alex".

BTW I have extremely thick, 4b, right above mid waist hair. 5-6 hours is the time it takes from taking down the first twist, no pooing, detangling all the way through twisting up the last twist. Plus I have major shrinkage, so my hair always has to be wet to comb through.

Some people spend that much time in a salon every week. I love the idea of manipulating my hair a set number (less often) during the year! I may do this with braids.

My hair curls (especially the ends) unto itself if I don't add extension hair.

Is there a reason (pro/cons) for not adding hair to your braids or twists?

TIA

 

[Nonie]

WOW Nonie, your twists are so pretty! What did you do to maintain?

Thank you, Sunbubbles.

I don't do much, which is why I love being in them coz they are so easy to maintain.

I think the main thing that helps them last is my twisting method. At the risk of boring others to death, I'll repeat this info for you. When I twist, I first twirl each strand clockwise (same direction), and only then do I wrap them around each other, but this time anticlockwise. (Demo vid) Doing this seems not only to give a neat finish but also a firmer twist. Also, because I twist each strand upon its axis first, keeping hair stretched, this helps to keep the strands in each twists parallel and separate from those in the other strand, which I believe helps with preventing tangles. So I can wash as many times as I want and my twists can still look like the pic below which shows my twists after 4 weeks of twice a week washes:

The worst that happens when I wash my hair is the twists unravel, but I love playing with my hair so much that it's a pleasure to redo them.

And also because of this method of twisting, when I have to undo my twists, it's an easy process and finger-combing is a breeze. (Demo) But I rarely undo all the twists. I usually undo and redo one at a time as needed or as time allows.

The only downside to this method is twist-outs don't look nice and fluffy, but rather look a little "malnourished" more like skinny,wavy locs:

Also, the twists you make are skinny and initially look wonky and not so cute. But I usually CW almost immediately (or you can spray them with a spritz you make if you prefer; I just CW coz I don't use any other products on my hair and using just water might leave them dry so I CW instead) and then let them drip-dry. This makes them puff up a little and also hang down straight. They get puffier and fuller with subsequent washes:

I also like to do the wetting after twisting because it makes the ends shrink into coilies and therefore secures the twists better. If they open up into "two legs" as someone once described them, I simply press the spring-like strands together and roll them between my finger to get a single end.

If you look at the pic below, you can picture what I mean about pressing the two "legs" together and they intertwine the way two springs might.

Besides the fact that wetting them makes the ends set better because of the contraction of the "springs" that prevents unraveling, I let them drip dry because the weight of the water makes the twists hang straight and gives the end a look I think is rather cute:

 

[anherica]

I like the idea. I wear my hair mostly in twists anyway, and wash, DC, treat, etc. with them still in. I've kept my twists in for up to a month, and have not experienced major problems with takedown. In the winter I wash and DC once a week, in the warmer months I average twice a week.

I just have to make sure that the twists at my nape aren't too small, then I have to really work to get them down. I think it's because the hair back there is of a much softer texture than the rest of my hair.

If you start a challenge, I'm willing to sign on. I'm all for twisting it up and leaving it alone.

 

[diamoness]

This is exactly what I'm doing to my 4b hair now. I actually have been doing this with small plaits over this past year, but have switched to twists for the spring and summer months. I like how the twists look on me now better than the plaits, but the plaits never tried to dread on me....I would only redo them in sections 2-2.5 months into it. My twists have been doing ok for 2.5 weeks now and i've co-washed them like 5 or 6 times already. If i didn't wash so much, i'd definetely be able to wear them for 2-3 months without any dreading.

 

[Nonie]

Anherica, I was going to call you out coz you're my twin in more ways than one. And I knew you lived in twists like I did.

 

[sunshinelady]

Wouldn't this be the same thing as the Twisting for Growth challenge? I'm still confused on how this differs from regular long-term twisting.

 

[Nonie]

Wouldn't this be the same thing as the Twisting for Growth challenge? I'm still confused on how this differs from regular long-term twisting.

It is kinda the same thing, but OP is new and I doubt she knew about the Twisting for Growth or C&G Method. She was just thinking about it and decided to share. Perhaps the difference lies in that she would not be redoing her hair as often as folks on those challenges redo them. (I don't think I've read of anyone leaving twists in for 2.5 months without redoing.) So she's thinking of pushing the envelope and then just before the twists turn into locs, undoing and repeating the process. I don't think twisters on our previous challenges allow their twists to get to that point.

 

[sunbubbles]

It is kinda the same thing, but OP is new and I doubt she knew about the Twisting for Growth or C&G Method. She was just thinking about it and decided to share. Perhaps the difference lies in that she would not be redoing her hair as often as folks on those challenges redo them. (I don't think I've read of anyone leaving twists in for 2.5 months without redoing.) So she's thinking of pushing the envelope and then just before the twists turn into locs, undoing and repeating the process. I don't think twisters on our previous challenges allow their twists to get to that point.

Ditto. I believe most of the ladies in the twisting for growth challenge/ C&G are pretty much only leaving it in for 4-6 weeks ( for the most part.) After I saw that leaving them in for 10+ weeks is definitely possible ( thanks to Hamira and nevergiveup's album) I was so game!! Especially for ppl with kinkier texture, say 4a/4b Thats why Im makin me some box braids now. Im gonna experiment and see how long they last!

 

[Lucky's Mom]

NONIE. The Queen of Twists.....Wow. How do you walk around with all of these crowns?

 

[Nonie]

NONIE. The Queen of Twists.....Wow. How do you walk around with all of these crowns?

Lucky's Mom you better stop smoking that ish!

I was sitting here thinking, "Did she just call my twist style crowns?" Now I know I was raving about a style that my friend said she'd never be seen dead in, but which to me is so hawt that I can't wait for the day I rock it IN PUBLIC (and it really does look like it could be a crown or helmet , let me know if you wanna see it. )...but since I hadn't yet pulled it off yet, I was like "What does she mean 'I have crowns'? " I got it a few seconds later.

Your highness, you forget I know yo' skillz so don't even go there.

 

[JustKiya]

Ooooooh. What an intriguing idea. :scratchch I really don't see any reason why it wouldn't work, esp. if you took care of your twists (conditioning/moisturizing them) on a regular basis. I know, my hair was a WRECK when I took down my locs, but that was because of what I did to my locs.....

Moooost interesting. I would love to be able to leave my twists in for longer than a week - I'm going to have to actually watch your youtube, Nonie, as I think I do the same thing, but my twists aren't nearly as 'stable' as yours are.

 

[Shandell]

Great idea! I have been doing this since I BC and I like it a lot. My hair does not tangle when I take it down either, I cowash every other day, wash with a baking soda and shampoo once per month, spray with a mix of aloe and essential oils before moisturizing my hair Cantu and sealing with shea if I feel the need. This is better than braids for me...although I like braids too.
I look forward to seeing your results from your idea.