Naturals: Advice needed on two-strand twists (pic heavy)

[s4pphir3]

I just did my very 1st set of two-strand twists today. I've always loved twists & I'm really excited .... but it looks like I've had them in for a week

Thing is my hair doesn't seem to hold twists very well, they start to unravel almost right away. I ended up braiding the root and twisting the rest, this helped a little but some of them still look like they want to come undone.

My mom says my hair doesn't have enough "kink" to do twists but I am determined to make them work for me

How do you ladies keep your twists from unravelling? Oh, and I'd love to know what products you use for your twists and any other tips you'd like to share

Oh yea, pics are below

 

[aa9746]

I just did my very 1st set of two-strand twists today. I've always loved twists & I'm really excited .... but it looks like I've had them in for a week

Thing is my hair doesn't seem to hold twists very well, they start to unravel almost right away. I ended up braiding the root and twisting the rest, this helped a little but some of them still look like they want to come undone.

My mom says my hair doesn't have enough "kink" to do twists but I am determined to make them work for me

How do you ladies keep your twists from unravelling? Oh, and I'd love to know what products you use for your twists and any other tips you'd like to share

Oh yea, pics are below

I don't have any advice but your twists look lovely!!

 

[LovelyNaps26]

you can do them smaller and apply a light holding cream. sometimes, however, it may still be necessary to retwist.

 

[NAPPYCHICK86]

Beautiful hair!! I'd say use something with a little hold like ic fantasia gel or eco styler HTH

 

[delitefulmane]

Well i dont think we have the same texture but when my friend did mine once she used ORS Twist n Lock gel. Its not gell but its a cream that will keep the twists in place, give it shine and make it smell good!! You should search NikStar...i think thats her... but her texture is like yours and she does twists!!

 

[hopeful]

Your mom may be right. But your twists look really pretty. They may last longer if you pin them up. I love twists too, just keep trying.

 

[lilsparkle825]

First off, your hair is BEAUTIFUL!

Second, your twists look like mine, and for that reason I have given up on small two-strand twists. Did you twist the strands individually as you twisted them around each other? That may help them hold better. Also, don't forget that holding product. Then again, they may just be rebellious like mine and not want to stay.

 

[southerncitygirl]

when i do my twistouts i use afroveda curl define and whipped gelly mixed together about 4-5 pts gelly to 2-4 pts curl define. if i wanted they would probably stay all week.

 

[hasabe]

I have the same problem, but I'm not as determined as you are to make it work. I usually opt for a braidout as a protective style for this reason. I would recommend shea butter on the ends, it should help with the unraveling. Beautiful hair btw.

 

[Qurlyqt]

Gorgeous hair! If you want more plump twists, you may opt for NO product, then try to wet the tips only and apply something to the tip only so they don't come unraveled. That way, you can still blow it out if you'd like so your hair is stretched.

 

[lwilliams1922]

Are you doing them on wet or dry hair?

I find that I have to do it on wet hair with a lot of conditioner. I also switched to single strand twists.

 

[nikolite]

Your hair looks curly enough to hold a twist, especially at the ends. I think your best bet is to do them wet/damp while using a product like a butter or gel. I used to use a mango butter that had a little beeswax in it.

Can you list exactly what steps you did? Looking at your siggy pics, I'm not sure why your twists were unraveling.

 

[s4pphir3]

First off, your hair is BEAUTIFUL!

Second, your twists look like mine, and for that reason I have given up on small two-strand twists. Did you twist the strands individually as you twisted them around each other? That may help them hold better. Also, don't forget that holding product. Then again, they may just be rebellious like mine and not want to stay.

No I braided the root and twisted the rest of my hair. They are definitely rebellious, can you recommend a good holding product? I saw Jane Carter's Twist and Lock Creme in CurlMart but I wasn't sure if it was any good, it didn't get any reviews yet.

Gorgeous hair! If you want more plump twists, you may opt for NO product, then try to wet the tips only and apply something to the tip only so they don't come unraveled. That way, you can still blow it out if you'd like so your hair is stretched.

Thank you .. I am lving your siggy pic.

Are you doing them on wet or dry hair?

I find that I have to do it on wet hair with a lot of conditioner. I also switched to single strand twists.

I did them on dry hair this time around, my first attempt was on wet hair but that didn't work out so well. My hair was also drying up really fast or I was twisting really slow

Your hair looks curly enough to hold a twist, especially at the ends. I think your best bet is to do them wet/damp while using a product like a butter or gel. I used to use a mango butter that had a little beeswax in it.

Can you list exactly what steps you did? Looking at your siggy pics, I'm not sure why your twists were unraveling.

Well I fell in love my girl's mini twists:
http://public.fotki.com/Thegirltolove/june-2010/
and I wanted to do something similar .. uh yeah didn't happen

I did what she did and blow dried my hair first (on the cool setting), but it wasn't perfectly straight - not sure if that matters. I m&s my hair using my "juice" and some jbco/coconut oil (can't use jbco straight, it's too thick for me), put my hair in four sections and went to work. Braiding a little at the root and continuing with the twist to the end.

I'm thinking you ladies are right and I should probably do them on wet/damp hair first. But another issue I'm having is that some products meant for twisting or locing aren't easily applied to wet/damp hair I'm guessing because of the wax. Any suggestions?

BTW I have more pics of my twists in my fotki: http://public.fotki.com/s4pphir3/april-2010/august-month-5/

 

[Whimsy]

Oooh i love your twists and your siggie pic is to die for. i luv ur curlyq puff

anyway i'm no help. my twists unravel and i just let them. but i'm kinda messy...

 

[s4pphir3]

Oooh i love your twists and your siggie pic is to die for. i luv ur curlyq puff

anyway i'm no help. my twists unravel and i just let them. but i'm kinda messy...

it's ok I love your twists .. funny thing is I used to stalk your blog all the time and say I'm going to do my hair like that

 

[Janet']

I love your hair but I think that the products that you are using or not using might have something to do with why your twists are misbehaving! Lol.

 

[LunadeMiel]

Nice twist OP. I have to same issues with twists as you do. This is the reason why I gave up on doing the

 

[s4pphir3]

I love your hair but I think that the products that you are using or not using might have something to do with why your twists are misbehaving! Lol.

LOL I'm trying to find the right one for my hair .. and just when I thought I found my holy grail already

Nice twist OP. I have to same issues with twists as you do. This is the reason why I gave up on doing the

Thank you, I think twists are so beautiful and may be the thing I need to save my edges. I usually wear buns a lot and pulling it back constantly is starting to make my edges look thin.

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

I have 2 textures: a very fine 3C in the nape area and in the front, type 4AB...so the back is always trying to unravel....I have remedied this by doing a few things, plus I'll add a little advice:

1. Your twists look beautiful! With a lot of practice, it will become 2nd nature, and you'll be throwing them in cute styles...it took me about 3-4 tries before I got the result I wanted...So kudos to you first timer!

2. I think that doing the hair almost dry has been helpful for me...Even though my hair is type 3 and 4, I learned that my hair is not as "course" as I thought...But its dense so I have an advantage....Try letting it air dry a little, then gently with your fingers use your leave in to separate the hair and twist....

3. Speaking of conditioner, a little at first goes a LOONG way...To twist your hair it doesn't have to be soaking wet or even overly damp for that matter...I find that when I use the equivalent of a smear on each twist, then seal, I get a smoother look. I only recently becan cold-blowdrying my hair to about 80% dry, before I twist, which makes my hair even more smooth...especially in the front.

4. Finally, here is the kicker....you may want to use a smoothing gel to twist the ends....Now my hair is fine, but my ends are a little crunchy (but not split)...if I saturate the ends with my leave in (I use the HE LTR leave in JUST for the ends----but I use the Cantu leave-in for the actual twists), when it dries, it holds better, and is smooth..When I do the twist-out, it doesn't tangle, and I protect my ends from fraying when I wear them down....I recommend a dab of gel for YOUR ends since your hair seems to be more of a type 3 and just needs the hold....You will need to experiment: You may try a dab of gel mixed with a dab of leave in, or you may need to try just a saturation of leave in that dries and holds......Most ladies will do a curl rod on the ends of the twist to let it hold.....

I hope you find this helpful!

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

That reminds me, I had a student a couple of semesters ago with type 3 natural hair...she swears by beeswax for twisting! I don't know how (or if) she mixes it but she loves it and gets a cute result....

Another thing may be twist and lock gel...The Jamacian Lime Mango one smells good.....(But it is petroleum based and has mineral oil).....Sooooo,

Be careful, they are thick and can buildup, so start with a dab....You may have to clarify at least once a month or shampoo with a sulfate conditioner (if you're not afraid of them).....The Cantu I use and the HE LTR both have cones...but I use very little so I don't suffer from ANY buildup....I can get away with co-washing once every 4-7 days.

 

[BlondeByDesire]

I use Koils By Nature Butter along with the gel.

 

[s4pphir3]

I have 2 textures: a very fine 3C in the nape area and in the front, type 4AB...so the back is always trying to unravel....I have remedied this by doing a few things, plus I'll add a little advice:

1. Your twists look beautiful! With a lot of practice, it will become 2nd nature, and you'll be throwing them in cute styles...it took me about 3-4 tries before I got the result I wanted...So kudos to you first timer!

2. I think that doing the hair almost dry has been helpful for me...Even though my hair is type 3 and 4, I learned that my hair is not as "course" as I thought...But its dense so I have an advantage....Try letting it air dry a little, then gently with your fingers use your leave in to separate the hair and twist....

3. Speaking of conditioner, a little at first goes a LOONG way...To twist your hair it doesn't have to be soaking wet or even overly damp for that matter...I find that when I use the equivalent of a smear on each twist, then seal, I get a smoother look. I only recently becan cold-blowdrying my hair to about 80% dry, before I twist, which makes my hair even more smooth...especially in the front.

4. Finally, here is the kicker....you may want to use a smoothing gel to twist the ends....Now my hair is fine, but my ends are a little crunchy (but not split)...if I saturate the ends with my leave in (I use the HE LTR leave in JUST for the ends----but I use the Cantu leave-in for the actual twists), when it dries, it holds better, and is smooth..When I do the twist-out, it doesn't tangle, and I protect my ends from fraying when I wear them down....I recommend a dab of gel for YOUR ends since your hair seems to be more of a type 3 and just needs the hold....You will need to experiment: You may try a dab of gel mixed with a dab of leave in, or you may need to try just a saturation of leave in that dries and holds......Most ladies will do a curl rod on the ends of the twist to let it hold.....

I hope you find this helpful!

These are awesome tips, thanks so much!! I'm ready to take them out and try again The back of my hair is just like yours .. when I wash my hair in the shower it's practically straight and when dry the curls are big ringlets.

I was wondering if I should use gel or not .. I didn't want to dry my hair out. I do have ecostyler (the clear one) and for some reason it doesn't act like gel in my hair at all. Maybe I'll use that next time.

That reminds me, I had a student a couple of semesters ago with type 3 natural hair...she swears by beeswax for twisting! I don't know how (or if) she mixes it but she loves it and gets a cute result....

Another thing may be twist and lock gel...The Jamacian Lime Mango one smells good.....(But it is petroleum based and has mineral oil).....Sooooo,

Be careful, they are thick and can buildup, so start with a dab....You may have to clarify at least once a month or shampoo with a sulfate conditioner (if you're not afraid of them).....The Cantu I use and the HE LTR both have cones...but I use very little so I don't suffer from ANY buildup....I can get away with co-washing once every 4-7 days.

I actually have their locking creme wax! But it has petroleum in it, I used it in the first front section of my hair but it didn't seem to do much .. maybe I'll get a better result on damp hair.

 

[TrendySocialite]

I would like to suggest mixing up a twist mixture containing the following....

1. shea butter
2. gel of choice (I use ecostyler)

This will help give you the hold and moisture to help the twists stay. Plus it cuts out the step of putting both products on separately. You could add a little creamy leave-in to make it a bit creamier if you want.

But your hair and twists are beautiful.

 

[Newtogrow]

Those are pretty!! Maybe if you use a little IC gel.

 

[s4pphir3]

I would like to suggest mixing up a twist mixture containing the following....

1. shea butter
2. gel of choice (I use ecostyler)

This will help give you the hold and moisture to help the twists stay. Plus it cuts out the step of putting both products on separately. You could add a little creamy leave-in to make it a bit creamier if you want.

But your hair and twists are beautiful.

Oh neat .. You mix this together before putting it in your hair?

 

[freecurl]

I think your twist turned out beautiful. I have the same problem with twist so I shy away from them. I will also heed everyone's advice.

 

[wavezncurlz]

I have the same problem with my and my dd1's hair. I use bands (soaked in olive oil) on the roots to keep them from unraveling:

Don't flame me -I know it's not as good for the hair but if I want to have twists that last, it's the only thing that works. And really, this is why I rarely wear twists. Most of the time, I just use the twists for styling a twist out and don't wear the twists alone.

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

Definitely try them on wet hair. If you're looking for a good loc or twisting product, the one from Afroveda is pretty good...though I've heard the consistency has changed. It takes a little while to sink in on my hair, but it gave my twists a bit of extra hold.

Your twists look cute though!

 

[TrendySocialite]

Oh neat .. You mix this together before putting it in your hair?

Yes I mix it in a small plastic container (ziploc ones that I also use for my leave-in conditioner mix). I can put a lid on it and use it again.

 

[candiel]

Very pretty!!