Naturals: The Downfall of Two-Strand Twists

[preciouslove0x]

NATURALS: I have been wearing two strand twists 70% of the time since I BCed in March. I haven't experienced any negatives to wearing them. And I plan to wear them almost exclusively when school starts again. So I would like to know what some of the naturals have encountered that negatively affected their hair because of wearing twists for either extended amount of time (more than two weeks at a time) or just constantly wearing them (redo them once every week or every two weeks just to put them back in for months on end).


TIA!

 

[dlove]

For me tangles and darn near dreading after 2 weeks. I have mostly 4b natural hair.

 

[Miss AJ]

The only downfall for me is not being able to wash my hair everyday lol.

 

[bride91501]

They seem to cause split ends for me. I have 4a/4b hair.

 

[steffiejoe]

They caused my ends to knot up and I seemed to have an increase in split ends. I think my hair was trying to loc.

 

[nikolite]

I used to wear these all the time and they were my signature style. Now its cornrows.

Although they were really cute, they caused a lot of damage for me over time in the form of single strand knots, which led to more breakage and split ends. I was also always cutting the tips of my twists to get them down. I couldn't wear them for more than 2 weeks (and that's the max) without them getting very tangled. Because of my fine hair, I would wear small twists. But large twists shouldn't be so much of a problem. Except you'd have to re-do them more often.

Speaking of re-doing them, I also think twisting and re-twisting was too much manipulation for my strands. My hair growth definitely reached a plateau during my 2-year stint with twists (although I didn't care about growth at the time).

I now opt for cornrows and braids, but I may 2-strand twist someday again. I just wouldn't do it on a consistent basis and I wouldn't keep them in for more than a week anymore. If you elect to wear them, just try to mix them up with other protective styles too. YMMV, though. I have 3C/4A hair.

 

[JollyGal]

I am wearing small twists as my current style. I have been doing so since I fully quit extensions in May 2010.

The first time I took out twists after wearing for one week I experienced major tangles. Twists do seem to cause tangles or ends being knotted together so now I just take my time when taking out my twists. Putting oil on my twists before taking them out really helps.

Washing twists may mean having to redo a few.

I will wear single plaits next time

I believe my hair is 3c/4a but I don't rely on hair types

 

[constance]

I have the same experience as everyone above. I detangle the ends with water & coconut oil or Cowboy Magic if things get really bad but Cowboy Magic will "clump" in the hair and cause tangles a few days down the road. So, I end up rinsing out the CM after detangling then remoisturizing and retwisting. It is too involved and adds too much stress to my ends. I'm working on a solution...I may have to go back to braids. Not sure what type my hair is-maybe a mix of 4a/4b/3c.

 

[lovegymnasts]

None for me
I redo them every week.

 

[SweetSpirit86]

Unless I learn to do them myself, wearing them period is a downfall for me. Around here, they coat them in some oil or something after they're done, and run a lighter up and down the length!!:burning::burning: I was getting micros put in last year and was just smh...I don't do fire near my hair. Nuh unh.

 

[LynnieB]

I wouldn't exactly call it a downfall, more like an annoying pita and that happens whenever I do twists on wet or damp hair and go to take them down, inevitably part of Twist portion 1A feels an overpowering urge to become one with Twist portion 1B.

Usually it's 4 or 8 twists and about 20 hairs divided among them. Like I said, it's a real PITA when I'm trying to separate and detangle the 2 strands that wish to be married til death do they part.

I don't normally blow dry just to do some twists but on the rare occasions that I do, I notice this does not happen. So it's a wet/damp hair issue.

Won't put me off my twisties though - love the style way too much but can certainly understand other ladies issues with twists.

 

[RubyWoo]

None for me. I wore twists for over a year since my BC in May, 2009. I kept them in for 1.5 weeks at a time and wore a twist out before I retwisted. As long as I kept my hair oiled (in addition to moisturizing), I didn't have problems with knots or tangles resulting from twists. Twists have helped me retain all of my length.

For now, I've taken a break from twists because my hair is longer now and I don't like the way twists look on me now. I'm doing sew-in weaves now to change up my look. I'll go back to twists between installs and when I reach my goal length.

 

[constance]

^I never thought of it as being a wet/damp issue, LynnieB! I think you're onto something.

 

[lovegymnasts]

I wouldn't exactly call it a downfall, more like an annoying pita and that happens whenever I do twists on wet or damp hair and go to take them down, inevitably part of Twist portion 1A feels an overpowering urge to become one with Twist portion 1B.

Usually it's 4 or 8 twists and about 20 hairs divided among them. Like I said, it's a real PITA when I'm trying to separate and detangle the 2 strands that wish to be married til death do they part.

This happens to me but I just see it as a characteristic of my hair so it does not bother me.

 

[LynnieB]

This happens to me but I just see it as a characteristic of my hair so it does not bother me.

It isn't fun on shorter hair and it's doubly no fun when it's a 20-24" twist and those hairs are all hung up from root to tip.

Of course it's a characteristic of natural (especially kinky/coily/*insert term here*) hair but it can be extremely frustrating and can take a nice amount of time to get right, ya know?

I sympathize (and empathize) with the ladies who feel they have to dump the style because of it.

 

[LynnieB]

^I never thought of it as being a wet/damp issue, LynnieB! I think you're onto something.

Yea - I'm thinking you're dealing with real-time shrinkage activities there and it's making those hairs do some weird things while they're tucked away in those twists.

 

[choctaw]

Unless I learn to do them myself, wearing them period is a downfall for me. Around here, they coat them in some oil or something after they're done, and run a lighter up and down the length!!:burning::burning: I was getting micros put in last year and was just smh...I don't do fire near my hair. Nuh unh.

I guess my celie braids, knots and puffs will do until Bunny makes her debut

 

[Yoshi3329]

I hope I don't get the above. I'm trying to perfect my two strand twists, but I'll keep them oiled and such so I won't get any problems.

Great thread!

 

[Chameleonchick]

I didn't experience any downfalls when wearing two strands and I like to rinse my hair quite often. Now the mini braids oh my, those were so hard to get out, I loved the look and the compliments but I don't think I will do it in the future.

 

[temfash]

Recently I always seem to have knotting at the end of my twists No matter what size I do them i.e small /medium or big so I now mainly stick to canerows or braids.

 

[silenttullip]

for me they cause thinning, I guess that's why people say don't part in the same area because your hair will form "natural parts" my definition of thinning and then it will feel so crazy

 

[kmn1980]

I keep mine in for 10-14 days at a time and have had no troubles at all. I keep them moisturized so when I take them down, I don't have a worrysome detangling session.

 

[Jhuidah]

My problem with twists was that it was too much manipulation for my hair. The parting, the twisting, the taking down...way too much for my hair. And my strands aren't even particularly weak or thin.

I still wear twists, but I leave them in longer, or I switch them up with some other protective style or wearing my hair out. I'm not in "all twists, all the time" mode anymore.

 

[greight]

I like to wash/condition my hair twice a week (I love clean smelling hair) so two-strand twists can be dangerous if you are like me. I'm trying my hand at cornrows for this reason. I can deal with fuzziness and I'm pretty sure they'll lead to less issues for me in the long run.

I agree with the poster that if you do them dry (and don't get them wet with co-washing/shampooing after), you'll get good results.

 

[Mdmommy99]

I rarely wear twists at all anymore because they seem to increase single strand knots and want to stick to one another so my strands would always take a beating when I was taking them out doing them on dry hair made this a little better but not completely. Plus if I do them while my hair is dry they don't last as long. I'm not sure of my type- maybe 3c/4a, but I do know that I have fine strands so your success may be different based on your hair.

 

[preciouslove0x]

Wow. I was NOT expecting this. Almost all of you encounter tangles and SSKs. Goodness! Is it okay for me to believe that because I don't have these troubles with my 4in TWA that I will continue to be okay down the road? Or does length matter? Because currently I have NO sign of tangles and SSKs. The twists have been a life-saver for my hair. Because before I really started to experiment with them, I was doing a picked out fro everyday. It was causing immediate SSKs and I knew that eventually that would cause thin ends.

How do you ladies detangle? Like what stage do you realize that you are having tangles? While dryi detangling or detangling with conditioner? I would hate have a setback so any more input is appreciated.

 

[coolsista-paris]

i was asking myself why my hair stays almost at the same point...i love twists,there easy to do and i do them fast. the thing is when i take them out: knots!!!!!!! so i guess thats whhy im almost at the same point. now i try different styles (ive just finished my extension braids).

when taking out twists: i wet my hair seal the ends with oil!! then TAKE MY TIME! dont wnna cut knots out but take them out keeping my hiar.

 

[SimJam]

I havnt had any issues with twists, I get them done every 2 weeks, but when i co wash after week 1 I redo them myself (so I can lean to do them properly myself).

twists alleviate my problem of SSK and I nvr get tangles when taking them down, well i dont think I keep them in long enough for that to happen.

as previous posters have said, keeping them moisterized is key !!!
also for the ladies who said they had issues with having knotteg ends ... when I moisterize I twirl the edns to "re set" if I notice they have come loose, also when I seal I go over the ends individually.

the only piece of advice I've gleaned from the board re twists in the long term is making sure that back/nape area is protected once the twists are long enough to rub against ur collar etc as it may cause breakage.

 

[BEAUTYU2U]

I have never experienced a downfall to two-strand twists. Braids on the other hand caused me lots of SSKs, splits, and breakage. I avoid them like the plague (lol) Actually I'm thinking of using the same regimen as OP during the fall/winter months.

Oh, in addition - I keep them cowashed and moisturized. It doesn't affect my wash schedule or anything like that.

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

No issues for me. I always twist on dry hair, it’s easier and my hair doesn't get tangly, plus my twists aren't fully shrunken and I moisturize them daily (ends mostly), which I’m sure helps to keep any tangles/knots at bay. I don’t keep them in forever, 1-2 weeks max. When I’m ready to take them down I’m extra careful, I spritz my ends with water and coat them with oil as csp mentioned. Two-strand twists are one of those styles that will either work for you or not, just like buns, some people’s hair can thrive with them, for others not so much.