Twists, Twistouts & Maintenance

[adamseve]

Hi,

I've been lurking for some time and I love this forum! Thanks everyone for being so supportive and giving of your tips.

I've noticed that I tend to have to redo my 2STs once I take them down to wear a twist out.

I always twist my hair on freshly washed, DCd, and moisturized hair. Normally I apply my leave-in, seal & then apply my creme based moisturizer (Chicoro method). I then twist. No problem for the 1st 3-4 days, but once I take them down and re-twist them after a twist-out it's like my hair is trying to loc. I'll have twists that are actually hard even though I moisturize them by spritzing them with my moisturizing spritz (AVJ, distilled water, vegetable glycerin, avocado oil, peppermint oil, & rosemary oil). I don't spritz them much because I hate shrinkage, but I make sure I do this nightly and prior to untwisting.

I don't want to have to manipulate my hair so much with the re-twisting and untwisting. Any suggestions on what to do to at least get 7 days out of my twists before having to co-wash & re-twist?

Thanks.

 

[Nix08]

bump......

 

[prettyinpurple]

I have to use a cream moisturizer every few days. I like to use it in the morning and right before I retwist. Honestly I need to retwist at least once during a 7 day period if I want to keep the volume in my hair and to keep it stretched out. It holds moisture better when stretched out slightly.

Spritzing my hair everyday would cause too much shrinkage for me. But if you want to continue spritzing, try adding a heavier moisturizer on top of the spritz. This would help my hair air dry in a better state than spritz alone.

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

Whenever I do my twistouts I have to retwist my hair at least every other day, I feel I would do more damage to my hair leaving it out in a twistout than retwisting often.

The key to low manipulation is NOT to brush or comb the twists before retwisting--just retwist the hair for the next twistout.

This has worked for me and I'm able to retain length and grow my hair.

 

[mzteaze]

I agree with Honeycomb. I retwist within 2 days of a twist out. I don't like exposing my ends while sleeping and get better results if I simply retwist before bed. The only way I can get it to look good IMO and last more than one day is to sleep sitting up (which isn't worth it to me).

 

[CurlyDiggy]

I have the same issue. I usually twist my hair on sat or sun. My twist out may last till Fri but it looks dry and frizzy in some places. I'm thinking maybe retwist again mid week but I don't want too much manipulation

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Long Hair Care Forum App

 

[Nonie]

I'm the chicken of the lot because I only leave my hair for more than a day when in twists. If I wear a twist-out, it's just a break in-between my twisting and for only a day, and so at the end of the day, I retwist my hair for another long spell in twists. Before retwisting, I finger-comb each section so strands are well separated.

I can so see how just twisting w/o finger-combing can cause the hair to lock, especially when you have glue in form of products. I don't use products when I twist and I think is one reason my hair doesn't mat even though I leave twists in for weeks on end.

 

[Sesi]

Just ignore them. that's the best advice i can give you. i usu keep my twists for 3 weeks if i am not swimming (2 week twist, 1 twistout) or 2 weeks (1 week twist, 1 week to).

just put on a satin bonnet at night/sleep on my satin pillow(case).

I let the mist from the shower 'wake up' my twists.

on wednesday mornings i moisturize with my spirtz and that's it until i shampoo on the weekend.

but yeah - the less manipulation, the better.

 

[mzteaze]

Perhaps the better question is, what do you consider too much manipulation. Or, what happens if you "over" manipulate?

I personally wind up in my hair several times a week due to working out or work. I twist and retwist my hair at least once or twice a day in many cases. I don't see additional breakage or shedding from doing so. So the assumption that less manipulation is better just doesn't make sense to me.

Please explain.

 

[**SaSSy**]

If your hair is long enough, re-twisting in between wash days might be best. I would suggest moisturizing with a water-based spray moisturizer so you won't be over manipulating your hair while applying a cream moisturizer, then just make 5 to 6 big twist to keep the pattern. There is no need to comb, or finger comb IMO if it's less than week before your next wash day.

 

[faithVA]

I don't want to have to manipulate my hair so much with the re-twisting and untwisting. Any suggestions on what to do to at least get 7 days out of my twists before having to co-wash & re-twist?

My twistouts last longer when I start with smaller twists. I get more definition and the smaller sections of hair seem to stay together better. I have done twists out with larger twist but generally I am doing mini twists. I can wear a twist out for 2 weeks with only loss of definition at my nape. I only wear it for a week but I can wear it up to 2 weeks.

With mini twists I do add additional product to give it extra hold (Taliaah Waajids lock it up, or kinky curly or some other type of product made for twists).

Twisting my hair without product is not an option for long term styles. Without the holding product my hair does dread and it unravels from the root as my scalp heats up (wearing a bonnet, working out).

 

[NaeChail]

I'm a newbie, but I wear twists almost constantly (any oher style is done ON the twists)

Proper detangling is a must. Knots in a twist lead to breakage, as the longer you wear the twists, the worse he knit gets.

As the poster above stated, for some product is a must. If I don't use product, my ends begin to unravel and I will unwillingly end up with a twistout within a day or so. Also, using the right product gives them longevity. If I do twists with KCCC or KCSS my hair lasts forever,and is soft and survives washes easily.

Try bunning your twists for added protection and variety.

I only use a comb to part the front, for styling versatility. In the back, I grab and go, but try to get similarly sized pieces. It cut down on my styling time tremendously.

If you want to wash,but are scared they will unravel or become fuzzy, use diluted shampoo/conditioner in an application bottle. Massage it in gently with your fingertips and rinse carefully.
.....that's all I can think of right now lol!

 

[SmilingElephant]

My pattern lately is....i'll wear my twists for bout a week....then i MAY rock a twistout for a day or two....then i wash/dc....repeat. I do use products for twists and i "juice" my twists every other day.....but after DCing i use my butter based moisturizer and leave ins before twisting.

 

[NaeChail]

^^lol at juicing. I get what you mean and I do it too, but that term just tickles me.

 

[Baggettcindy]

Whenever I do my twistouts I have to retwist my hair at least every other day, I feel I would do more damage to my hair leaving it out in a twistout than retwisting often.

The key to low manipulation is NOT to brush or comb the twists before retwisting--just retwist the hair for the next twistout.

This has worked for me and I'm able to retain length and grow my hair.

I agree with this post. This is what I do every other day. If I am at the gym and don't have a lot of time, I will twist the front and put my hair in a bun. Although I am retwisting, I feel it is not a lot of manipulation because I am not combing/brushing.

 

[Ivonnovi]

I'm doing twist outs for now and skip retwisting tonight to see what happens. My hair has fine strands and seems to loose definition quickly. I needed this thread

 

[westNDNbeauty]

Ever considered stretching your hair after you've washed it and then twist that?

I twist my hair while stretched, making sure to use a liquid moisturizer that will help the definition to set while I wear the twists for the week. I then wear a twist out for at least a week with no problems. I put my hair in 4 big plaits or twists each night.

 

[lana]

I wore twist outs for almost a year with bunning in between or the occasional flat iron. I had to retwist every night or every other night. NO if, ands or buts about it - if I wanted my hair to look presentable the next day.

Whenever I felt like it was too much manipulation...I would put it in a twist out bun which basically made it look like I had wavy hair and I love that look on me.

I just started wearing twistouts without gel of any sort. I use Mango and Lime twisting wax - and as long as I wash every week, I don't have to worry about it locking my hair. I put a moisturizer on first and then apply the wax to each section. It makes the hair so shiny and holds the twist without gel (which was drying for my hair - too bad I bought every product on the market first before finding the wax, but I might use that stuff when I get to the point of wearing wash and go's).

All in all though - I grew to longer lengths by bunning, than I ever did with twisting. Although, twisting and wearing twist outs taught me to up my moisture game. My nape and sides loved the moisture from twisting and they really grew out amazingingly well.

However, by my own standards, I have long hair now (finally) and I just keep trimming my ends blunt so that I can remain at this length. I hope this helps someone out there. I learned everything on LHCF and YouTube (and yes, I'm still learning).