Do you love a great twist out? I get excited just waiting until they are completely dry before unraveling them. The results never disappoint! However, that hasn't always been the case. In the beginning of my natural hair journey I struggled a lot with achieving the right combination of definition and volume that I love. Let's dive into the five secrets I've learned!
#1 Stretch First
As a type 4 natural, this was a "game changer" for me. For a twist out to achieve its shape there must be a little bit of shrinkage. When twisting on stretched hair, it has the ability to shrink more than if styled on damp or wet hair. I also like doing it this way because it reduces tangling. If you need help with some ideas on how to stretch your hair without heat check out my Instagram page. Where I share my current favorite heatless stretching method.
#2 Moisture with a Little Extra
Without moisture the twistout cannot twist. Here is where shrinkage comes into play. After your hair is stretched you want to use a product with water as its first ingredient when doing the L.O.C. method. I like to use a tiny bit setting lotion for my liquid(L) and then a twisting cream that contains oil (O.C.) to seal in the moisture and smooth out my strands. It leaves my type 4 twists shiny, & bouncy.
#3 Size Does Matter For a Twistout
My hair is thick, so I know if I am looking for definition, I need to make twists close to the size of a pencil (diameter) or slightly bigger. At this size I know I can unravel one twist into about 4 sections for the right amount of volume. Just remember it will take some practice before knowing what size works for you, A general rule is, the bigger the twists the more volume, the smaller the twists the more definition.
#4 Unravel Only When Dry
As tempting as it may be, do not unravel those twist too soon. I like to allow my twists to air dry help retain moisture. If you are short on time you can always use indirect heat with a hooded dryer or blow dryer. I would not recommend using indirect heat often though because it draws moisture away from the hair.
Tip: Wear a headwrap to by more time for your twists to dry or twist them into a style.
#5 Twist Tight
Another thing that I think is overlooked is technique. You want to make sure that each section is detangled and split into even sections before twisting. You want to avoid borrowing from each strand as much as possible to complete the twist. It could cause tangling when it is time to unravel them.
Let me know what's working for you? Was this article helpful? If you try any of these tips, I'd like to know if they worked;)
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