NATURAL HAIR STYLES: MASTERING THE TWISTOUT

By Hadassah Agbaps - January 21, 2013

Perfect twistout on natural hair

I am beginning a series of posts on different natural hair styles and how you can achieve them!
The first hairstyle on the list is the TWISTOUT!
This style is a favorite among naturalistas and is done by installing small,medium or big sized twists in your hair and then carefully untwisting!

This style is done to
-obtain uniform curls, spirals and waves.
- stretch tightly coiled hair
For many naturals, the twistout is their go to hairstyle and is really beautiful.

Personally,the perfect twistout is one with
- uniform curls,spirals and waves
- properly defined curls,spirals and waves
- little or no frizziness
- volume and shine
- soft to touch and well hydrated.
- long lasting so you don't have to style daily!
- well stretched with minimal shrinkage.

From experience, you don't really need a plethora of products to get the perfect twistout.
Basically, the products you need are
- moisturiser
- styler/gel (for hold)
- sealant ( to seal in moisture) and you are good to go.

What you really need is the RIGHT TECHNIQUE for your own hairtype.

A natural with loose coils may use techniques which may not work well for those with tighter coils and vice versa.
Also your twistout may or may not look exactly the same as that of the next natural diva.
So in summary, work with YOUR own hair type to achieve the twistout perfect for YOUR OWN HAIR.
With practice,you'll be able to achieve consistent twistouts!

Okay, I know you are tired of the mumbo jumbo and can't wait to get started but I really want you to nail that twistout the first time so I want to tell you stuff that may make your twistout go 'bleh'!
*Weather 
You can have perfect twistouts indoors but as soon as you hit the door, your hair goes up like an opened umbrella!
This is because of humidity. For some,this is not a problem as it gives that limp twistout the much needed volume! For others...hmmm!
To reduce the likelihood of poofiness and frizziness in humid weather,
- Deep condition thoroughly. I find that hot oil treatment before twisting help my twistouts last longer before it poofs up.
- Make smaller twists. Reducing the size of your twists means that you don't have to separate the twistout into smaller bits. The humidity in the air will give you the volume you might want to achieve with fluffing.
- Twisting with alcohol free gel/flaxseed gel helps maintain definition and holds your twistout together. Mix with oil or compatible moisturiser to reduce crunchiness.
- Gently sealing the twists with castor oil/ antihumidity serums containing Dimethicone( an insoluble silicone that creates a barrier against water) helps protect your twistouts from humidity. Properly moisturise hair before coating with silicone.
- Products containing glycerine, propylene glycol draw moisture to the hair which in humid conditions can cause poofiness, shrinkage and frizzing of your twistouts.

*Incomplete drying
Your twists should be completely dry...as in 100% dry before unraveling for a twistout...believe me, I've been there!

*Presence of Split ends and knots.
These prevents the end of your twistout from being smooth and leads to tangling. This increases the likelihood of frizziness during the separation of twists. Trim off your splits!

Here are videos I found helpful in achieving the perfect twistout.








Note that, I included videos of vloggers with different hair textures so you'll hopefully find a technique that would work for your hair texture.

  • Share:

You Might Also Like

0 comments

Have a question or comment? We would love you to share!!!!