So you’ve got your hair in kinky twists for a protective style but
that’s the easy part! Making sure your twists stay looking their
freshest can be just as tedious as the installation process itself.
There are a few things you can do to keep the maintenance on this style
simple and pain free.
Prepping Your Hair
Preparing your hair before installation can be critical to achieving
sleek, uniform twists. I performed a blow out on my hair prior to
installing the twists, which allowed my hair to be stretched and tangle
free. Even though I used the kinky Marley braid hair, this helped to create a smoother look when I was installing the twists. I also used Jane Carter Nourish & Shine
on my hair and the braid hair while I was twisting. This literally
nourished my hair as I twisted, and even though the braid hair is not
human hair, it helped to create a sense of continuity between the two
types of hair.
Kinky Twist Care
This is where the work begins. So usually my hair stays pretty “new”
looking for at least a week without having to do anything to it. This is
a big plus for protective styling. Even though it takes a long, long
time to do, minimizing the daily manipulation of your hair is great!
Your hair is still in there and I think a lot of people forget that when
they’re wearing a long term protective style. I wouldn’t dream of going
longer than four days without moisturizing my hair in twists or a twist
out, and the same holds true when I’m rocking this protective style.
To give my hair some TLC while rocking these kinky twists, I’ve been
adding a few key products every 3-4 days at night. Since I usually
follow the LOC (liquid, oil, cream) method for moisturizing my hair, I
lightly spray my hair with Darcy’s Botanicals Herbal Leave-In spritz — not
enough to saturate, but enough to evenly cover from roots to where my
hair ends in the twists. Then I spray a few pumps of EDEN BodyWorks Natural Hair Oil
into my hands and disburse throughout the twists from root to ends.
This lightly coats the hair in oil, giving a wonderful shine to your
twists. I know my hair is happy now, but if I feel like its extra dry,
I’ll add the EDEN BodyWorks Natural Hair Milk
as the cream to round out the LOC method. This ensures my hair is well
moisturized while in the twists and also make it easier to take them
down.
Nighttime Routine
This routine is simple. I tie my hair up with a satin scarf and sleep on a satin pillowcase. This is no change from my nighttime routine when it’s just my hair.
Your hair is still in the braids and cotton pillowcases can draw the
moisture away from your hair in the same way.
Taking care of your hair while in a kinky twist can make a world of
difference. If you want your hair to stay healthy, take some time to
moisturize your hair and tie it up at night. This not only helps keep
the frizzies at bay, it helps you retain a fresher looking style longer!
Happy styling!
I recently took my kinky twists out after having them in for 2 months and my hair did very well. The key that I found was still moisturizing my hair AND spritzing with water 3-4 days a week. I washed them twice and also rinsed with water if I felt the need. It didn't loosen them but in fact made them look better in my opinion. I oiled my scalp as needed and if there were some twists that were too tight, I took them out and chose styles to camoflauge the missing twists. I basically treated my hair like the twists weren't there but I was taking care of my own hair. I learned these tricks the hard way- I had kinky twists years ago and I did nothing other than oil my scalp and when I took them out I wasn't gentle and ended up taking out a lot of my own hair. They left my hair feeling really thinned out and I had to get a major trim becasue my ends were chewed up. So this time, i knew I had to take better care of my hair while they were in the twists. I did scalp massages, waier spritzes the whole nine. This time when I took them out my hair was well moisturized the twists came out easily and I was very gentle. I had only minimal hair shed- even after washing and detangling. Now I am letting my hair rest for the remainder of the summer and focusing on keeping it well moisturized but I will be getting them again in the fall.
I really needed this, thinking about getting Kinky Twists next week!
I wear kinky twists that I install myself so that I can control the tightness, and the cost. I take them down every two weeks to wash and condition. I have experienced tremendous growth.
Hi ladies! Glad I could inspire some of you to give them a shot…they're not as hard as they seem, just time consuming! But for the amount of money I saved…I'll take a few hours during a weekend to do it again! Yes, you definitely have to be careful at how tight you or your braider braid…they can pull your edges out if you're not careful. And yes, they can be a pain to remove (mainly depends on how small they're installed) but I'll take these over microbraids any day! You've still got to remember your hair is in there so don't forget to moisturize (especially with it getting so hot!) Would love to hear your experiences with kinky twists, feel free to post on my FB page, www.facebook.com/thishairofmine
Candace4Life THANK YOU for that crochet braid suggestion. I did not know about this style and I think I will give it a try soon.
I got mine this past Friday it's been a year since I've had them, but I'm willing to keep them for 2 months along with making sure MY hair is protected and moisturized as well. Thanks ladies…..
I'm looking for a protective style like this, but was curious what is the best type of hair to use, human or synthetic? Also, would this be a good style for someone with thinning hair at the top? The thinning has made protective styling difficult for me…
ETA: Those hairstyles were done by "MissGlamourGirl1992" on youtube.
Haven't done kinky twists before, but I've seen plenty of videos on youtube about putting in Crochet Braids as Protective Styles. I think this would make a better choice for me than the kinky twists. Esp. since you can do it yourself and don't have to worry about going to the salon and spending ALOT of money. Just cornrow the hair back, get u an hair tool from the beauty store and buy 2 or 3 bags of hair. Then put it in yourself, and you can leave it in for a month or even 2months, and the taken down is easy as well.
*How to put in Crochet Braids "natural hair Protective Style
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQed7jWS72Y
*How to maintain crochet braids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqI1_kVa6T4&feature=channel&list=UL
*How to take Crochet Braids Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Rgvj7mgwQ&feature=channel&list=UL
I wore kinky twists for years, and one warning: if you have soft, fine hair like mine they WILL fall off your head until your hair gets used to them! My braider used a combo of human and synthetic to alleviate that, and it worked. One really good thing about them is that the older they get, the more natural they look. For summer I would have blond streaks twisted in the front as highlights, always got a lot of compliments.
But as Lisa Michelle instructed make sure you moisturize, the breakage when you remove the twists occurs when you don't condition/and moisturize. Your hair will def grow if you take care of the twists, and don't leave them in longer than 2 1/2-3 months. And you WILL need touchups around your hairline about once a month to keep your style looking neat as your hair grows.
Majority of coworkers at my job at the UNLV preschool are rocking kinky twist. I like them they look really good, but I do not have the money for them I am a broke college student and I am still learning about my natural curls…what it likes and dislikes.
Megan Montgomery
I want some long kinky twist later this summer. I have box braids last summer and my hair was extremely moisturized when I took them out so I'm not worried about that. I have a really hard time keeping styles in like this for a while but I really want to keep these in for 2 months.
I JUST took my kinky twists out. I had them for the first time and kept them in for about a month. As a working mom of twins, I initially got them for the convenience. I heard warnings about African braiders and them doing them too tight. But I took the risk and found a local Sengalese woman who I thought would do a good job…and overall she did (aside from her sister who helped and literally raked a comb through my already blown out hair). Unfortunately, I found reviews to be right. They were super TIGHT and I did speak up but it did not get much better. I went a few days but when the pain did not subside and I started to see little bumps, I immediately took the super tight ones out and called her (for the money I paid I expected her to do the ones that were ridiculously tight over again…and she did without hassle and apologized). I sprayed them daily and used oil sheen for added shine. Taking them out required two days, some serious TLC, conditioner and detangler. End result: Did my hair grow? Sure…Was there hair breakage and/or shedding? Yes, My hair tangled horribly and there was some unavoidable hair breakage…But mostly hair shedding (I think). Is my hair longer? Nope (actually a little shorter due to the breakage). It was a nice break to not have to worry about doing my hair. I don't regret it but I don't think I would do it again.
I've never personally had them, but I've always admired them on other women. I know that when I started to transition I wanted them, but I knew I didn't have the patience to put them in & I didn't want to pay the high price the salon was charging.
Brooke B.
how do you wash kinky twists without them coming undone?
I put kinky twists into my hair every 3-4 months or so, mainly when I get tired of having to "do" my hair all the time. Will definitely give your moisturizing regimen a whirl!
It's been a long time since I've wore them the last time, you just made me find out what my next hairstyle will be. thanks
I was just curious? I've never worn kinky twist, but have always wanted to try this style. I am afraid to try kinky twist because I was told that they are hard on your hair. Is this true?
I always wear kinky twist it is rare that I wear my hair out. The main reason for this is the low maintenance required for twists. As a very busy mother of two teenagers. teacher and doctoral student I prefer the versatility and once a week care of twists.