Twists pinned up

I recently joined a twist challenge on CurlyNikki. Back in January 2010 I wore twists for one entire month (never removed) and had a lot of SSKs. This time I am taking my twists down at the end of the week (Saturday or Friday night) and putting them back in on Sunday (while watching True Blood, LOL). So it takes me one hour to re-do my twists.

I section my hair into 4 sections and put 6 twist in each section. I am hoping that by taking my twists down weekly that I will not experience a repeat of the amount of SSKs I had back in January.

Two Strand Twists Protective Style

This week I have a wedding to go to on Friday so I wanted a style I could release quickly for a more fun look. For me, two strand twists always win in situations like this. Plus, the wedding is at the beach and my twist outs get bigger and better when its humid.

The protective style pictured was inspired by none other than kimmaytube. The items needed to achieve this look were a banana clip and some hair pins. I actually did this before leaving for work - it's a really quick style.

Friday morning I will take my twists down for a twist out. I kinda want to cover my headset at work with satin because it snatches out my hair - not cool (and it hurts)!

To twist my hair I shampooed, conditioned, and applied kimmaytube's leave in conditioner. I used the Koils by Nature Citrus Bliss butter to twist. That's it - just leave in conditioner and hair butter. Very simple. My hair feels extremely soft and I love the sheen.

Twist-Cornrow Updo

Here is the tutorial for last weeks style:

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I always start on clean and conditioned hair. When styling I like to use no more than three products at a time, for this particular one I am only using shea butter.

1. I section my hair into two sections; the section to be cornrowed and the section that will be the two strand twists.

2. I start the cornrows on one side (going from the nape up to the crown) and move in the direction towards the opposite while attempting to keep the cornrows the same size.

3. After all the cornrows are done, then it's time to twist. The twists can be any size and can be pinned in any fashion or even set on rollers for an more "out" style.

The first time I did this style it took a little over 1.5 hrs. The second time it only took 1hr 15min. This look can last up to two weeks with proper care.

Recap: January '10 Protective Style

During most of January (5th-30th) I wore two strand twists. It was great not having to worry constantly about styling but it was a struggle to fight through the boredom. I am used to changing my hair every week. When I finally took the twists out, I had a TON of shedding. This was expected since I did not comb or detangle my hair for nearly one month. I knew they were shed hairs because they we long and I could see the white bulbs on top. I didn't look at all of them but I did examine a good number of them just to make sure I was suffering from a ton a breakage. I feel like I retained a lot of length from wearing the twists all month but I didn't think to do before and after pics so I have no way of checking that assumption.

I learned that tea tree and aloe vera are GREAT for the itches. The first two weeks of January I used a water/conditioner mix for moisturizing and my scalp was itching like crazy. The last two weeks I used the aloe vera spray with some tea tree oil and my scalp felt sooooo much better. I also learned that my hair LOVES getting moisturized and sealed nightly. The shaft of my hair feels stronger but yet softer than it did in December. When my scalp felt a little too dry I used some coconut oil and that absorbed right in with no problem.

My routine with the two strand twists was fairly simple. Moisturize & seal nightly, co-wash (while twisted) in the middle of the month, and oiling the scalp when needed. I continued to wear my twists up because most of my length retention would have been lost if I would have allowed my twist to brush against my clothing or constant exposure to the dry winter hair.

Two Strand Twists Bun

I was looking for a new way to wear my twists and decided to try a bun. I didn't think it would work so I was really surprised with the outcome.

This style was so easy and quick. It took probably less than five minutes to put up once I realized what I was doing. I take the bun down at night, moisturize, seal, and wrap. Then in morning up goes the bun.