Get The Perfect Twist Out!

Transitioning to natural hair is often a synonym of doing a lot of protective styles. This is frequently recommended to bring your hair back to health and to protect your relaxed hair at the line of demarcation.  I know, I know! I can’t wait to get rid of those too so I can wear my curly hair in an easy and quick wash & go.  However, while I wait for that day to come I want to give you a few tips to achieve the perfect twist out.

I personally don’t like having two different textures on my hair, especially when the hair close to my roots has these beautiful spiral curls and the ends are just there, hanging straight and lifeless. Not a look I want to achieve. That is why I like to give my hair some texture with hairstyles such as braid outs or twist outs.  But, if this is not how you feel about it,  feel free to wear your hair the way you like and add this hairstyle in your style file.

A twist out is a simple style you can easily do yourself and it’s the perfect choice when your transitioning. You most likely had this style done to you countless times when you were a child. Although you are not “forced” to do protective styles, I believe they offer you the best chances of having the healthiest natural hair at the end of your transitioning journey.

How To Achieve The Perfect Twist Out

The word “perfect” is very subjective here, because what I consider perfect may not be what you consider perfect. Maybe you like flawlessly defined twist outs or maybe you like things not to look so perfect and more natural or effortless, maybe you like volume and maybe you don’t…. You get the picture! Regardless of this, there are a few steps that are invariably the same to all (or the great majority), in order to achieve the perfect twist out.

1. 1. Start on a freshly washed hair – if you do this, your twist outs will last longer.  A freshly washed hair is like a blank canvas, you have the opportunity to create whatever you want and your products will work better on it.
   2. Section your hair – this is important to make your task easier. You will work through each section separately applying your products and avoiding a great big mess of hair and tangles. I like to separate my hair into 4 parts, but maybe you’ll like having more sections.
   3. Apply a leave-in conditioner – doing this will hydrate your hair and set a proper basis for your twists outs without weighing your hair down or making it greasy.
   4. Use your favourite moisturiser/styler – help your hair to feel smooth, hydrated for longer and avoid hair breakage.
   5. Seal your hair with a vegetable oil – this will help to lock in the moisture, you don’t need much or your hair will feel greasy. Not everyone will follow this step, this will depend on the texture of your hair and how your hair responds to it, try it.
   6. Make your twists – now that you have your hair moisturised and sealed take two strands of hair and twist them over each other. Try to make the strands even so you don’t have to borrow hair from the other strand and to avoid possible tangles when unravelling. Once you get near the end take a perm rod and roll the ends of your hair in it.  This will allow your relaxed hair to have a nice curl at the ends.
   7. Let your twists fully dry – you can air dry your twists or you can use a hooded dryer, but make sure the hair is 100% dry or it will get frizzy.
   8. Untwist – before you unravel your twists rub some vegetable oil on your hands, spread it over your twists and start untwisting. This will add some shine and help to prevent any frizz. Take your time, don’t rush this step. Once you finish, you can gently separate the twists even more to achieve your desired look and volume.

Those were quite a few steps, but if you follow them you will get beautiful, bouncy and shiny twist outs that will last you for days. To preserve your hairstyle when you go to sleep, you should hold your hair in a loose pineapple and sleep on your satin pillowcase or just put a satin scarf on your hair.  Watch this video from MahoganyCurls to see how she does her twist outs and how she preserves them with the pineapple.

Have you tried doing a twist out before? What do you do to achieve the best twist out? Do you do anything different? 

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