Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Using Two Strand Twists To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Hair!!




You ever notice how long loc'ed hair gets--and how quickly? I think the same growth/length maintenance rules apply to two strand twists. This "low manipulation" styling is the perfect storm for length retention. Lets establish that your hair is growing. It was easy to see all of that "new growth" when your hair was relaxed! But why isn't the hair length going down my back? Mostly because of the hair ends. The hair ends have been on the head for the longest time as compared to the rest of the hair. It's been subjected to the environment (sun, wind, clothing, etc). It snags easily with each comb/brush friction. It's pretty much being beat down daily. BUT two strand twists require that your ends are twisted together (forming a thicker bond). 

With this thicker bond, your ends are better equipped to sustain the environmental abuse. Also, when you wear two strand twists, you don't comb through or brush through at all during that time. If you keep the twists moisturized, alternate with protective styles, then you can pretty much be assured of seeing growth over a two month period of time. A few challenges are: 
  1. Keeping them moisturized  
  2. Having the patience to take down all of the twists safely  
  3. Re-doing the twists again in another 2-3 weeks.

The longest I've ever kept my two strand twists in for is about 3 weeks. I co wash my hair approximately 2 times a week while I have my twists in. Once your twists are wet, they are suseptible to "loc'ing". Many people who are beginning dreadlocs often begin with two strand twists! So be watchful of your twists during the time you wear them. Watch the roots for tangling. Some two strand twist wearers "refresh" their twists on a daily basis by re-doing a section at a time. Do whatever works best for your hair.



14 comments:

  1. I have been thinking about this for a while and am about to go home and wash my hair so I googled "using two strand twists to grow long natural hair " and I got you...lol

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    1. I love it! I know I talk about two strand twists and growing long lengths a lot LOL. Enjoy your healthy hair journey ;o) Thanks for your message.

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  2. Oh I wanted to ask you in the other post, how do you keep your twists stretched? I have a couple techniques that I use, But I like how yours hang. The always looked stretched and the ends are bent or curved.

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    1. I let them air dry a little (about 70%) before I do a few big braids. Thanks Chan :o)

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  3. This is true when u really think about it. The less you comb your hair, the more length you will retain. Love this post.

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  4. This looks like a great style I could use for my hair but I have very coily yet thin, frizzy and easily breakable hair...how do you take these bad boys down, how do you maintain moisture (other than the co-wash), how do you keep it looking "fresh".

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  5. Was your hair completely natural when you did this style? Can I do it on transitioning hair? When I say "transitioning", I mean newly transitioning (3 months).

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  6. This is very helpful and informative!

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. I love my two strand twist but my thin, dry hair starts to frizz after about three days. I use an olive oil spray & a leave-in conditioner. My second problem is tying it up at night, I use a silk scarf or cap and in my opinion, neither are working to keep my style neat or in place without frizzing. HELP......do you have any suggestions for me?

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  9. I love my two strand twist but my thin, dry hair starts to frizz after about three days. I use an olive oil spray & a leave-in conditioner. My second problem is tying it up at night, I use a silk scarf or cap and in my opinion, neither are working to keep my style neat or in place without frizzing. HELP......do you have any suggestions for me?

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  10. I wish you had a before and after pic

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  11. I love your two strand twist. Perfect size. Your picture inspired me to rock two strand twist again. Do you wear it as twist out too?

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