So, I'm Trying This Whole Twist Thing Again...

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that yesterday I twisted up my hair again... for the second time in my transitioner journey. My very first attempt at twisting was in April of 2012, one month into my no-heat challenge (aka the natural hair transition onramp). My goal was to use the twists as a protective style for a week at a time...and I failed. Miserably. My hair made it two whole days before I gave up. For more on that experience, click here.

This time around, time was on my side. Because I'm over a year into my transition about 2/3 of my hair is cute and textured, and the bottom 1/3 is all that remains of that icky heat damaged stuff. Anywho, I made some key changes from the last time I twisted my hair (and failed):

1.) I didn't wash my hair first (yeah, I left it "dirty).
2.) I steamed each section of my hair right before twisting. #shoutout to Q-Redew!
3.) My hair was twisted dry, not wet.

I really think the last two made the hugest difference. I can't get enough of steaming my hair. When I use my Q-Redew to detangle (with no product), my curls turn into this super moisturized blow-out looking thing with lots of texture. That, combined with my hair being just baaaaaaaaarely damp made it easier for my hair to twist and stay together.

For your reference, here is what I call the "Q-Redew Blowout" looks like:


Awesome, right? I think so too. I never thought I'd get big hair like Taren Guy or Naptural85 but hey, I'm on my way....

Anywho, here's how my twist setup went down:

1.) I started on "dirty" hair. My hair had been washed on Friday, and was fresh out of a Sunday bun. Only thing in my hair was a little bit of Giovanni 2Chic Avocado & Olive Oil Ultra Moist Conditioner and Beautiful Textures Curl Definer Styling Custard from Saturday's do.

2.) I parted my hair in 4 sections. I steamed the sections with the Q-Redew, followed by spritzes of ApHogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer Spray and a dime-sized amount of Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk.

3.) I finger parted small sections of hair (not too small, I don't want to spend an eternity taking twists down), applied DIY fluffy styling cream, and twisted. Nothing technical, spectacular, or fancy. Just regular ol' twists.

4.) Once I finished 2 or 3 twists, I rolled the ends around a blue perm rod and repeated until the section was complete. Then I start all over again in a new section.