By Jenteel (pictured above)
Holly says:
Hi there
I was wondering if you help with this dilemma or throw it out to all the knowledgeable ladies who read your site. I am recently natural and experimenting with styles. I recently attempted a twist-out and the results were great BUT I realised I had no idea how to protect the style before going to bed. I carefully tied a satin scarf over it but it did not preserve the style overnight. I also tried using a satin bonnet – not helpful either. It seems like extra work to have to re-twist – that means twisting every night just to get the same results! Not good at all. Especially as I have learned through trial and error that smaller twists make firmer, cuter twistout for my hair type – it takes me over an hour to twist, I really do not think it is practicable to have to do this every night also it seems like way too much manipulation for our delicate strands right? Surely there must be a fool-proof method of preserving a twistout/bantu knotout, etc at night? Please help.
Thank you in advance and also for your highly informative site! I really enjoy visiting it.
Holly
j’s response:
hey there holly!
the difference is in the product…
in general, i’ve noticed that twist outs last longer on kinkier hair types. this hair type loves hair butters like shea. if you have a looser hair type or fine hair, you may want to try some natural gels for more hold or use minimal products. some options include using a homemade daily spritz, setting lotion or a light oil like coconut. heavier products weigh down fine hair and the resulting twist out often looks stringy or too “spacey”.
i generally use my water-based moisturizer but sometimes for more hold, i use aloe vera gel or any gel without glycerin as it attracts moisture to the hair. my twist outs/braid outs don’t make it through hot and humid temperatures. and when humidity hits, my hair blows up! glycerin-based products definitely encourage the look! throughout the course of the day, it shrinks up to my shoulders! for this reason, i do more “out” styles in the spring and fall. as far as the frequency of your sets, i do “cheat” sets. i just re-twist or re-braid the bottom of the hair or “spot” twist/braid sloppy areas. this way i’m not braiding/twisting everything every night. that’s way too much time and manipulation for me!
size matters!
as you mentioned, the size of the braids or twists do matter! in contrast to your experiences, bigger sections work better for me. smaller sections come out too “skinny” looking in an -out style. however, smaller sections on any hair type do result in longer lasting -out styles (despite how it looks). another idea is to do what i do. i no longer do individual twists throughout my whole head because it takes way too much time! for a twist out, i do what i call “2-strand flat twists”. it’s like a cornrow but instead of 3 pieces, you use 2. i make anywhere from 6-10 going down my head in whatever direction i want the resulting -out style to be in. it takes less time and my twist outs actually come out better than with individual twists (result in above photo).
my hair looks great! how do i keep it this way?!
as far as preserving it, it might help to loosely pin the twist out up at night. longer hair can be put in a loose pony or one loose braid. i know you said it didn’t work for you holly, but in terms of preserving a style a satin bonnet is your best option. the satin scarf will just flatten the style. the key is to get a bonnet that is very large. if it is too snug, it will flatten your hair just like the scarf. sometimes i’ll even sleep with my hair free as i sleep on a satin pillowcase. it’s usually fine the next day. thanks for the BGLH love and for your question ;)
as you suggested holly, i will open it up to the BGLH readers!
chime in ladies! what are your tips for holly?
~j~
*This post was originally published on July 15, 2009*
I totally agree with much of what J said, I think that if the scarf and bonnet don't work, a satin pillowcase might just save you.
One thing I've noticed is the longer I keep my twists in, the longer my twist-out lasts. So i might twist and leave it for two or three days and then rock a twist out. Also, it probably won't look exactly the same the next day, but you can work with what you wake up with.
Often, I get a matted curly mess, but the twists are still defined, just clumped. In that case, I spritz my hair with water or whatever at the roots, and take a blowdrier to them and lightly stretch the roots out so that the twists separate and do their own thing.
what i do is sleep without a scarf.
i find that scarves, hats, nets–whatever–flatten the twists/hair and make them ugly so i just sleep without a scarf but i don't put my head directly on my pillow.
this is soo uncomformtable, but i am able to keep my bantu knots-twist out in for about a week. i'm on a week and half now because i was lazy to wash my hair :P the curls/twists are a little looser now, and my relaxed ends are starting to say "hello," lol but i think i should be good until friday…maybe hahaha my next hurts just thinking about it.
i usually just pin the lose curls to hide them.
welp i know that was a little long, but hope it helps!
:DDDDDDD
what i do is sleep without a scarf.
i find that scarves, hats, nets–whatever–flatten the twists/hair and make them ugly so i just sleep without a scarf but i don't put my head directly on my pillow.
this is soo uncomformtable, but i am able to keep my bantu knots-twist out in for about a week. i'm on a week and half now because i was lazy to wash my hair :P the curls/twists are a little looser now, and my relaxed ends are starting to say "hello," lol but i think i should be good until friday…maybe hahaha my next hurts just thinking about it.
i usually just pin the lose curls to hide them.
welp i know that was a little long, but hope it helps!
:DDDDDDD
what i do is sleep without a scarf.
i find that scarves, hats, nets–whatever–flatten the twists/hair and make them ugly so i just sleep without a scarf but i don't put my head directly on my pillow.
this is soo uncomformtable, but i am able to keep my bantu knots-twist out in for about a week. i'm on a week and half now because i was lazy to wash my hair :P the curls/twists are a little looser now, and my relaxed ends are starting to say "hello," lol but i think i should be good until friday…maybe hahaha my next hurts just thinking about it.
i usually just pin the lose curls to hide them.
welp i know that was a little long, but hope it helps!
:DDDDDDD
what i do is sleep without a scarf.
i find that scarves, hats, nets–whatever–flatten the twists/hair and make them ugly so i just sleep without a scarf but i don't put my head directly on my pillow.
this is soo uncomformtable, but i am able to keep my bantu knots-twist out in for about a week. i'm on a week and half now because i was lazy to wash my hair :P the curls/twists are a little looser now, and my relaxed ends are starting to say "hello," lol but i think i should be good until friday…maybe hahaha my next hurts just thinking about it.
i usually just pin the lose curls to hide them.
welp i know that was a little long, but hope it helps!
:DDDDDDD
what i do is sleep without a scarf.
i find that scarves, hats, nets–whatever–flatten the twists/hair and make them ugly so i just sleep without a scarf but i don't put my head directly on my pillow.
this is soo uncomformtable, but i am able to keep my bantu knots-twist out in for about a week. i'm on a week and half now because i was lazy to wash my hair :P the curls/twists are a little looser now, and my relaxed ends are starting to say "hello," lol but i think i should be good until friday…maybe hahaha my next hurts just thinking about it.
i usually just pin the lose curls to hide them.
welp i know that was a little long, but hope it helps!
:DDDDDDD
what i do is sleep without a scarf.
i find that scarves, hats, nets–whatever–flatten the twists/hair and make them ugly so i just sleep without a scarf but i don't put my head directly on my pillow.
this is soo uncomformtable, but i am able to keep my bantu knots-twist out in for about a week. i'm on a week and half now because i was lazy to wash my hair :P the curls/twists are a little looser now, and my relaxed ends are starting to say "hello," lol but i think i should be good until friday…maybe hahaha my next hurts just thinking about it.
i usually just pin the lose curls to hide them.
welp i know that was a little long, but hope it helps!
:DDDDDDD
what i do is sleep without a scarf.
i find that scarves, hats, nets–whatever–flatten the twists/hair and make them ugly so i just sleep without a scarf but i don't put my head directly on my pillow.
this is soo uncomformtable, but i am able to keep my bantu knots-twist out in for about a week. i'm on a week and half now because i was lazy to wash my hair :P the curls/twists are a little looser now, and my relaxed ends are starting to say "hello," lol but i think i should be good until friday…maybe hahaha my next hurts just thinking about it.
i usually just pin the lose curls to hide them.
welp i know that was a little long, but hope it helps!
:DDDDDDD
I'm in the same boat as Holly. Well, I'm not recently natural but I still don't know how to preserve a twist-out for more than like a day! My hair is more curly thank kinky and I think that has something to do with it. After about two days it just starts looking like normal (kind of puffy) curls instead of a defined style. I get stuck re-twisting every two days and that is no fun.
I do agree with J that flat two-strand twist make a cuter twist-out and are less work. I'm going to try sleeping w/out anything on my head and see how that works. Has anyone done that and had an adverse skin/face reaction?
i generally put my hair in a bonnet. Then the next morning I hop in the shower and let cool water run over it and it will reset itself. This works great because you don't have to worry about retwisting at night or slepping cute lol. However, after 3-4 days I will retwist the top to prevent frizz. That way you can keep your twistout for 1-2 weeks. :)
I agree with j. 2 strand cornrows -flat twist for quicker finish and more curls (small n quick) Pin them down and follow with either the scarf or bonnet. i guess the pillow case could work but i haven't followed that one. It does indeed last longer on kinkier hair types.
I agree with j. 2 strand cornrows -flat twist for quicker finish and more curls (small n quick) Pin them down and follow with either the scarf or bonnet. i guess the pillow case could work but i haven't followed that one. It does indeed last longer on kinkier hair types.
I agree with j. 2 strand cornrows -flat twist for quicker finish and more curls (small n quick) Pin them down and follow with either the scarf or bonnet. i guess the pillow case could work but i haven't followed that one. It does indeed last longer on kinkier hair types.
I agree with j. 2 strand cornrows -flat twist for quicker finish and more curls (small n quick) Pin them down and follow with either the scarf or bonnet. i guess the pillow case could work but i haven't followed that one. It does indeed last longer on kinkier hair types.
I agree with j. 2 strand cornrows -flat twist for quicker finish and more curls (small n quick) Pin them down and follow with either the scarf or bonnet. i guess the pillow case could work but i haven't followed that one. It does indeed last longer on kinkier hair types.
I agree with j. 2 strand cornrows -flat twist for quicker finish and more curls (small n quick) Pin them down and follow with either the scarf or bonnet. i guess the pillow case could work but i haven't followed that one. It does indeed last longer on kinkier hair types.
I agree with j. 2 strand cornrows -flat twist for quicker finish and more curls (small n quick) Pin them down and follow with either the scarf or bonnet. i guess the pillow case could work but i haven't followed that one. It does indeed last longer on kinkier hair types.
You have to experiment to really find what works for your hair. Take tips from other people, but find what really works for you. No 2 heads are the same.
I have fine hair, so twist-outs don't stay defined on my hair. I kinda like the look though. I keep twists in for 2-3 days, then take them out and work with whatever I get for the next 2 days. I sleep with a large satin bonnet and have found it to be very helpful in preserving whatever style I'm rockin. I kinda direct the hair toward the top of my head as much as possible and then put the bonnet on. In the morning, I spritz and fluff and I think it looks great.
hi- i sometimes just re-twist the back and sides before going to bed. the top of my hair stays pretty much the same as it did the day before. i also sleep on a satin pillowcase… no bonnet.
good luck!
same here…just retwist the sides and the front because the front is so loose. Also, when retwisting try making the twists bigger…it helps hold the style but doesnt give you a headache trying to retwist a million tiny twist
Thanks for this post, Jen!