Lessons in Mini Twists: The Cheat Sheet

So here's the thing: I'm not usually a fan of mini-twists. Rather I should say I am not a fan of putting them in and taking them out, but the duration of wearing mini twists is often a fantastic experience! One night I found myself putting in some of the tiniest twists I've ever done, and while I cursed myself in my head my hands would not stop. About 6 hours later (that includes making and eating dinner; talking on the phone; periodically checking Facebook...) I was very proud of the mini twists in my hair.

My best set of twists lasted over three weeks, but I usually can't keep them in for so long because they get frizzy. I'm amazed at those who keep their twists looking fresh for four weeks or more! What are your experiences with mini twists? Any of you able to reach an entire month?

Here's what I've learned from my mini twist experiences:

1. Twisting on wet hair and using a wet product like gel creates a tighter, longer-lasting twist, but also produces greater shrinkage. Twisting on dry hair using an oil or butter creates softer, less-defined twists that tend to unravel. I find lightly spritzing dry hair and mixing a light oil into gel products produce tight twists that last long and are well defined when unraveled. The twists also retain greater length because they are not saturated with water.
2. The rope twist method (rotating each section clockwise while twisting counter-clockwise or vice versa) creates tighter and longer twists that last longer than regular two strand twists. However the hair can get very tangled if the mini twists are styled often. I use the rope twist method for all of my twists, my hair will unravel otherwise. Tangles used to be a problem for me, but my three step unraveling method has nearly eliminated the problem.
3. Roller sets on mini twists can mimic many straight styles, like bobs and drop curls, but somehow manage to last longer. I wore a roller set mini twist bob to my two hour dance rehearsal and still had curls at the end! I have a theory that its something about the twists and natural curl of the hair, blah blah blah...
4. Trimming your hair while in mini twists is not always such a great idea, especially if a comb wasn't used to make straight and even parts. When I saw scraggly ends I kept trimming them. When I took my hair loose I noticed how uneven it had become because of my "arbitrary" trimming. Besides, those ends didn't look as scraggly when clumped in coils rather than randomly parted mini twists. Ooops!
5. Some natural recipes don't work so well with small twists- like yogurt-based hair conditioners. Even after several rinses I didn't get it all out, but it was a couple of days until I was alerted by a less than pleasurable smell (first noticed by my husband). Yikes!
6. When unraveling mini twists I follow three simple rules: Use lots of lubrication (oil, conditioner, etc.). Follow the coil (in reverse, of course). Be patient. I like using oil on dry hair for unraveling twists. My strands have a tendency to straighten and slip right out of the twists. When I wet my hair it curls tighter and is harder to detangle. When I rush I often create knots, but when I take my time and follow all three steps I can get through my whole head with very few knots!

2008-10: THE AGE OF NATURAL HAIR ENLIGHTENMENT

This post originally appeared on "NaturalSunshine.com" January 28, 2011.

Asien (from Natural Sunshine) asked me what happened two years ago to change my understanding and maintenance of my natural hair. Well I got a story, like to hear it? Here it go!

In the summer of 2008 I met a beautician who wanted to do only natural hair, she was so happy I came into the shop. I had about 4 inches of hair, that I had never cut and rarely trimmed the 8 years I had been natural by then.

I was telling her of my chronic issue with dryness and breakage, that I was very careful with how I treated my hair but nothing worked. She asked if I were using the same products that I did with a relaxer, and I was. That was the issue! I was applying chemicals to my virgin hair, and they were doing nothing for me. If I looked for natural products I would see better results.

She introduced me to the Caramel Treatment & Jane Carter Solution, and used those products in my hair. I loved the results! I got the CT a second time, but it was too expensive to maintain. It stretched my hair and made it easy to straighten. I had forgotten the name of the JCS line, so it would be a few years until I came around to them again.

I started using Nubian Heritage & Burt's Bees shampoos & conditioners which are generally 97% natural. My hair began to respond immediately. It maintained moisture and was softer. But I still had breakage! Then I started looking up ways to make conditioners with household foods.

If I were going to use products that were as natural as possible, why didn't I just make my own?! The day I met the coconut milk & avocado conditioner... I was enlightened! When baking soda rinse and apple cider vinegar rinse joined in... I was ecstatic! And so was my hair!

I chopped my hair off just before New Year's 2010, down to about 1 1/2 - 2inches. My hair was supple. It had shine. It had bounce. It still had constant breakage... WTF?!

Then I discovered the seamless comb in July 2010. At that time, my longest strands were about 4 1/2 inches. Now in January 2011, my longest strands are about 8 inches. 3 1/2 inches in 6 months, I'd say that's progress!

To wrap up this rather long stroll down memory, the lessons I've learned in the last two years are:
- natural hair benefits best from natural products
- a seamless comb helps to eliminate breakage and lessen shedding
- I really enjoy blocking out a few hours (or an entire day) to make my products, prewash, rinse, deep condition, stretch and style my hair! It is my ME TIME!!

I hope you all enjoyed my story.

In Hair Solidarity,

Pia