I gave you guys just a snipet of what I do with my small twists here in this post,but I figure I ought to give you just a tad bit more because I'm just super sweet like that... :) ok, we'll the other reason is that there is just soooo much more to my twist regimen then I led on. There is actually a specific routine I follow to ensure they are put up to last throughout the weeks & taken down safely with minimum breakage.
Small twists have helped me greatly as far as length retention,low manipulation (hand in hair syndrome anyone?) goes. Its taken me a while to figure out what works best,but by George I've done it!!!
So here it is folks, "The Journey of the Traveling Twists".
Week 1/the day of twisting
-Using about 1/2 fingertip worth of my twisting butter,smoothing it along the desired width of hair. Start twisting tightly about 20 times around at the base (root) then loosely (maybe 15 times) the rest of the way down,finally twirling the ends around your finger encouraging it to spiral. I'll end up having somewhere between 70-80 twists (give or take a few lol), after about 6-8 hours.
Usually worn straight (no curling with rods etc) down styles,loose messy buns,handle twists as little as possible to prevent premature "fuzzing".
Sleeping on a satin pillowcase,in a loose bun on the top of my head ;) aka "pineappling".
Week 2 & 3
-At the beginning of the week curl twists with flexi rods(using 11 rods),wear them curly for the remainder of the week,curly buns,down styles,etc. If scalp is still reasonably clean continue to the next week,if not start the takedown process
Week 4
-Gently undo each twist for a curly twist out,handle hair as gently as possible during this week for this is now loose hair & you dont want any early matting or excess frizz. Hair should be easy to manage,since its still "clumped" in sections from the twists.
"The Takedown"
Week 5/day 1
-Go thru each clumped section,finger detangling getting rid of any sheddies,tangles & knots. Start this early in the day giving yourself at least 6-8 hours to complete,if you're not able to complete,feel free to finish the next day (Week 5/day 2).
Week 5/day 2
-Start this early in the day as well allowing up to 4 hours to complete the wash regimen. Section,pre poo,wash & deep condition. Seal moisture in using as little product as possible & braid (about 10 braids) after deep conditioning to start stretching the hair.
Week 5/day 3
-At this point you can either
(A) multiply your current braids by making 20,& wearing them untill the day you decide to retwist (about 4 days) thus stretching the hair even further & keeping it "low manipulation" or
(B) remove each one & use a blowdryer to stretch & start twisting that day,or the next starting the routine all over over again at Week 1. But know that by blowdrying,your twists might not stay as moisturized throughout the Weeks as it would if you had not.
Tricks that help me with this "Journey";
-I do not wash,co wash or even spritz my twists. The only time they are spritzed is on the weeks I am curling them using flexi rods, & even then its only enough to set the style
-I twist with a butter I make,the recipe is in this post. Its oil based,but with just enough conditioner to keep them moist thru the Weeks. And no silicones in the butter to prevent excess buildup & dryness
-I try to handle my hair as little as possible so it wont fuzz sooner then it should or more than normal since some fuzz comes with the territory of being a natural.
-My basic washing regimen consists of going back & forth between water & soap washing,but while wearing small twists (especially back to back) I stick with soap washing.
Nessa*
