Style Quickie: Two Strand Twists on Blown out Hair

I realized I've been straying away from the hair challenge that I signed up for last year!!! One of the points is to do protective styles to promote length retention. So from here out, I'll be making conscious efforts to stay away from puffs, wash n go's, and other loose styles.

It's been almost a week since I co washed and styled my hair. I really wanted to try a new heat protectant I bought, but didn't want to flat iron my hair. The style that popped in my mind was two strand twists on blown out hair.

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I blow dried my hair about 80% of the way, making sure the roots were the most dry. I also avoided putting too much heat on the ends of my hair. After sectioning my head I began twisting in the back of my head. The twists in the back are randomly placed. When I worked on the front section I twisted with more order. I chose this method so that the front section could cover up any gaps or un-uniform twists in the back.
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Products Used:

• Vo5 Conditioner
• Heat Protectant
• Oils (I mixed in a bottle) coconut oil, grape seed oil, sweet almond oil
• My shea coconut butter mixture
• Water (to hold the ends of my hair)

Notes that helped me:

• While twisting the back I would occasionally look in a mirror to make sure I wasn't making the twists too big. If there was too much space in between twists I just divided the over sized one in half.
• The front section of my hair, in general, becomes loose over time easier than the back of my head. To curb this, I made these twists smaller than the twists in the back.
• Once there was about a half inch from the end of my hair I'd dip my finger in water, and then continue to twist. To protect my ends I twisted as far as I could, and then twirled the twisted end with my wet finger. This made the end curl, and hold without the use of any gels.
• To get the twists to lay a certain way in the front I parted the front section before I began twisting. I made sure the twists stayed on their side of the part while I styled.
• Last time I did this style I noticed a lot of gaps in the back of my head that weren't caught in the styling process. To avoid this, I'd grab a mirror and check while styling the front. Adjusting as needed helped eliminate this.

At night there are a couple of options to help preserve your hair and this style.

1. Wearing a satin scarf or bonnet can help without drying out your twists
2. Using a satin pillow case so moisture isn't absorbed from your hair

I didn't want to risk flattening my twists too much, so I opted for the satin pillow case. In the past this was sufficient for me.

Since the scalp is exposed more than usual with a style like this, it can become dry. For me, a dry scalp and an itchy scalp go hand in hand! At night, I'll use my oil mixture and massage it into my scalp. After rubbing the mixture in my hands I'll gently massage it into the twists themselves -- concentrating on the ends. This can be done as needed.

I may try out a couple different styles for these twists. Whenever I feel like I need a change I'll wear this style in a twist out before washing and restyling! I'll be sure to post pictures in the "Hair I Did" album on Facebook, so be sure to check it out!! If you have any pictures of styles that you've done yourself -- post them on the wall and they'll be added!

Follow me on http://www.twitter.com/mzdezy

Spotted: Special Issue Magazine!!!

I've been trying to narrow my choice down to one article, picture, or hair style, and I just can't do it. The ENTIRE magazine is great!! Essence Hot Hair Special Issue for Fall 2011 is a must have magazine!!! There's a big section just about natural hair ^_^"

Fall 2011: Displayed until Dec 16

Find Inside:

• Styles that are hot in different regions of the country
• Great style ideas for all hair lengths
• Product lists for natural and relaxed hair
• How-to's on different natural curl styles
• Tips on hair coloring
• Wig info
• And More!

Some things I liked the most were:

Regional Styles- It's interesting to see what other people are doing to their hair. There are more than just afros, even though they're great, and I wear them all the time! I got a lot of style ideas I'd like to try from this section.

Products- I'm always on the hunt for new products. I usually go back to my old faithfuls, but trying new products is fun. I saw more products from lines I already use that I didn't know about too.

Curl Tips- I know that there are number of curl types. All curly hair isn't the same, and some have more needs than others. There's some good info on the different types.

Natural Hair Photos- Recently I've been noticing more photos and stories in magazines with people who have natural hair. A lot of times if there are pictures or stories about natural hair in a magazine it's limited to about 2 pages. I like seeing the different styles, people, and the amount of it here.

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I found this magazine at CVS, and I'm sure it could easily be found at any book or grocery store. If you're interested in products, need style ideas, are curious to what's happening in other parts of the country, or just want to read about hair I'd recommend this magazine.

Have you read it already; went to pick it up? What did you think? Comment, let me know, and follow me on Twitter @MzDezy!!

Variation: Two Strand Twists

I'm not sure why, but I always like to have one side of my hair in the front pulled back. This applies when wearing twist styles too. This style was completely random, and wasn't planned at all. In the winter I like to wear hats, and it's easier if my hairs styled in twists or a similar style. I started by making flat two strand twists on one side of my head. On the opposite side I made regular two strand twists. To get the curls I slept in perm rods over night. This style can last a couple of weeks if you care for it properly. At night I covered my hair with a satin scarf, and perm rods if I wanted more curls.

Flowers, pins, clip, hats, and other fancy accessories can be added to dress up this hair style. Even without pieces added this style is very nice. I like this a lot, I just might try it again very soon  ^_^"  There was no product used while styling, but it was done on freshly washed hair. It took maybe an hour to complete this.