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Achieve The Perfect Twist Out By Avoiding These 7 Mistakes

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Have you ever seen a twist out so good that it makes you do a double-take as the person walks past?

That can’t have been her real hair, can it?

We’ve all been there before.

Your twist outs come out looking like you’ve had an electric shock, hers look like the perfect twist out.

It can leave you wondering what you have done wrong to deserve this hot mess that’s on top of your head.

Well, the good news is that there are probably a few things that you are doing that are wrong with your twist outs.

I want to show you how you too can be the girl walking past with the perfect looking twist out.

Twist outs are perfect on both short hair and long natural hair too. They are the perfect versatile go-to hairstyle.

 

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Achieve the perfect twist out by avoiding these 7 mistakes

 

1. Not starting with clean hair

No matter what hairstyle you are trying to achieve it will always come out much better on freshly washed clean hair, there are no 2 ways about it.

Having lots of build up on both your scalp and strands weighs your hair down and makes it ineffective for styling.

No matter how many times you try to refresh your hair by spritzing it with water there comes a time when a full-on wash and clarify is necessary.

Regularly washing your hair should already be part of your hair regimen.

If you are looking for a really good clarifying shampoo you can try this one.

 

2. Not using the right products

Getting the right products ready for your perfect twist out is essential if you want your twist out to look flawless.

By now you should know a little bit more about your hair type. Why is knowing your hair type important? Because it will give you some indication as to what your hair needs.

For example type 4c hair tends to be drier, therefore, it needs lots of products that will help it retain moisture.

If you have type 3 hair the chances are that you will need lighter hair products so shea butter may be too heavy for you to use in a twist out.

Your best chances of achieving your perfect twist out is to make sure your hair has been slightly damped then applying a leave-in conditioner like this one and butter and or oil if you need to. Gels can also work well for a twist out.

Try not to go too heavy with these and listen to what your hair likes.

 

3. Not allowing your hair to fully dry

Not allowing your hair to fully dry is the most cardinal sin when it comes to a twist out or braid out.

If you take down your twist out before they are fully dry they would not have had time to set properly and will come out looking all fluffy.

Don’t assume that because you washed your hair the day before that it will be fully dry the next day.

Sometimes twist outs can appear to be dry at first touch when in fact they are not.

You can squeeze a twist and it should give you a better indication as to whether it really is dry or not.

My hair can take up to 2 days to fully dry sometimes so don’t assume it to be dry if you haven’t checked it properly.

 

4. Not moisturising your hair properly

Trying to do a  twist out on dry hair is a no-no. Twist outs NEED moisture to enable them to take shape and hold.

Trying to do a twist out on dry hair is like not doing a twist out at all.

Use the LOC method to help you moisturise and lock in as much moisture as possible.

 

5. You’re not sleeping the right way with your twist out

If you want your twist out to last you need to make sure you sleep the right way with it.

The pineapple method may be able to help you keep your curls looking fresh and bouncy for a good few days.  Just bear in mind that the pineapple method does not work for everyone.

You may have to tweak the method to suit your personal needs.

Sleeping with a satin scarf is also another way to keep your curls fresh. Sleeping with satin makes sure that moisture is retained in your hair and not all over your cotton pillowcase.

You can get a satin scarf here if you don’t already have one.

 

6. You don’t know how to untwist your hair properly

Once your twists are finally dry you are ready for the big reveal just make sure that you don’t just pull apart the twists anyhow.

You have to take each twist down carefully.

The best way to do this is to add a little oil to your hands first.  Sweet almond oil is a great choice as it is nice and light.

Rub the oil in your hands and begin to untwist your hair fron the bottom working your way up slowly.

 

7. Your hair is not detangled properly

If your hair is not detangled properly you won’t get the results that you want for that perfect twist out.

Detangling your hair prior to doing your twist out will ensure that once your hair is dry and ready for takedown it will be much easier to fluff and take shape.

Without proper detangling, you will end up with a very frizzy looking twist out. The best way to detangle your hair is to use your fingers.

 

How can I make my twist out last longer?

There is a lot of careful work that has to go into doing a great twist out. You don’t want to have the most amazing twist out only to have it last for one day only.

A little tip that I picked up a few years ago will help you make your twist out last that much longer.

On day 1 of your twist out fluff your hair but not too much. You can break up each twist out 2 or 3 times.

On day two you can spit those twists once more.

As the week goes on you can just continue to split the twists more.

The idea here is that your hair gets bigger the more you spit the twists and as the week goes on.

Try to keep your hands out of your hair as well to prevent frizzing in order for your twist outs to last longer.

 

Do twist outs help your natural hair to grow?

I would say yes to this.  Hear me out here.

Doing a twist out is one of the easiest ways to maintain your natural hair whist allowing it to grow.

Twist out are very low maintenance and any low maintenance hairstyle is going to be good for your natural hair growth.

Twist outs have been my go-to hairstyle for many years and my hair is almost waist length now.

 

Final thoughts on the perfect twist out

Getting your twist out to be perfect takes some time.  You need to know what your hair likes and doesn’t like.

Once you know this you will be on the right path to the perfect twist out.

If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try try again.

You’ll get there.

 

Related posts:

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Natural hair shrinkage, why it happens and what you can do about it

Aloe vera juice  for natural hair and its benefits for you

 

How to achieve a perfect twist out

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