You Got Me Twisted: Why Heat Styling from Twists is Better

I talked a little bit about washing, deep conditioning, and styling with your hair already in twists before on my Wand It Up: Wanted Curls for Natural Hair post, but I just HAD to reiterate this post because 1. my hair grows like stink ever since I've implemented this, 2. my wash day is TEN TIMES easier and faster than it was before, and 3. I almost shat my pants when I heard that a kinky girl couldn't retain length because she DIDN'T wash her hair in twists. Don't worry, I saved the girl in situation #3, and my pants remained free of brown rail road tracks, so I figured this information was pretty helpful. Let's see if I can convert you too. Below are the reasons I wash, deep condition, and style in twists, especially while heat styling.

1. I'm not a masochist

LOL, I'm really not but ok ok, the real list starts now.

1. Helps to keep your hair sectioned, making it easier to part and heat style your hair right before your event.

2. Helps to keep your hair detangled: I don't even have to explain myself here, y'all already know the deal.

3. Helps to dry your hair completely: Allowing your hair to completely dry allows for decreased heat damage when heat styling, and allows for a neater style (we all know what happens when that hair ain't fully dried).

4. Helps to keep your hair stretched: If you desire a more stretched style, then twists help to keep your strands stretched until you're ready to heat style.

5. Helps to decrease blow drying time: Now I didn't blow dry before flat ironing my hair, because I wanted to limit the amount of heat and manipulation that I put into my hair. I know some will not approve of flat ironing straight from twists like in this method, so if your little heart desires to do this, please make sure your twists are THOROUGHLY detangled to ensure a smoother, less tangly blow drying session.

Now whenever you are heat styling with twists, you can't use the same buttery, creamy, co-co-cabana smelling styling products. You have to use products that actually facilitate in the stretching, accelerated drying, and detangling of your hair, such as It's a 10, CHI products, GVP products, etc. I detangled my hair while sopping wet with these products below as leave in conditioners.

Please also be mindful that you cannot use lax, loose twists. You have to twist TIGHTLY to ensure that you are stretching your hair and to ensure that it remains detangled and stretched.

I air dried my hair in my usual twists, (about 28 in my entire head), and proceeded to style only after my entire head was completely air dried.

I applied the following in my hair prior to flat ironing. I have been using these products for YEARS, even when I had a perm, and they protect my hair, without making it super greasy or filmy like with other serums.

I worked with one twist at a time. I sprayed the keratin spray first, then applied a pea size amount of the serum to each twist. I separated the twist where it naturally separated at the roots, then flat ironed each section on 350 degrees with my 1.5 inch CHI flat iron.

After the section was straight, this allowed me to detangle the section better, then use the ever-so-famous "chase method" with a bristle brush to get a more polished and less stiff result (lol).

As I flat iron, no matter it the room is 0 degrees, my hair begins to revert, so I roll each large section as I finish, and this 100% kept my hair from reverting.

Overall, I have found that this helps my kinky curly hair get straight without the increased manipulation and breakage from a blow dryer or steam iron. I'm sure if you visit a stylist, then he/she could probably get your hair heat styled in a more seamless process with polished results, but this is what works best for me when I'm not in a salon chair. Hope it helps some of you too! ✌🏾 Watch the process below!

Disclaimer: I had to be in surgery immediately after filming this, so unfortunately, I didn't have time to film the results 😞. But I plan on flat ironing again soon using this same technique since it was so easy, and as I was quite satisfied with the results, so hopefully I won't be pressed for time then.

Have you styled your hair using this method before? And if so, was it a win or fail? Talk to y'all soon! 😘