It is no secret that my favorite natural hair style to date is the twist out because of its versatility and longevity.  I am always trying to find new ways to style a twist out, whether its fresh or a few days old.  My favorite characteristic of a twist out is its ability to elongate my hair.  The twist out that I am about to share with you gave me the most stretching I have experienced to date!!  My hair looked closer to its true length and it was super defined. Before doing this twist out, I used the LOC (liquid, oil, cream) Method to ensure  that my hair retained the oils and moisture that I put in it.  Check out the video below to see how I achieved this look.

After doing a two conditioner co-wash (see blog post for details).  I deep conditioned my hair with Eden Bodyworks All Natural Deep Conditioner.  I followed this with the LOC method using Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave-in Conditioner, lavender oil/water (for detangling), jojoba oil and Camille Rose Curlade Moisturizing Butter.  Once my hair was detangled, I followed the steps below to complete a flat twist out.

1.  Divide your freshly co-washed or shampooed and conditioned hair into four sections using clips. Make sure the front section is parted the way you like wearing your hair.

2. Starting from the bottom section take either 1/4 or 1/3 of the section (depending on your hair thickness) and finger detangle, shower comb detangle and denman brush detangle the section. (Feel free to add oil and water to aid in the detangling process. Remember to detangle from the ends to the root.  Be careful!)

3.  Work a generous amount of your favorite curl cream (Curlcare Soft Hold Cream) through the section.

4. Begin your flat twist with a small two-strand twist and continue to add hair to your flat twist all the way to the end of the section.

5.  Either roll the end of the twist around your finger or roll the end of the twist with a flexi rod.

6.  Repeat this process until you are done. Allow your hair to air dry overnight or use a hooded dryer.

7.  Take the twists down VERY slowly using your oil of choice on your fingers.  I used jojoba oil.  It is important to take the twists down slowly to avoid frizziness. Think of taking your twists down as gradually and gently unraveling them.

The flat twist out takes about half the time that it takes me to do a normal twist out! This excites me so much because it normally takes me at least an hour to do a regular twist out. My hair turned out to be a great deal more defined than a regular twist out and the curl pattern was a lot different.  If you love twist outs as much as I do, you will love the flat twist out even more!!  Its a nice change in my usual curl pattern and my hair was more stretched than normal.  The only catch to using this method is that the drying time is considerably longer. Air drying took me about 10-12 hours or overnight. I would do this style the day before I was ready to wear it. You could also consider using a hooded dryer.  Good luck!


***When I took my flat twists down, I decided to do a simple updo.  I will post a tutorial for this later***

Forever on a quest for the perfect moisturizing regimen for my low porosity hair, I decided to try the LOC method.  LOC is an acronym for liquid, oil and  cream.  You start your hair off with water or a liquid based leave-in conditioner, followed by an oil and finally a cream.  The concept is that the oil will seal in the water (or water based leave-in conditioner) and the cream will seal in the oil into your strands. After repeated usage of this method, you should be left with well moisturized strands. Many naturalistas swear by this method and depending on your hair type you may experience the same success. Below is a list of what products I used for the LOC method.

     L-Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner
     O- Desert Essence Jojoba oil
     C-Eden Bodyworks Jojoba Monoi Hair Milk

 I started by treating my hair that had been rinsed with warm water with a baking soda/water mix to open my cuticles. I dried my hair using the plopping method.  I followed this with deep conditioning with Shea Butter Intense Moisture Masque. I wrapped a towel around my hair and allowed  this to sit on my hair for 30 minutes.  After rinsing my hair with cool water to seal my cuticles, I sprayed it with an aloe vera juice/water mix to balance my hair's pH from the alkaline baking soda mixture.  After detangling, I was ready to begin the LOC method.

 I sectioned my hair into 4 and worked a quarter sized amount of Giovanni Direct Leave-In into one section from root to tip.  I rubbed a few drops of jojoba oil into my palm and rubbed it together.  I also applied it to the section from root to tip.  Finally, I rubbed a quarter size amount of the Eden Bodyworks hair milk into my hand and worked it through the section from root to tip.  Repeat this until you have moisturized all sections.

Verdict so far:  My hair was noticeably shinier and softer.  I will most definitely be trying this method again to see what the long term results are.  I will keep you posted!