Curls! Curls! Curls!

I have been natural for a little over 10 years now. Going natural was THE BEST decision I ever made for my hair. However, I’ve made a lot of mistakes throughout my journey, some requiring trims and big chops lol. Currently, I feel like I’ve learned enough about my hair to call myself an expert naturalista (for me and Journ at least).

I’m always asked how I maintain my curls. It’s definitely not a one-sentence response! Natural hair requires A LOT of maintenance, tender love and care. I’m very plain jane and a creature of habit, so flat twists and braid outs are my go too!!!

Below I give a step by step tutorial on how I accomplish one of my favorite styles – Twist out. Twist outs work great for my hair. It showcases the fullness of my hair, my curl pattern and I can get at least 3 days out of it before turning it into a low ponytail!!!

Step One:

I always start with freshly washed hair. 

I recently started using the Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative Hair Wash and my hair loves it! I condition with Miss Jessie's Creme de la Creme conditioner. I’ve been using this conditioner FOR YEARS! It’s become harder to find in the stores. So I order 2-3 bottles at a time online. This conditioner smells great, softens my hair, and helps with detangling. 

Step Two:

Once I’m washed and conditioned, I detangle with The Mane Choice tropical moringa sweet oil & honey leave in conditioner. I LOVE this detangler. It smells great and cuts down the time it takes to detangle my hair.

Before sectioning my hair, I always oil my scalp with a homemade mixture of almond and jojoba oil. This combination works great for me. I have a dry scalp, so good oil is a must! A day or two before I wash, I oil my scalp with Curls Blueberry & Mint Tea Scalp Treatment. This mixture contains peppermint oil which includes menthol. This is great for dry scalp and soothes all my ichies! Helping me make it to wash day without going crazy!

Step Three:

TWIST TWIST TWIST! 

I learned to flat twist a few years ago. Prior, I only did a loose twist. There’s a big difference in how they turn out. Loose twists never gave me as much definition and my twist outs didn’t last as long.

Flat twists give me TONS of definition and last way longer. A quick Youtube tutorial literally changed my natural hair life lol

 I start with the section closes to my ear and work all the way to the opposite side. 

For styling products, I use the SheaMoisture Smoothie Curl Enhancing Cream. This stuff is amazing!!! I’ve been using it for years and it hasn’t let me down. On each twist, I use a nickel-size amount and rub it from the root to the ends of that section. I come right behind it with a small amount of The Doux Mousse Def Texture Foam. This foam works like a charm! It gives me to hold and definition. Doesn’t leave a residue and smells great!

I repeat those steps until I have 8 medium size twists.

I use silver clamps to hold my twists until they’ve dried a little and then take them off. 

I seal the deal with a satin scarf and head to bed!!

Step Four:

I never take my twists down unless I’ve slept on them lol! My hair dries very slow and taking down damp twists is a NO NO!!!

I use a little oil on my fingers before unraveling my twists. This cuts back on frizz. Once I’ve unraveled all 8 twists I take my time and pull the pieces apart, making sure I carefully separate the twists. I then use a hair pick to fluff out the roots. This gives my hair life!! I can make it as big and fluffy as I’d like. I normally pick it just a little bit on the first day, allowing me to stretch the style out a few more days. 

Step Five:

Last but not least, I hit these baby hairs with some edge booster using my patterns edge brush – I never used a baby hairbrush until I bought this one…life-changing!

Click here to see a quick demonstration on how these steps come together for a BOMB twist out!!!!