YouTube Channel Twistout Tutorial

Here is one of a series of tutorials from my YouTube channel showing how to do natural hair styles.  This one is a twistout or twist-out and is one of the popular hair styles for coily, curly, wavy, or kinky hair.  The style is called a twist out, because first you put in double strand or two strand  twists.  Most people leave them in at least overnight or even a few days before doing a twist out, but I have done them on damp hair and several hours later did a twist out for a different effect than the one shown in the video.  I hope you will subscribe to my YouTube channel and comment there and visit often.  Feel free to post questions there or here so we may discuss our hair and share ideas.

Pulling hair up into small bun. . . careful with those edges

Over time when you visit this blog, you will see that I like to wear a variety of styles.  Sometimes, I pull my hair up into a small bun like this.  This style was created by spritzing my hair with homemade leave in spray and then some distilled water when I ran out of the spray.  The style that it was in before this was a shake and go that I had done the day before, so my hair was in curls/coils.  I just dampened my hair and then stretched out my curls/coils with my fingers by holding a large section of  damp hair and then just pulling the curls/coils until they were all stretched out.  I have alot of hair, so it took about six or seven sections to get it all done.  The hair was then finger picked out into a giant 'fro.  I used a hair brush and gently brushed my damp hair up into a small bun and took a large elastic that I usually use for big afro puffs by wrapping it once around and wrapped it three times around the small bun.  This was done so that the hair was not pulled to tightly, which is not good for those edges.  I then used a little Kinky Curly Gloss Pomade on the smooth, brushed parts and finished it off with a little clear Eco Styler styling gel. 

Here is a picture of the products and tools that I used. 

Lots of growth. . . MAJOR SHRINKAGE!

I did my BC (big chop, i.e., cutting off all relaxed hair and leaving only natural hair) in October 2008 after transitioning for about 5 months.  My hair stylist cut nine inches of relaxed hair and only three inches of hair were left.  I have experienced good growth and have not had a hair cut since then, although I have dusted (minimally trimmed 1/4 to 1/2 inch) the ends while I had it in small double strand twists.  These photos show the length of my hair when it is stretched out by me pulling it.  I am trying to grow it at this stage to APL (arm pit length) and am getting close :)  I have major shrinkage as you may see.  I sprayed my hair with my homemade leave in spray then finger picked it into an afro.  When my hair gets wet, it shrinks a lot after it dries!   It doesn't bother me, though.  I love my curly/coily hair and its texture gives me lots of options for styling.

What do you feel about shrinkage?  Do you experience a lot of it when your hair dries?  Please leave your comments and also take my poll that will be open until December 31, 2010.