Are double strand twist too much manipulation?

[ecadnacmc]

I have been doing double strand twists for ~ a yr now & even though I don't have much breakage or SSKs, I don't feel like I'm gaining much length. I retwist weekly after a hot oil treatment, shampoo & DC. Is that too much manipulation?

 

[mzteaze]

You don't say whether you are natural or relaxed.

If you are natural, are you dealing with shrinkage? My shrunken hair doesn't necessary show growth.

Have you straightened recently?

 

[empressri]

I mean if you're natural I'm thinking most likely your hair shrinks. My hair is WL but when twist it's above my shoulders. I never realize how long it is till I flat iron, so you could have the length and not realize it.

 

[mischka]

i pretty much am using braid outs until i get my dryness under control. i know that my hair has grown but im concerned about the amount it has retained... i have a pic in august with my hair straightened and one in february. i would estimate about 1 - 1.5 inches of growth which seems a little low for six months

 

[ecadnacmc]

I'm natural, I have shrinkage to CL in front, NL in back. I'm between SL & APL straightened. Just feel like it's taking 4eva to get to APL.

 

[ecadnacmc]

i pretty much am using braid outs until i get my dryness under control. i know that my hair has grown but im concerned about the amount it has retained... i have a pic in august with my hair straightened and one in february. i would estimate about 1 - 1.5 inches of growth which seems a little low for six months

I feel the same as Mischka except my hair feels & looks healthy IMO, + everyone tells me so.

 

[mzteaze]

I twists my hair nearly daily. I haven't had problems with retention at all.

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

Double strands twist is what I do often and I've had nothing but great results.

It appears as though the longer my hair gets, the shorter my twists appear

Shrinkage puts my right at shoulder length unless I do something to stretch my hair, and I am currently MBL.

 

[Evolving78]

i am SL and my hair shrinks something terrible.

 

[Mook's hair]

No, I don't think it's too much manipulation since you've explained that it is not causing you breakage or SSK's They are a good protective style.

Maybe add scalp massage to your routine in addition to taking some Flinstones Complete Vitamins and drinking lots & lots of water.

 

[RegaLady]

I am currently using double stand twists but I pin mines up or put it into a bun. For me, I cannot wear my ends loose if I want to retain length. Putting them in buns holds moisture and keeps my hair from being in harsh elements. Maybe try tucking the twists away.

 

[Tiye]

I'm just getting back into two strands twists after quite a few years and I plan to leave them in for 2-3 weeks at a time to keep manipulation to a minimum. So for me once/week would be too much but it also depends on your hair type. Bigger coils/curls can take more manipulation than very small ones.

 

[ecadnacmc]

Maybe I'm just being inpatient. Seems to be keeping my hair healthy, just seems like I'm neva going to reach my goal.

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[afrikurl]

For my hair twisting once a week was too much. If you feel like your hair can't handle it, then try to stretch out the hair style for two weeks or wear hair styles that require less manipulation and can be easily taken down for was day. you could try bunning or up dos.

 

[NikStarrr]

I don't think it's too much manipulation, especially since you can wear them for extended periods of time with absolutely no manipulation.

 

[EllePixie]

Have you only been natural for a year? SL to APL is one of the largest spaces on your body. I've been natural for about 14 months (from 1 inch) and I don't expect to get to APL stretched until about May-June. If your hair isn't breaking, you are retaining length.

I don't think twists are too much manipulation, at least not for me - when I twist I do it on a detangling day, so I was doing my hair anyway, then leave the twists in for a couple of days and wear a twist out for a couple of days (and I don't retwist at night).

 

[ebonylocs]

Maybe you can try wearing your twists for two weeks instead of one week. But nothing is wrong with twisting, per se.

 

[temfash]

For my hair twisting once a week was too much. If you feel like your hair can't handle it, then try to stretch out the hair style for two weeks or wear hair styles that require less manipulation and can be easily taken down for wash day.

Same here, weekly manipulation is too much for my naps so I try styles that last for at least 2 weeks at a time.

 

[andromeda]

It depends. You say you haven't been experiencing breakage or SSKs yet yoy feel like your hair isn't growing. Have you been taking length (stretched and unstretched) comparison shots? Do you do your twists on wet or dry hair? If you're twisting on wet hair the apparent lack of length progress might just be shrinkage. For some people, as their hair grows longer, their twists stay the same length and just get plumper.

For me it is too much manipulation - I was gaining length but losing thickness and uniformity. I have fine strands and very coily hair. I found doing twists on stretched, mostly dry hair and sealing the ends with shea butter helped to cut down on breakage/dry ends. In the future, I will keep my twists in for a longer period of time. Right now, I'm in ultra-protective mode, so even though I my two and three-strand twists, I know that it's too much of a risk for MY hair given the goals that I have.

You can keep your twists in for 3-4 weeks. Here's a low-mani twist regimen from Jenboo, whose hair has thrived from twists.

 

[ecadnacmc]

I think I'm going 2 try flat twists & or bunning 4 a while & see if I get more length. My hair gets so tangled with wet bunning though & I don't like dry bunning my natural hair.

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[ecadnacmc]

I've been completely natural for over 7 years but kept suffering setbacks from stylist who either burnt out my hair or overtrimmed it to maintain the style they wanted for my hair. Also suffered major shedding & breakage after 1st child 3yrs ago b4 I discovered LHCF. My hair is fine, type 4a, with maybe some 3c's, my hair looks horrible after 2 weeks & takes forever to takedown without lots of shedding/breakage. 1 week I still get shed hairs, doesn't seem like breakage. I did notice my hair seems to be getting thicker, maybe I'll have to settle for thicker 1st & then length.

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[ecadnacmc]

Thanks Andromeda! I think it's because I bun my twists that they don't last more than a week. They get pulled straight & flat : (

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[Nonie]

OP, do you protective style? Like it's all very well to keep hair from being manipulated but once you get to SL where the twists are rubbing on your clothes, retention becomes an uphill struggle, so wearing your hair up and ends protected is one way to get to APL.

Folks wrongly think that low manipulation (which wearing 2-strand twists is) is the same as protective styling. It isn't. Protective styling is wearing your hair ends unexposed like in a bun or updo--preferably sealed just to be sure (That's why some folks baggy their ends before putting on a phony pony).

This is protective styling:

This is not:

The ends in the second image are susceptible to more damage then the ones in the first image.

I would add the point about regular dusting but I think people switch off when I mention scissors so I'll quit while I'm ahead.

 

[Maracujá]

^^But wearing two strand twists up is a protective style right?

 

[Nonie]

^^But wearing two strand twists up is a protective style right?

Maracujá Yes it is. Especially if the ends are tucked away as in the first image. Ends are the most vulnerable part of our hair: the weakest, oldest, most worn...so protecting them from the drying and from friction is the main goal of protective styling.

 

[ecadnacmc]

My hair is either always in a protective bun or satin scarf or bonnet @ home. Occasionally down when my head gets hot. Maybe I'll just DC weekly & redo edges only. I'm probably just being inpatient. My hair grows slower in the winter anyway + I'm happy I haven't had any major postpartum shedding like with my 1st child (my DS is 9 mos old).

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[Nonie]

@ecadnacmc, since you seem to be doing all things right, you're either suffering from some form of "hair-norexia" or from the case of "a watched pot that never boils". Stop checking progress, and worrying about achieving length and just enjoy what you can do now with your hair. Let length come whenever it will and surprise you.

 

[CrownCola]

For me, it is a bit too much (or the wrong kind at least) of manipulation to twist on unstretched hair. I experience more breakage this way somehow.

Nonie
I thought that styles requiring little to no daily manipulation counted as "protective styles"
Thanks for clarifying.

Added: This is likely because I frequently retwist.

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[Nonie]

For me, it is a bit too much (or the wrong kind at least) of manipulation to twist on unstretched hair. I experience more breakage this way somehow.

@Nonie
I thought that styles requiring little to no daily manipulation counted as "protective styles"
Thanks for clarifying.

Added: This is likely because I frequently retwist.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2

@CrownCola, it depends on the low mani style. Cornrows/flat twists are definitely a protective style to an extent as are weaves than single braids with or without extension or hanging twists, but only because most of the hair's ends are buried away in cornrows, weaves and flat-twists.

 

[ecadnacmc]

@ Noni, Thanks! I think ur probably right.

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