Fine Haired Naturals

[NaturalBeauty<3]

Do you retain length in twisting/braiding your natural hair?
I mini twisted my hair, just to see if I could do it, liked it okay, figured I could do it during the hot summer months, and I started taking it down and my ends started knotting up. Took forever.

I'm just wondering about the retention you braiding/twisting fine haired naturals have after dealing with the tangles? Still pleased, or should I just steer clear?

 

[Nonie]

I am a fine-haired lady and even with my very lazy regimen (no moisturizing, no sealing of ends, no PSing) I think my retention is fine--all things considered.

How long did you wear the twists for and do you dust your ends? Every time I hear of knots and SSKs, I can't help but wonder whether products or lack of dusting might be to blame.

 

[NaturalBeauty<3]

Oh, yeah, Nonie I forgot to add that. I dust every two months. I might need new shears tho, I've had these for almost a year. . .

Maybe I just shouldn't do mini's?

 

[NappyNelle]

Twists work for me... but I'm careful about how I treat them. When my hair was shorter, I only liked mini-twists because they made my hair look thicker. Now, I like medium-small twists because I don't have the time or patience to do minis anymore. Fine strands love to 'mesh' together. You may find helpful tips in these threads:

Thin/Fine Support

Retaining Length for Fine Hair

 

[Jetblackhair]

Mini twists for my fine hair equals tangle city and I already have a hard time with retention, so that's a definite no go.

 

[Austro-Afrikana]

I only use braids with extensions; they are great for retention. When I have tried anything without extensions my ends tangle up and get dry.

 

[lilyofthenile]

If for long term I use extensions with it, because my hair doesn't lock up that way. I don't wear twists or braids on my actual natural hair for longer than two weeks - that would be me asking for trouble.

I also find that having stretched out hair prior to braids or twist styles reduces amount of tangles and knotting etc.

 

[discodumpling]

I retain best in twists...even better in braids! What you use to twist, maintain the twists, and whatever you choose for the takedown are what guarantees the results you desire. Some ladies (like Nelle) are able to wear twists for WEEKS while folks like me can wear for a lot less time.
Tangles are not a factor for me if I take my time and my hair is moisturized.

 

[DivineNapps1728]

I LOVE the look of mini twists as well, but after a week of spritzing & such my ends curls around one another; I cause more damage during take down sessions than I retain by wearing my natural hair in twists as a protective style.

Kinky & Senegalese twists leave me with minimal tangling even after a month or so of wear, but they take forever to install

 

[Rei]

Kind of give or take...I find that I actually retain pretty slowly with twists in comparison to braids (Cornrowed, not freehanging). Minitwists are a disaster, I lose so much hair with the takedown that its not even worth it. Even kinky twists/ etc dont' work that well for me. I've found that loc extensions are a godsend when I want to ltps but I have to watch them and take them down monthly in fear that my hair will lock too

 

[Triniwegian]

I do not have a problem with tangling, so for the most part I have been wearing buns and braid-outs.
I think fine hair can deal with most styles except for the ones that require heat.

 

[Spongebob]

i have very fine/thin hair. the type that breaks of if u accidentally pull on it

one of pledges (yes pledges lol), for 2012 is to avoid small braids all together. 4 large braids MAX, no more. not very pretty, but hey im going hard core in 2012

i lose a lot of hair with braiding. its like omg what the hell. I've stopped putting in more then 4 braids. and I do them very lose. ppl look at me very strange but i dont care its doing wonders for me

 

[ladykpnyc]

No, my hair loves twists. I just have to be mindful of how long I keep them in--I usually can't go beyond 2-3 weeks. Once I unravel, I detangle with aloe vera juice or water and coconut oil. It gives me great slip and detangling quick and easy. I also apply a little of aloe vera juice and my coconut ginger whipped shea butter to my ends every night to keep them hydrated.

Hth!

 

[faithVA]

I only wear my mini-twists up to 2 weeks. My hair actually tangles at the root and not the ends so I don't have an issue with tangling at the ends. But to prevent my hair from tangling period prior to take down I spritz it with a moisturizer, apply a light oil to the whole length of my hair (sunflower oil) and then apply a butter blend. But I have also maintained my moisturizing regimen during the time I had my twists. With the repeated use of butters on my ends, my ends don't stick together so I don't have knots or tangles.

So I think moisturizing and seal regularly while in mini twists and apply something heavy on your ends helps a great deal.

 

[Priss Pot]

I have fine hair, and I already know that mini twists would cause tangles for me even though I have yet to try them. I've tried smaller twists, and I can't leave them in for too long or else the ends will start to knot and tangle. Medium-small twists (stretched) work best for me, although I don't wear them as often. I stick to mainly braid-outs, twist-outs, and buns.

 

[GaiasDaughter24]

Big/ medium twists, Yes. Mini twists, NO! My hair can't take it at all. Same goes for braids and cornrows.

 

[Seamonster]

My hair is very soft, and twist into a dread in about a week, I wash every other day, sometimes daily co washes. The ends tangle if I twist them, so I just let the ends curl. My hair does much better with big cornrows or a bun.

Also my ends get raggedy pretty, my hair would look better if I trimmed every other week, but I am growing it out so am trying to only trim every month or so.

 

[PPGbubbles]

Twists are a nono for my ends If I wet them and my hair shrinks I can almost guarantee my ends will twist and tangle. And since our hair is so fine and delicate it becomes nearly impossible to remove without breakage

I have found that box braids without extensions work well because it keeps my strands stretched but the removal process is not for the faint of heart! I do it dry with TONS of oil

Extensions just make life much easier for us fine haired folk

 

[FtrDrO]

My ends wrap around each other when I wear twists for a few weeks. The end result is a lot of broken hair during take down and I feel that they may have contributed to the poor ends I developed overtime. I got a cut and have decided to take a hiatus from twists. I'm only doing big braids under wigs now.

 

[Nonie]

Oh, yeah, @Nonie I forgot to add that. I dust every two months. I might need new shears tho, I've had these for almost a year. . .

Maybe I just shouldn't do mini's?

NaturalBeauty<3 You didn't say how long you wear your twists for. Also do you twirl the hair in the strands around their own axes before you wrap the strands around each other to form the twist? Coz if you don't, then there's no way you can avoid tangles. Remember about 50-100 hairs are shed every day and they get caught up in there, so if the hair isn't held in some stretched state that keeps it in check (which is what the twirl does), then it'll just slither out of the strand and mingle with that in the other strand, add in shed hair, and you have a nightmare.

Bigger twists may help in terms of not forming locs or being hard to undo, but I don't know if they'll eliminate tangles unless you adopt the twirl before wrapping technique.

 

[Bublin]

i have very fine/thin hair. the type that breaks of if u accidentally pull on it

one of pledges (yes pledges lol), for 2012 is to avoid small braids all together. 4 large braids MAX, no more. not very pretty, but hey im going hard core in 2012

i lose a lot of hair with braiding. its like omg what the hell. I've stopped putting in more then 4 braids. and I do them very lose. ppl look at me very strange but i dont care its doing wonders for me

This i can relate to....i'm starting to embrace my breakage rather than fight it . Lord only knows how i actually retain any length.

I also notice some ladies saying that extensions work well for them. Not for me. My hair is so thin and fragile i realised years ago that the fake hair was 'cutting' into my own hair and my scalp so sensitive that it felt like the hair was digging into my scalp. I can't wear extensions.

Twisting my hair is a waste of time as my hair frizzes after 2 days, no matter what product i use. I look like a fuzzy head .

This past week i have decided to do exactly this @Spongebob - only i wear a beanie or a beret. I also braid up a smaller section of hair at the front and wear it as a braid-out fringe whilst the rest of my hair is under my beanie....add some make-up and nice earrings it's all good. I really couldn't go into work with 6 huge plaits in my hair .

 

[darlingdiva]

This i can relate to....i'm starting to embrace my breakage rather than fight it . Lord only knows how i actually retain any length.

I also notice some ladies saying that extensions work well for them. Not for me. My hair is so thin and fragile i realised years ago that the fake hair was 'cutting' into my own hair and my scalp so sensitive that it felt like the hair was digging into my scalp. I can't wear extensions.

Twisting my hair is a waste of time as my hair frizzes after 2 days, no matter what product i use. I look like a fuzzy head .

This past week i have decided to do exactly this @Spongebob - only i wear a beanie or a beret. I also braid up a smaller section of hair at the front and wear it as a braid-out fringe whilst the rest of my hair is under my beanie....add some make-up and nice earrings it's all good. I really couldn't go into work with 6 huge plaits in my hair .

@ the bolded: Have you tried using headbands? I use headbands to hide my frizz, which occurs without fail when I've gone to the gym for three days consecutively.

In response to the main question, twists (medium-sized) help me to retain length. Mini-twists just encourage more tangling for my tangle-prone hair. I have also found that staying on top of my ends (dusting/trimming & moisturizing and sealing) helps me to retain length as well.

However, I have also found that, for me, moderately moisturizing and sealing my ends works much better for me than slathering my ends with product. Too much product on my ends weighs them down and encourages breakage.

 

[Bublin]

@ the bolded: Have you tried using headbands? I use headbands to hide my frizz, which occurs without fail when I've gone to the gym for three days consecutively.QUOTE]

No, that's not for me - i don't like the way thick bands look on my big head! ..and i would just have frizz at the back of my head where the band doesn't cover it. For me twists, unless using them for a set for a twist-out, is pointless.

 

[Nonie]

Bublin, you're my most difficult chile! Yes, I've adopted you even though I don't know why LOL. One of these days, I'ma sit on you and apply S Curl on your hair and show you soft tresses you claim are not possible with this sacred juice.

And then the next day I'ma sit on you again and twist your hair the proper way then dunk you in water head first and ask you to show me this frizz you claim is inevitable. Methinks it's just your twisting technique that needs tweaking.

You think you're slick? Think I didn't see you reach for something... Miss!

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

I have fine hair and mini twists looks horrible and scraggly with my hair. I have to do med-sized or big twist for twistouts on my hair.

My hair tangles very easily so I am careful to do style the prevent this.

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

Twisting my hair is a waste of time as my hair frizzes after 2 days, no matter what product i use. I look like a fuzzy head .
.

Same here girl....I wasted many hours trying to make small twists so that I could wear for weeks work on my hair and it's a no go, by day 2 it looks like I've had them in for 3 months That's why I stick to thicker twists, do twistouts, that way I retwist everyday and it helps my hair look less fuzzy.

 

[aviddiva77]

Ok so I'm not the only one dealing with this! I thought I was doing something wrong when my mini twists almost locked up after 2 weeks!

I found my greatest retention was when I put braid extensions in (I used big parts). Might do it for Christmas!

 

[MzSwift]

Medium or bigger twists are a good short term, low maintenance style but that's it. I've tried mini-twists 3 times and each time I had tangles and heavy shedding upon take down.

I stick to mini-braids and cornrows. Primarily b/c I can water rinse these styles daily.

 

[babyshuf2]

My hair tangles too much with mini-twist. I used to be able to wear them for weeks with no problems when my hair was a lot shorter. I had mini-twist in for almost 2 weeks in Nov. I went to take them down on Nov. 23 and had to fight with tangles, knots, and a few starter locs...lol. I tried conditioner and oil to get them out for hours but nothing worked for a few of them. Had to end up cutting and making an emergency visit to my stylist. I came home with straight hair (silk wrap) because I was frustrated. I think I will do medium to larger twist from now on because they seem to work better. I do retain good length with twists but not when I end up losing hair in the end. I prefer styles that will stretch my hair more. Also I get less tangles and knots when I do a dry twist set and don't wash it. God Bless!

 

[chebaby]

my hair is super fine and mini twists cause tangles for me. i retain legnth with wash and go styles and braid outs. but twists are a no go.