Two Strand Twists

When it comes to styling, there probably isn’t a more popular hairstyle than two strand twists on natural hair. Two strand twists are a popular natural hair style for some reasons.

Two strand twists are quite easy to do. Two strand twists can be very long lasting depending on the size you make them.

Also, two strand twists help to reduce knots and tangles and can be styled as you would your loose hair. This style can be undone to create another favorite style, the twist-out.

Two-strand twists are considered a protective style in the natural hair community as they can help minimize hair damage and therefore promote hair growth. Two-strand twists can range in size from minuscule micro two strand twists, more often called mini twists, unless done with extensions, to medium to large two strand twists typically referred to as chunky twists.

Flat twists are a type of two-strand twists that stay anchored to the scalp. The same two sections and twisting motion is applied, but after each twist of the sections, a little more hair is added to one of the sections before twisting again.

This keeps the twist flat on the scalp and is quite similar in technique to doing a dutch braid, but with two sections instead of three.

What is a two-strand twist?

A two-strand twist is a hairstyle created by taking a section of hair, splitting it in two and then wrapping each section around the other, until the entire section is rope-like in appearance.

The benefits of two strand twists

Some of the more common benefits of two-strand twists are:

Convenience

Creating a head full of two-strand twists can be time-consuming. Especially if you have very long or very thick hair.

However, once installed, you can pretty much get up and go for weeks on end without having to worry too much about styling your hair. Some people go up to six weeks with two strand twists.

The up keep of your twists will depend on your lifestyle factors such as how often you work out and the environment in which you live. Just be sure to still shampoo, condition, and deep condition your hair while they are in twists, which will enable you to keep the style in longer.

If you choose to keep two-strand twists in for an extended period, you can re-do any twist that comes undone or looks fuzzy as you go. This will also help the style look fresher for a longer period of time.

It really is up to you.

Versatility

Two-strand twists can be worn down or styled in ponytails, up-dos, mohawks, half up, half down styles, buns, roll, tuck, and pin styles, etc. This style is truly versatile, and that is one of the reasons two-strand twists are so popular.

Hassle free maintenance

Natural hair needs moisture, and two-strand twists are one of those hairstyles that still make it easy to keep hair moisturized. Moisturizing and styling twists are very much similar to moisturizing and styling your hair while it’s completely free and loose, so maintaining two strand twists is really easy and straightforward.

If the twists around the hairline start to get fuzzy, you can redo them at night while watching your favorite show with little to or no inconvenience.

How to do a two-strand twist on natural hair

Two-strand twists are easy to install and depending on the how small you make each twist and the length of your hair. The twists can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

The technique and principles are the same; however, once you get the hang of it, you are pretty much an expert. Here are some tips to follow before and during twisting:

1. Start with clean hair. Wet or dry is up to you, but wet hair shrinks to a greater extent so your twists will appear shorter than they actually are.
2. Moisturize and seal hair well before twisting. Moisturizing and sealing are fundamental and essential practices when it comes to natural hair care, and no style is complete without them.
3. Keep your parts defined. This doesn’t necessarily mean using a comb, using your fingers can work pretty well too. Ensuring each twisted section is defined will prevent neighbor twists from becoming tangled at the root.
4. Check out the video below for a twisting tutorial.

Two-strand twist hairstyles

Styling your hair in two strand twists is like styling your hair when it is completely loose. You can pretty much do all of the same styles. Here are a few examples.

Side braided twists

Two strand twist on short hair

Another reason two strand twists are so popular is they can be done on the hair of any length. Once you have about two inches of hair, you can start twisting.

Because natural hair natural shrinks, the hair’s real length may not always be readily evident. Some people experience up to 75% shrinkage which means that your twists may appear significant shorter than they are.

Twists will also shrink more significantly, again if done on wet hair. To combat shrinkage, you may want to consider stretching your hair before twisting which will help them hang a little more the next day.

Two strand twist on medium length hair

Medium sized two-strand twists on medium length natural hair.

Two strand twist on long natural hair

Mini-twists (mini two-strand twists) on long natural hair.

Two strand twist on relaxed hair

Two-strand twists can be done on all hair types. However, it’s important to keep in mind the silkier the texture, the easier the twists will become undone. For straight hair, including black hair that has been relaxed, using cold wave or perm rods to curl the ends of your twists will help keep the twists from unraveling.

Two strand twist on transitioning hair

Depending on how long you have been transitioning your hair, you could have more relaxed hair than natural hair, but regardless of how much of your hair is in which state, the truth is managing transitioning hair can be a challenge. It may be challenging to find styles that work well with both textures, but two-strand twists usually work well, as long as the straight ends are kept in good condition so a trim may be needed.

As with relaxed hair, the ends of your two-strand twists on transitioning hair may unravel, but curling these ends will help keep them secure.

Two-strand twist on natural hair with extensions

When it comes to two-strand twists with extensions, the extensions may be added to the root of the hair or at some part along the length of it. However, It is more common for extensions to be added to the root of the twists.

Maintaining a two-strand twist

The key thing about keeping two-strand twists is to keep them moisturized and welled oiled. This can be done using a water and conditioner mix, followed by an oil or by steaming your hair every other day as your hair requires.

If you choose to use a moisturizing product, ensure that water is the primary ingredient and focus the product on the ends of the hair first, which are older and will dry out faster than the other sections. Then move on to the rest of your hair.

Two-strand twist natural hair products

The best products for installing two-strand twists offer both moisture and shine and in some cases a little bit of hold. A hold may or may not be important to you, however.

Examples of great products to use when installing your two-strand twists are shown below. They are usually creamy products and may be thick or light in consistency.

In general, more viscous products work better on thicker and kinkier hair texture. Two-strand twists on natural hair are very simple, even those who consider themselves to have little to no hairstyling aptitude are able to master them.

They offer variety and can add dimension to many hairstyles. Two-strand twists are protective and require low manipulation, which makes them ideal for promoting natural hair growth.

Patrina

Hey Curl Friend, I’m Patrina Haupt the creator and author of Natural Hair Queen. I hope you find my healthy hair care tips helpful in your hair journey. Healthy hair care practices are definitely, what helped me to achieve waist length hair.

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