Flat Twist

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Flat twists are a neat way to add a protective style to your hair repertoire. Regular two strand twists, which can hang loosely, are usually best for natural hair, but flat twists work well on natural and relaxed textures. They're similar to cornrows, but may be more user-friendly to beginners; you work with two strands of hair at a time with flat twists instead of three, as you do with cornrows.

Continue the part you started at the hairline straight back to the nape of the neck. The end of a rat-tail comb is useful for making neat parts.

 

From the section of hair that you parted, begin working with a small section at the hairline.

 

Now divide the small section of hair at the hairline into two equal parts.

Twist the two sections of hair around each other as you move back along this parted section.

As you twist the hair, gently incorporate hair from the parted section into the twist as you work back. It's important to use the right tension so that you don't cause any pain or damage the hair follicles with tight styling.

 

If the hair is long enough, you'll reach a point where the twist is no longer attached to the scalp. You may want to secure the twist here, but it's not necessary. Experiment and see what works best for you. Here, a small butterfly clip is used to keep the twist from unraveling. You'll often find that the thicker and curlier the hair, the better it is at holding itself together without worry of coming untwisted.

Continue twisting the hair until you reach the ends. If desired, secure the ends with covered elastics or barrettes. Natural hair can usually secure itself without additional help.

 

Repeat the flat twists over the entire head. As you become more comfortable with your technique, you may find yourself creating parts that direct to one side instead of straight back, for more variety.

These are basic flat twists, secured at the nape with small butterfly clips. While this is a good choice for children, adult women may not want to sport accessories. You have other options in styling flat twists as well.

Here you can see how the flat twists appear from the back of the head.

 

Don't want to wear your flat twists hanging loose? You can easily pull them back into a ponytail. Either let the ends hang freely or secure them, as shown here. This is a good option for women who want an easy protective style without all of the little girl accessories.

 

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