Style School | The Three Strand Twist + how to do it

hair styles
photo via Pinterest
After contemplating which curly/textured styles I'd like to wear this summer, I came to the conclusion that I wanted something curlier than a braid out but tighter than beach waves.  At the time, I didn't know that such a thing existed.  Then, days later, I stumbled upon the three strand twist.

Two strand twists are tough to pull off on relaxed hair because it often lacks the volume needed to produce the intended look.  The hair has difficulty wrapping around itself tightly enough to generate a similar looks as with natural hair. That's why we tend to go with a braid out as an alternative. But what if we could leverage three strands (like one would use in a braid) but create twists with it instead?  The result would be a curlier version of a braid out.  Interested?

Immediately, I poured myself into the research of this technique by indulging in back to back tutorials. At first I was totally mystified by the whole thing.  Every time I had three strands in my hand, I automatically wanted to start braiding.  It was a bit frustrating. But, I was determined.  It wasn't until I watched my third video that I finally got it.  At last I created a twist, using three sections, on my dry hair.  And it actually stayed in place with only mild unraveling.  I know for sure this would work wonderfully on my damp hair which has more texture than it does on roller set hair.  So, I'll wait until another occasion to fully try this look. Next time I experiment, I'll twist my damp hair and while using my Keratindose, coconut oil and maybe some whipped shea butter.

In it's simplest form, the method involves taking a section of hair, splitting into three (as if you were going to braid) then taking a strand of hair on the outside and crossing it over the two other pieces. When you do this, the original middle piece of hair now moves to the outside. Then you take the (new) outside piece and cross it over the other two pieces of hair. You repeat the process until the entire section is twisted.  I am well aware that my explanation probably made no sense to you so I'm fully ready to provide visuals.

Click on any of the images below to see how it's done.




8 comments

  1. Hair Health NewbieMay 22, 2014 at 12:30 PM

    Very helpful, Nadege. This seems like a viable solution for volume-less relaxed hair. And by the way, your written explanation did make sense to me. :) I look forward to trying out three-strand twists on my own hair. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I tried this a few weeks back and the curls are much better than a regular twist out on relaxed hair x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Hair Health Newbie! It's my pleasure. I hope it works out well for you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lesley, do you have any pics of the final look?

    ReplyDelete
  5. How you get the ends not to get frizzy and shed when doing twist outs

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello ladies

    The twist outs look awesome. I would love to see how they look on freshly relaxed hair as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pleaaaase be sure to update us on how you are able to achieve this style on relaxed hair!! I'm trying to cut back on heat and haven't have much success in the past with braided styles

    ReplyDelete

. BELLEMOCHA.com Theme by STS.