How to Do An Elongated Twist Out

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Last updated on January 26th, 2024 at 05:41 pm

Here’s why you want to stop doing twist outs on wet hair and starting doing an elongated twist out

I never used to be a big fan of twist outs on my natural hair. The definition was always inconsistent. My natural curl pattern would take over and the style would end up looking somewhat like a hybrid between a twist out and a wash and go!

I’ve tried multiple products and techniques for my twist outs. Sometimes I’d fair well and at the times, not so much. That is until I discovered that an elongated twist out not only looked better, it had so many more benefits for natural hair.

Before I started doing twist outs that were created by stretching my hair first, I almost gave up. I began doing braid outs in its place. Yet, I knew I still liked the look of twist outs over braid outs so I decided to keep trying.

“Stretched hair is the best hair.”

Janet Davies, Ominira Naturals

Why wet twist outs suck

For starters, I now do my twist outs on slightly damp or dry stretched hair (mostly dry). The wet hair twist out technique isn’t as good for your hair as the dry or damp set twist out and here’s why:

• It leaves the hair shrunken causing excess tangling which can lead to breakage
• Curls are not as consistently defined
• On fine hair, the result can make the hair appear less full

This is an old pic of how my twist out looked when done on wet hair. Not bad and I get more definition than in the photograph above but I also got additional tangling at the roots.

I no longer sacrifice maintaining my length at the cost of extreme definition.

What twist out products to use?

I have tried numerous other twisting products which I think having more holding power and they are less expensive. One such great product was from a small business …..Kinky Kashmere! I got this from the All About The Curls Meetup in Atlanta many years ago. Sadly, it seems they are no longer in business so I have to use a more generic product for my stretched twist outs.

I also tried Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter for a twist out in the past. So many naturals rave about this product. On top of that, I really love their Fresh Curl Revitalizing Hair Smoother so figured I’d give the Almond Jai a try.

To say that I was less than impressed with the smell and the application of the Almond Jai Twist Butter is an understatement. The results on the other hand were pretty good. I like that my curls were sort of stretched and defined. They were also very soft.

The problem with too soft though is frizz is right around the corner. So, while I was pleased with the results, I’m not going to repurchase this product. I actually used it up by layering some gel over it to give it more hold.

However, while I won’t repurchase the twisting product, their coconut water styler leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve used it for many years and it goes in and out of my rotation. This product layered with a bit of gel helps me to achieve a stretched twist out and therefore less tangling.

Finally, a hair butter that provides some hold but doesn’t cause your hair to revert is what you want to look for.

How to Elongate Twist Outs

Now that we have established the downside to doing your twist outs on wet hair and some product recommendations, lets get to the heart of the matter – how to elongate your twist outs.

When it comes to doing a twist out on stretched hair or elongated hair, you want to use a product that will easily “mold” your hair into place without causing it to revert. You also want to start your twist on stretched hair.

For my fine natural hair, in order to get a more consistent looking twist out PLUS no tangling, I blow it out with the RevAir reverse air hair dryer. Then I twist with a hair butter.

In the video below, I share the entire technique. The only change is I only use the hair strengthening oil in the video for refresh twisting. For the initial twist out, I now use a hair butter which provides more hold. Everything else in the video remains the same.

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