How to Twist Hair: Two-Strand Twist Hairstyles
Twisting your hair is easy, just as the name implies. It requires you to twist sectioned portions of your hair together. The method you use to twist the hair strands together determines the result you will get.
For example, spinning two sections of your hair before twisting them together will result in a tight twist. While twisting together loosely will result in a loose twist.
These are all different twist hairstyles. Your preferred method depends on the hairstyle you want to achieve.
Twist hairstyles are versatile, beautiful, and form the base for many other styles, such as locs, wash-and-go hairstyles, and local options like the African threading.
Let’s see different twist hairstyles and how to achieve them as a beginner. Here’s what we will cover:
How to Twist Hair (The Basics of Twisting Hair for Beginners)
Just as we mentioned earlier, twisting hair involves rotating strands of your hair together to form a twist hairstyle. There are various methods for achieving this; we will examine each individual method as we progress.
How to do Two-Strand Twists?
Every two-strand twist starts from the base. You have to first section out the portion of hair you want to work with, create small sections, and divide each section before you can start twisting.
Alright, let’s take one step at a time.
Method One: Regular Twisting
Step 1: Section the area of hair you want to work with
The first step is to section the portion of hair you want to work with. To do this, use a sectioning comb to draw a straight line from ear to ear. The goal is to first draw a horizontal line like this:
Drawing a horizontal line makes it easy for you to have individual sections to work with.
After drawing your horizontal line, the next thing is to draw vertical lines across the horizontal line to form individual boxes. These boxes will hold your twist strands.
Just like this:
Step 2: Start twisting the individual strands
Once you have sectioned your hair, the next thing is to start twisting the strands. Let's get started on that in the steps below:
- Divide the individual section into two equal parts (this depends on how you wish to start your twist).
- Spin the two hair sections in the opposite direction, then twist them together by placing “hair section 1” across “hair section 2”. Continue to spin and twist until you get to the tip of the strand.
- When you get to the tips of your hair strands, use the tip of your thumb and index finger to curl up the ends of your twists. The goal is to secure the ends of the twist and prevent it from unraveling.
- Repeat the process for all the sections. That’s it, you have just done two-strand twists on your head.
Note: Doing two-strand twists on straight/relaxed hair might be more difficult for a beginner. That is because straight/relaxed hair is smooth with sharp ends (which tend to unravel easily). To fix this, moisturize the hair to make it a bit damp before twisting.
Method 2: Beginning with braids
We just looked at how to do a two-strand twist from scratch. Now, let’s see how you can do a two-strand twist with the traditional three-strand braids as the base.
This is almost the process of doing a two-strand twist by spinning and twisting the two sections together. The difference lies in the base, or how it is initiated.
So, let’s start our two-strand twist with the traditional three-strand braids:
Step 1: Put your hair in sections. Just like we did earlier.
Step 2: Divide each section into three parts.
Step 3: Cross the first part under the second part, then cross the third over the second part. To make this clear, think of simply crossing the hair sections over each other. Just make sure you are crossing different hair strands.
Just think of it as matting or simply crossing strands over each other.
Step 4: Redivide the hair strands from three to two strands. Make sure the two strands are equal. Once the two strands are equal, start to spin and twist as you slowly glide down until you get to the ends.
How tightly you twist your hair depends on the style you wish to achieve.
We have seen the different ways to start the base for twisting your hair. Now, let’s see the different twist hairstyles.
Different Twist Hairstyles You Can Try Now
1. Tightly Woven Mini-Twist
If you are looking for a protective hairstyle that would last long and still look appealing, try a mini twist. Mini twists have become popular in the natural hair community because they are versatile and help with length retention.
Here’s how to achieve a mini twist on your hair:
- Section out the portion of hair you want to twist, just like we did earlier.
- Start twisting the individual sections you parted.
- Make sure you twist the hair strands as close as possible. That means you spin and twist one as tightly and as close as possible.
The closer the twists, the more unlikely they are to unravel. Also, a tight twist lasts longer.
2. Loose Twist
Loose twist is just like the tight mini twist. The difference is the intensity of how you spin the hair strands and the distance/space between the twists or loops.
Loose twists are a better choice for some people because of the styling options. If you want to achieve a “juicy twist”, try installing loose twists. Unpopularly, installing loose twists is a great method for starting locs (especially on 4c hair type).
It gives a cylindrical structure and fluffy appearance for a good-looking instant locs. It is important to tighten the ends of your loose twists to prevent them from unravelling.
3. Three-Strand Twist
A three-strand twist is the definition of a juicy twist. If you have always wondered how some people's twist looks bouncy while yours looks dry and stretched. Well, this is one of the reasons for the bouncy twist.
Let’s look at how to do three-strand twists:
Step 1: Section the portion of the hair you want to work on. Make sure to get individual strands.
Step 2: Divide each section into three equal parts.
Step 3: Twist the three strands over each other to get the juicy feel. The goal is to have two sections together while twisting one section over another section, then pulling out the third one just before you add them together.
4. Single-Strand Twist
Single-strand twists are equally beautiful. They look good on loose curls like the 3b hair type. This kind of twist can be achieved by finger curling or using tools like the rattail comb.
Here’s how to achieve the single-strand twist:
Step 1: Section the parts of your hair you want to twist.
Step 2: Moisturize the section you are working on before twisting using styling products like leave-in conditioners.
Step 3: Use holding hair products like the gels, braiding creams, etc., for a stronger hold as you twist.
Step 4: Take a section of your sectioned hair and loop it around your fingers (for finger curls).
Step 5: Continue looping the hair strand over your finger until you get to the end/tip
Alternatively, you can use a comb to twist the hair strands and loop them in a swirly manner to get your desired result.
The result should look like this:
How To Twist Hair With Hair Extensions?
You can achieve all the twist hairstyles we have listed with hair extensions. To twist hair with a hair extension, you have to attach the hair extension to your natural hair. There are different ways to do that, like:
A: Attach the hair extension to your hair using the three-strand braid method.
B: Divide the section of hair you are working with into two. Place the hair extension in the middle, then spin your natural hair over in opposite directions.
C: You can use the crochet method. This method allows you to attach your hair extension to your natural hair by crocheting it on woven hair using a crochet needle.
These are the common methods of attaching hair extensions to the natural hair. However, let’s see common twist hairstyles with hair extensions.
1. Passion twist with hair extension
The Passion twist is a beautiful twist hairstyle that can be easily achieved using hair extensions. This hairstyle is installed by attaching the hair extension to your natural hair. The goal is to make it appear natural and beautiful while achieving the length and volume of hair extensions.
2. Boho twist
The boho twist is just like the regular boho braid. The difference is the twist. For this hairstyle, you do the regular two-strand twist while pulling out a small portion of hair strands that you can curl up.
3. Crochet with twist
Crochet is one of the easiest ways to attach hair extensions to your natural hair. It is quick and also gives you the natural look, like it was manually installed.
4. Senegalese twist
Use the Senegalese twists to add length and volume to your hair. This is a great option if you want to wear your hair for a long period.
5. Faux locs with hair extensions
Faux locs are like single-strand twists or comb curls that you do with your natural hair. The difference is that you are using a hair extension. Faux locs can also be attached using the crochet method.
That’s it!
Twist hairstyles are beautiful, and you can try out the different twist hairstyles to find the one that best suits your style.
What twist hairstyle will you try out?
