How to quicken twist time?

by J.S.M. 17th March 2011, 5:36 pm

Hey all. Okay, usually when I do twists, it takes a really long, long time. I'm honestly talking about like 6 hours, including the washing and detangling. This is an absolutely ridiculous amount of time and exactly why I hate doing twists, but I love twist-outs and I can't seem to shorten the amount of time it takes me to do twists no matter what. It always takes me about 6 hours!

I mean, from what I've seen, the normal amount of time it takes someone to do twists on their own hair is about an hour, more or less. I would love to get my twisting time down to just an hour, because then it wouldn't seem like I'm devoting my whole day towards just doing hair and I would, therefore, be more apt to do more styles and really experience all the variety that natural hair has, and I really want to have as much fun with my hair as everyone else is!

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to shorten the amount of time it takes me to do my twists? Any advice or commentary is welcome, because I desperately need to cut down on this styling time!

And by the way, yes, I am kind of new to twisting my own hair. But I've been doing it almost every week for nearly a year now (and I've gotten pretty good at it, IMO), and the time it's taking me to style my hair is the exact same amount it was when I first started learning how to do it, so I really think I'm going to need advice on this one. I've been doing all the practice, but I don't seem to be improving at all. Help!

by ajsimmons8 17th March 2011, 6:23 pm

Hi JSM, A couple of questions that may help us to help you:
1. How long is your hair
2. Is your hair thick or thin
3. Are you detangling prior to twisting
4. Are you twisting on dry or wet hair

by J.S.M. 17th March 2011, 6:31 pm

ajsimmons8 wrote:Hi JSM, A couple of questions that may help us to help you:
1. How long is your hair
2. Is your hair thick or thin
3. Are you detangling prior to twisting
4. Are you twisting on dry or wet hair

1. Right now, my hair stretches down to about my collarbone, but I don't know the exact length in inches since I never really measure it like that.

2. My hair is really thick and I'd say 4a/b. Definitely not thin at all or anywhere near the 3s.

3. Yes, I always detangle before I start twisting because I usually twist my hair right after I wash it.

4. I usually twist on wet hair. Twisting on dry hair has been really difficult for me; it's usually a more painful process, and it seems to give me more tangles than twisting on wet hair.

Thanks, and I HTH!

by ajsimmons8 17th March 2011, 6:34 pm

ok, one other question - sorry. are you trying to do itty bitty twist? My hair, at it's longest, is at my collar bone, and I can do small - medium twist in a little under an hour. That does not include the time it takes to poo, condish and detangle my hair.

Also, have you watched any YT instructional video's on how to two strand twist?

by J.S.M. 17th March 2011, 6:40 pm

ajsimmons8 wrote:ok, one other question - sorry. are you trying to do itty bitty twist? My hair, at it's longest, is at my collar bone, and I can do small - medium twist in a little under an hour. That does not include the time it takes to poo, condish and detangle my hair.

Also, have you watched any YT instructional video's on how to two strand twist?

I usually try to do medium twists if I'm planning on leaving the twists in for the entire week, but I prefer large twists if I'm taking the twists out as soon as they dry if I plan to just rock a twist-out, so I guess I'm looking for advice on medium and large twists. Small twists would be just too much of a hassle to take out, lol.

I've watched some YT videos, and I think I have my technique right, but for some reason I'm just incredibly slow at twisting. If you have any good YT videos to suggest, I'll take those, too! Smile

by ajsimmons8 17th March 2011, 6:45 pm

I was just searching on YT for a good video to watch - no luck yet but I'll keep searching. Without actually seeing you twist your hair, it's a little hard, at for me to pinpoint why it's taking so long to twist your hair. I remember the first couple of times I did twist, it seemed like it took me forever, but the more I did them, the faster I got.

I know that doesn't help much, if at all, but I learned after the 2nd twist I did, not to worry about making straight parts, I just grab a section of hair, apply either my leave in condish, or shea mixture to each section and just twist. I've definitely gotten faster at twisting - I think the last time I did it, it only took me 30 minutes.

I hope some of the other ladies will chime in to offer assistance.

by Jo Somebody 17th March 2011, 6:51 pm

Hmm, if they're not that small I can't think why they're taking that long. It takes me about 4 hours which is long, but I get very distracted and sometimes obsessed with perfect partings.

by J.S.M. 17th March 2011, 6:52 pm

ajsimmons8 wrote:I was just searching on YT for a good video to watch - no luck yet but I'll keep searching. Without actually seeing you twist your hair, it's a little hard, at for me to pinpoint why it's taking so long to twist your hair. I remember the first couple of times I did twist, it seemed like it took me forever, but the more I did them, the faster I got.

I know that doesn't help much, if at all, but I learned after the 2nd twist I did, not to worry about making straight parts, I just grab a section of hair, apply either my leave in condish, or shea mixture to each section and just twist. I've definitely gotten faster at twisting - I think the last time I did it, it only took me 30 minutes.

I hope some of the other ladies will chime in to offer assistance.

Your advice was definitely appreciated! Thanks a bunch! Surprised

by Ambitious_Tiff 17th March 2011, 6:58 pm

I had the same freaking problem in the beginning. I have lessened my time to 2-3 hours and my hair is around collar bone length also. I have gotten faster at twisting over the last few months. I have found that I can still get really good definition if I twist "like" hairs in the same twists (meaning all hair about the same length) and apply my product in sections rather than by individual twists. Idk it just seems to come out mor uniform to me. I finger part my hair going across (ear to ear) until I get to the very front at which time I go length wise. This make it easier for me to do less twists. I will only do 4-5 on any given row. If I think of anything else I will let you know. HTH! Very Happy

by J.S.M. 17th March 2011, 6:58 pm

Jo Somebody wrote:Hmm, if they're not that small I can't think why they're taking that long. It takes me about 4 hours which is long, but I get very distracted and sometimes obsessed with perfect partings.

I can't think of any reason why I'm taking so long either. I mean, usually I'm doing smallish medium twists, so maybe that has something to do with it, but I don't think it should take this long since they're not that small. I'm just really hoping someone who's a fast twister can give me some advice. Thank anyway, though.

by J.S.M. 17th March 2011, 7:04 pm

Ambitious_Tiff wrote:I had the same freaking problem in the beginning. I have lessed my time to 3-4 hours and my hair is around collar bone length also. I have gotten faster at twisting over the last few months. I have found that I can still get really good definition if I twist "like" hairs in the same twists (meaning all hair about the same length) and apply my product in sections rather than by individual twists. Idk it just seems to come out mor uniform to me. I finger part my hair going across (ear to ear) until I get to the very front at which time I go length wise. This make it easier for me to do less twists. I will only do 4-5 on any given row. If I think of anything else I will let you know. HTH!

You know, I don't know why, but I never thought of applying the product to sections rather than individual twists. Go figure, lol.

I already finger part my hair because I just couldn't figure out how to work with a comb, and my hair is thick enough that the parts don't matter much anyway, since no one would be able to really see them when the twists were done. How do you section your hair? Do you section it in larger twists or just hold the loose hair together with a clip or what?

Thanks so much for the help!

by Ambitious_Tiff 17th March 2011, 7:31 pm

I section off the row I am working on and then just put the rest in a ouchless ponytail holder or clip it out of the way. Then I don't have to untwist or anything. I can just jump straight to sectioning the hair off and applying my product. Oh, I just thought of something else. I kinda do everything as I go along. Oh yeah and I know something else that has cut down my time: combining my products. I use Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie with a little IC Fantasia Gel for a sealant and soft hold.

by J.S.M. 17th March 2011, 11:46 pm

Ambitious_Tiff wrote:I section off the row I am working on and then just put the rest in a ouchless ponytail holder or clip it out of the way. Then I don't have to untwist or anything. I can just jump straight to sectioning the hair off and applying my product. Oh, I just thought of something else. I kinda do everything as I go along. Oh yeah and I know something else that has cut down my time: combining my products. I use Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie with a little IC Fantasia Gel for a sealant and soft hold.

Doesn't the hair that's out and in the clip shrink and tangle, though? I figured putting the hair in large twists before making smaller twists would make the process easier.

Oh, and suggestions from others are still welcome!

by **Lynnieluve** 18th March 2011, 12:14 am

Here's my

<---That's suppose to be two cents Laughing

I detangle and put my hair in large twist for I wash it.....then wash with the twist still in. Once I have rinsed the shampoo out, I untwist my hair without manipulating it (that way I dont lose the shape/sections of my twist if that makes sense). Since I didn't manipulate my hair, I apply my deep conditioner and retwist. Sit under the dry for about 20-30 mins and rinse my hair the twist still in. I apply my leave in conditioner, oil and styler as I make each twist smaller. I hope this makes sense.

by J.S.M. 18th March 2011, 12:23 am

Lynnieluve wrote:Here's my <---That's suppose to be two cents

I detangle and put my hair in large twist for I wash it.....then wash with the twist still in. Once I have rinsed the shampoo out, I untwist my hair without manipulating it (that way I dont lose the shape/sections of my twist if that makes sense). Since I didn't manipulate my hair, I apply my deep conditioner and retwist. Sit under the dry for about 20-30 mins and rinse my hair the twist still in. I apply my leave in conditioner, oil and styler as I make each twist smaller. I hope this makes sense.

Just to make sure I understand, you detangle and put your hair in large twists, wash with the twists in, unravel the twists and apply the DC, DC with the twists in, and then make the twists smaller when you're done DC'ing? Forgive me, I'm a little slow tonight, lol.

I have just a few questions, if you don't mind. When you detangle before you wash, do you detangle on wet hair soaked with conditioner, or some other way? Also, how do you manage to wash your hair without manipulating it? And do you rinse the DC out, or just leave it in? And if you do rinse it out, do you unravel the twists when you do, or just rinse it out with the twists in? Also, how long does all of this take for you?

Sorry for all the questions; this just sounds like a really interesting way to do it!

by UAE Teacher 18th March 2011, 2:18 am

Lynnieluve wrote:Here's my <---That's suppose to be two cents

I detangle and put my hair in large twist for I wash it.....then wash with the twist still in. Once I have rinsed the shampoo out, I untwist my hair without manipulating it (that way I dont lose the shape/sections of my twist if that makes sense). Since I didn't manipulate my hair, I apply my deep conditioner and retwist. Sit under the dry for about 20-30 mins and rinse my hair the twist still in. I apply my leave in conditioner, oil and styler as I make each twist smaller. I hope this makes sense.

This is similar to how I wash as well. I live in medium twists so the night before washing I pre-poo my twists with Vatika oil. The next day I detangle each twist by dampening it with a mixture of aloe vera juice, rosewater, rosemary oil and water and make larger for washing and conditioning. I wash and condition in the twists, plop with a t-shirt then retwist each section back to the medium sized twists by spritzing with my aloe vera mix, adding coconut oil or kimmeytube leave-in and topping off with eco styler olive oil gel. The actual twisting part takes may 30-45 min. Oh and my hair is collarbone length.

by Ambitious_Tiff 18th March 2011, 2:30 am

J.S.M. wrote:Doesn't the hair that's out and in the clip shrink and tangle, though? I figured putting the hair in large twists before making smaller twists would make the process easier.

Oh, and suggestions from others are still welcome!

No it doesn't tangle or shrink b/c I keep it pulled pretty taught. I also keep my hair damp til done. I start my twists from the back so I have to do as little positioning and moving of my hair as possible. Putting large twists in doesn't actually sound like a bad idea.

@Lynnie
Lol, I never knew what that brown thing is. I thought it was a monkey, LOL! How do you get your twists to stay when washing in the shower? Everytime I try mine come unraveled. Crying or Very sad

by yldthng 18th March 2011, 10:34 am

@LynnieLuve - You needed this [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

by Jo Somebody 18th March 2011, 4:10 pm

Ambitious_Tiff wrote:
J.S.M. wrote:Doesn't the hair that's out and in the clip shrink and tangle, though? I figured putting the hair in large twists before making smaller twists would make the process easier.

Oh, and suggestions from others are still welcome!

No it doesn't tangle or shrink b/c I keep it pulled pretty taught. I also keep my hair damp til done. I start my twists from the back so I have to do as little positioning and moving of my hair as possible. Putting large twists in doesn't actually sound like a bad idea.

@Lynnie
Lol, I never knew what that brown thing is. I thought it was a monkey, LOL! How do you get your twists to stay when washing in the shower? Everytime I try mine come unraveled.

Same! I end up retwisting so much in the shower I waste all the detangling time I saved in the first place! I asways assumed it was because my ends are still relaxed though.

by J.S.M. 18th March 2011, 6:08 pm

Bump.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Any more advice is definitely welcome.

by Ambitious_Tiff 18th March 2011, 6:29 pm

@ Jo Somebody
That may be it. My ends will not stay together without some kind of help. Then I feel like my hair isn't all the way clean.

by **Lynnieluve** 18th March 2011, 10:12 pm

J.S.M. wrote:
Lynnieluve wrote:Here's my <---That's suppose to be two cents

I detangle and put my hair in large twist for I wash it.....then wash with the twist still in. Once I have rinsed the shampoo out, I untwist my hair without manipulating it (that way I dont lose the shape/sections of my twist if that makes sense). Since I didn't manipulate my hair, I apply my deep conditioner and retwist. Sit under the dry for about 20-30 mins and rinse my hair the twist still in. I apply my leave in conditioner, oil and styler as I make each twist smaller. I hope this makes sense.

Just to make sure I understand, you detangle and put your hair in large twists, wash with the twists in, unravel the twists and apply the DC, DC with the twists in, and then make the twists smaller when you're done DC'ing? Forgive me, I'm a little slow tonight, lol. Yes, you understand.

I have just a few questions, if you don't mind. When you detangle before you wash, do you detangle on wet hair soaked with conditioner, or some other way? Depending on how much product is already in my hair, will determine what I use. I usually mist it with water and use EVOO. Also, how do you manage to wash your hair without manipulating it? I manipulate my hair while washing it. My shampoo is in a color applicator bottle so I can get the shampoo on my scalp. I massage it in and work the suds down the length of my twist. I rinse the shampoo out, then I untwist the twist while still in the shower and do a quick rinse without manipulation. I do that to make sure all of the shampoo has been removed. And do you rinse the DC out, or just leave it in? I rinse my deep conditioner out with the twist still in. My deep conditioners are natural/organic so if a little gets left behind, I dont have to worry. And if you do rinse it out, do you unravel the twists when you do, or just rinse it out with the twists in? No, I leave the twist in while rinsing. Also, how long does all of this take for you? It takes me about 2-2 1/2 to detangle, wash and deep condition. About an hour to detangle (sometimes longer), about 30-45 mins to wash, about 30 mins to deep condition. It takes me about 2 1/2 to twist in small/medium size twist

Sorry for all the questions; this just sounds like a really interesting way to do it!

by **Lynnieluve** 18th March 2011, 10:13 pm

Ambitious_Tiff wrote:
J.S.M. wrote:Doesn't the hair that's out and in the clip shrink and tangle, though? I figured putting the hair in large twists before making smaller twists would make the process easier.

Oh, and suggestions from others are still welcome!

No it doesn't tangle or shrink b/c I keep it pulled pretty taught. I also keep my hair damp til done. I start my twists from the back so I have to do as little positioning and moving of my hair as possible. Putting large twists in doesn't actually sound like a bad idea.

@Lynnie
Lol, I never knew what that brown thing is. I thought it was a monkey, LOL! How do you get your twists to stay when washing in the shower? Everytime I try mine come unraveled.

My twist stay put. If they come unraveled, that means I made them too big. It could be because your ends are still relaxed.

by **Lynnieluve** 18th March 2011, 10:14 pm

yldthng wrote:@LynnieLuve - You needed this [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks!!

by krazy coils 19th March 2011, 2:28 am

Lynnieluve wrote:Here's my <---That's suppose to be two cents

I detangle and put my hair in large twist for I wash it.....then wash with the twist still in. Once I have rinsed the shampoo out, I untwist my hair without manipulating it (that way I dont lose the shape/sections of my twist if that makes sense). Since I didn't manipulate my hair, I apply my deep conditioner and retwist. Sit under the dry for about 20-30 mins and rinse my hair the twist still in. I apply my leave in conditioner, oil and styler as I make each twist smaller. I hope this makes sense.

I do this method also. Washing and deep conditioning in twists keeps my hair from tangling up after I've already detangled. The length of time to do twists depends upon the size of the twist. The smaller they are the longer they are going to take. I do medium size to large twists and I've gotten to the point where I'm pretty fast. I've gotten it down to 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I listen to music while I'm doing my hair to distract myself from how long it takes.

by Sponsored content

How to quicken twist time?

How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?

Re: How to quicken twist time?