twist or braid out

Does anyone know a non gel item that I could use for a twist or braid out? I used a lot of gels (especially eco styler) which dryed out my hair, but made my braid outs look FANTABOLUS. Eco Styler is good yes, but I think I may have over done it. When I stopped using it, I noticed my hair wasn't growing as much, and now that I've stopped, my hair has been growing a lot quicker. I know a lot of people may recommend Kinky Curly and those other really popular natural hair products, but those are pricey and I cant afford it. One lady I spoke to told me to use Shea butter which would define my curls which didnt work for me. I tried lots of Shea butter mixes which were unsuccessful because either they made my hair oily, the mix was hardish (weird I know), made my hair smell (one made my hair smell like vomit lollll), etc. I'm now out of luck, and am totally confused. I tried Cantu Shea butter which seemed to work okay, the only problem is that it left my braid outs looking a little wild. I thought it was okay, but it didnt look as hot as the gel. What should I do?

Are you creating these style on wet or dry hair? Since I'm transitioning I always do my TnCs on wet hair after my cowashes. Before I begin styling I use a leave-in conditioner and follow that with Curls' Curl Souffle for added moisture. Sometimes I use a little bit of Eco Styler gel to hold the roots but I seal with my whipped shea/jojoba butter.

I have fallen in love with Curly Nikki's setting lotion mix: http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/11/trying-out-new-product-combination.html

tiashauntee wrote:I have fallen in love with Curly Nikki's setting lotion mix: [url=http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/11/trying-out-new-product-combination.html

http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/11/trying-out-new-product-combination.html[/quote[/url]]

wow I'll def be sure to try this. The funny thing is that I have a huge bottle of lotta body from when my hair was texturized. YAYYYYY I hope this works for me.

I like to use Darcy's Botanicals Madagascar Vanilla Styling Cream. It moisturizes as well a provides a nice smooth set on braid outs, twist outs, and roller sets. I hope Curly Nikki's setting lotion works out.

Hey Ladies

I got a quick question, I am trying my first twist out this weekend on transitioning hair. My question is my sides are still pretty short and have just a little perm on the ends, do yall think i can just roll them on those little perm rollers and not bother with twisting. I dont want to put to much stress on them. Next my back is very short, cause in my permed days (like they are so far behind me only 12 weeks..lol) i had the short tapered sides and back with it longer on top and front, so i think most of the lower back is natural so i was just going to let that curl naturally, cause its not enough to roll or twist....i know i will have to figure out what products to put on my back to make it curl so thats another delimna...am i making sense?

I use aloe vera gel becasue it's not really the traditional gel. It helps give definition & dries relatively quickly. It really helps with frizz for me.

ETA my twist-out regimen:
I don't do definite parts because once you take the twists down, you have to go through & cover them up. I run my finger straight down the middle & then across to divide my hair into 4 sections. I use big clips to hold the sections that I'm not working with. Within each section, I just grab chunks of hair & do the twists. If I was really big curls, I don't do more than 5 twists per section. If I was them tighter, I do 6-8 twists per section. I twist most of the time on wet hair. I try to get as much water out as possible to minimize shrinkage. The key to reducing frizz (I've learned that it's impossible to eliminate frizz) & to define the curl is to use something thick enough on the twist when you do them & then keep them moisturized. I spritz the section with my conditioner (Giovanni Direct Leave-In) & water mix, cover the section with a dollop of aloe vera gel & then twist to the end. Once at the end of that twist, I apply my oil concoction to the length of the twist & twist the whole thing around my finger down to the end & it will make a small spiral. I do not take my twists down until they are 100% dry. I seperate them gently & try not to "disturb" the spiral that's formed. Once done seperating, I use a afro-pick & gently raise the hair at the roots to cover the part lines. I also do a light mist of water over my entire head. This just makes the curls a bit more bouncy. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I'm not of fan of anything in "gel" form; I really prefer creams. I use Curls Soufle for my twist outs. It helps with curl definition and doesn't leave hair crunchy when it's dry.

Ok, my twist out regimen:
Initial twist out: Wash with Lush Curly Wurly and deep condition with Miss Jessie's. I use Curls Leave-in condish with added coconut oil. Before I twist, I put Curls Soufle in my hair, detangle, then do 7-8 big twists all over my head. I let my hair air dry, tie it down and in the morning I spend about 5 minutes taking down the twists and fluffing. If there is any scalp showing, I massage my scalp so the hair covers it. After doing this, I shake out my hair and go! My curls are full, soft and bouncy!

Each night, I moisturize with my Curls Leave-in condish, twist and 7-8 big twists and tie in a satin scarf. In the morning, I repeat what I did above. This routine takes me about 10 minutes.

With this routine, I have no frizz - just perfectly curly hair. I see frizz only when I twist on dry hair, which I avoid

HAMPTONSFNST wrote:Are you creating these style on wet or dry hair? Since I'm transitioning I always do my TnCs on wet hair after my cowashes. Before I begin styling I use a leave-in conditioner and follow that with Curls' Curl Souffle for added moisture. Sometimes I use a little bit of Eco Styler gel to hold the roots but I seal with my whipped shea/jojoba butter.

On wet hair