Calling all TWAs!!!!!!!!

so a lot of us on CN forum did BCs this summer!!!! now winter is here and most of us are reaching our 1-3months natural!!! (I'm almost 3 months!!)

so ladies how have your experience so far with a twa been??? how have you been styling and protect your hair?? and what kind of growth are you seeing..

I looooooove my twa..its low maintenance but still very edgy and chic..I get a lot of compliments (especially when i add some KCCC)..I haven't done much styling just my good old wash n go's..and I've seen amazing growth!!! i think i have almost 2 inches

In the month I've been natural, I've seen a little over half an inch of growth, and almost an inch in some areas (mostly the crown and back. I'm loving the ease of care so far, and look forward to having BIGGER hair. I've just been doing WnGs, but I have a nervous habit of twisting (had this before BC) so I end up with twists all over sometimes... I haven't really done any protective styling, but just put a sating bonnet on, or go without it since I have a satin pillowcase.

I use KCCC sometimes, as well. Mostly when I'm putting on a hairband to smooth the shorter hairs in front.

@rayray19...i guess u could say we bc'd around the same time b/c at the end of this month or atleast near it anyways, i'll b 3 monthz natural...glad u love ur twa..however, i am having a difficult time w/ my length, the confidence, etc and i've been wearing a weave soooooo i am waiting until it gets longer probably long enough to wear a puff and i'll b good. i just want this to grow out and i'm trying to have patience so i'll just wait and c....hope i have some more growth by the end of November b/c so far i think my hair is probably 1 and 1/2 inches and i bc'd in July at the end of it sooo i still have a ways to go

Hey there...

My 2 month mark will come next week and it's been great so far. I've had a little over an inch of of growth and I'm pleased. I love the low maintenance aspect so much that I've been struggling with the idea of keeping it short. I love the TWA look, but I also want to see where my hair can go in a year's time...decisions, decisions.

I haven't tried KCCC yet...just Giovanni Direct and and a little Eco seems to do the trick.

@curlynmixed-yea im always twisting my hair too, im thinking about doing a two stands twist soon

@indidiiamond-i cant wait to have a puff too!!

@cyclingchick-i was debating that same decisions keep it short..or let it grow, but i decided i'm going to go for growth because i can always have a twa when i want..i've never had long hair (I always rocked short cuts when i was relaxed) so yea i want something different..

I still feel like I have a TWA even though it has been 5 mths I have about 2 in of new growth or a little more but I am doing the same thing that CurlyNMixed is doing putting on a satin cap/scarf nightly but cant do the WnGo's because of the weather change

I bc'd mid July and I am happy with the wng's. I touch and twist my hair alot too! I was sleeping with a satin cap but then purchased satin pillow cases and are using those now. I've henna'd a couple of times and I like the color. I only cowash, (since August) and Deep condition 2x's a week.

The sides of my hair are really dry compared to the rest of my hair and after researching, I think it is a protein issue. So I am trying to use non protein products to fix the problem.

Question - Is anyone concerned about winter styling and not being able to do protective styles on your twa?

I am a little concerned about protective styling and Winter coming... I was just asking my friend today if my hair was too short for kinky twists. It gets REALLY cold here, snow and all that... Yuck! Anyway, I guess I'll just figure it out as I go. I try not to go out in the snow too much, but I'm thinking maybe I'll just crochet some loose hats to wear, or wrap it, and "attempt" to do twists.

I've been natural for 3 months now and I have seen a good bit of growth. I will be protective styling for the winter with yarn braids, kinky twists, half wigs and two strand twists. I haven't done a wash and go in a while...

I just passed my 2 month mark this week and I'm enjoying my hair! I've only done wash n go's as my attempt at a twist out was a style disaster. It's the length. I don't like the look of twist on me with short hair. When I chopped I probably had 5 inches of hair at the longest point and now I have 6 and 6 1/2 in some places. The growth has been amazing. I mostly wear it in a puff these days. It's too long to just wear out unless I'm trying to look fierce which I occassionally am, but for work I just need to be conservative and a puff does it.

I plan to protective style with Kinky Twist for the winter. I'll get those in before the end of October. Kinky Twist have been a signature look for me for years so it's a natural for me to go back to it. At least now I know how to take care of them. I've watched some YouTube videos and I'm ready.

I cowash and/or shampoo alternating about every five days. I DC at that time and seal. I'm trying to get away from shampooing but I use alot of gel so I'm still not feeling like I can't do it. I'm planning to buy a good clarifiying shampoo like Curls or KCCC soon.

The experience has been great. I can't imagine doing anything else.

yea i haven't really give protective styling a thought..i absolutely hate braids..the just irritate me and drive my crazy in about 3 days lol..and weaves are out of the question..they look weird on me (i think)..soooo yea i just plan on sticking to my wash n' go but I plan on DC twice a week, using a heavier moisturizer qhemet biologic AOHC, and wearing beanies as much as possible.

i must say im also digging my twa. im going to be 2months on sunday and my hair has grown so much in this little amount of time i cant believe it. but what i have been doing is two strand twist. not so much of the twist out part of it because im a wash and go kind of girl but i do a twist out to give my hair a brake, and sometimes i use shea butter a couple oils and throw a hat on my head with a slick bonnet

I am CHILLIN'!!! I love the freedom!
I am glad that I am in AZ
so that I can continue with WnGs.

If I were in a colder climate I would have a problem
because my hair does better when I start with wet hair.

Me & the VO5 condishes along with my butter collection
and Crisco are still in love!
So much in fact aside from a little PJism
I have stuck with just the VO5.
Keepin' It Simple!!!

I have seen growth but I am getting inpatient.
I want a little more length so my tresses FLOP!

I just entered month 3 and I have been tempted to
texlax, but have resisted.
I think it's because of the shrinkage...

rayray19 wrote:

@cyclingchick-i was debating that same decisions keep it short..or let it grow, but i decided i'm going to go for growth because i can always have a twa when i want..i've never had long hair (I always rocked short cuts when i was relaxed) so yea i want something different..

I am the same way. I had SL relaxed when I entered junior high, cut it off in 8th grade and have been in a pixie/chin length bob rotation for YEARS. LOL

And you're right...TWA will always be there. While I'm willing to grow it out, one of my biggest concerns is to keep it at a manageable length. It seems that quite a few ladies go back to relaxers because they allow their hair to get to a point of constant frustration. I have no intentions of going back to the fire cream, so I'd rather have a length that I can deal with, you know? I definitely want enough to make a nice size puff...after that, we shall see.

I am going on about two months now since I BC'd and so far I have had some up's and down's. The upside has been so much confidence in myself,the thrill of it being new, trying new products, and enjoying the curlies. The down side had been dry dry dry hair and sometimes missing my shoulder length styles. I have stuck mostly to wg's and have done a few coil outs and twist out. I used henna and alma once since I BC'd and I want to try indigo . I have some satin bonnets ,scarves and pillow cases but I have not been consistent with using them ! Now that the winter is coming I am thinking about trying kinky twists and maybe I'll purchase a few half wigs to protective style. I can't wait for it to grow out so I can do puffs , twist and curls,and chunky twist outs !

My staple products right now are EVOO , sweet almond oil, eco gel (dries crunchy unless I mix with evoo), LA long AID gel ( this gel is the bomb it defines the curls and dries soft ), giovanni tea tree condish (I use this as a leave in ) Suave's pepermint condish for co washing. I am on the fence about the shea moisture product's they are just not what I expected must be the protein. I am about to make a big purchase of oils and butters and essential oils so I can custom mix and save some money .

rayray19 wrote:so a lot of us on CN forum did BCs this summer!!!! now winter is here and most of us are reaching our 1-3months natural!!! (I'm almost 3 months!!)

so ladies how have your experience so far with a twa been??? how have you been styling and protect your hair?? and what kind of growth are you seeing..

I looooooove my twa..its low maintenance but still very edgy and chic..I get a lot of compliments (especially when i add some KCCC)..I haven't done much styling just my good old wash n go's..and I've seen amazing growth!!! i think i have almost 2 inches

I love the TWA. I went to the hair place on Wednesday and my hair guy asked what my plans are. He said, "By December we will have to consider other styling options." I am so afraid of those options that I just don't want to deal with a lot of hassle. I am enjoying the freedom of not thinking about hair. I am always pulled together. I feel pretty and fly. I have spent 30 years of my life worrying about hair...I'm ready to focus on other things. So, for now, my hair will remain around 2 inches.

In terms of protection, I probably won't ever do that. Again...I have spent 30 years of my life...blah,blah, blah. I think that I will cross that road when I get there.

In terms of growth, I have had a tremendous amount of growth. I am thinking like more than an inch! I am trying to leave it alone...I really want to pull out the Chi and "see".

Products...
My favorite product is the Eco Styling Gel.

My BC was 8/21/2010 after 6 months of transitioning and I too love my TWA! I'm working wth about 3-4 inches depending on where you look. My frustrations are with inconsistency in my styling. Whether it is twists, perm rod sets, wng's, or what ever I'm feeling like trying, one day they look great, the next time I try the same style it's a big flop! I also went from somewhere between SL and APL hair when I was relaxed, but I have always been a person that gets bored and cuts so I've also had tapered cuts too!

I think my PJism has gotten the best of me because I now have too many products so it's making it difficult to create a regimen! I suppose I will just focus on one or two products per style and see how that works. I'm so impatient!!

So, off my soapbox...back to the original question...for the winter I will probably be sticking with my staple styles, perm rods and twist outs, since it's chilly when I leave in the morning. For last minute hair emergencies I can still wng and use my diffuser!

I bc'd on July 6th so it's been a little over 3 months and I love my twa! I feel alot more confident now compared to when I bc'd 12 years ago. Back then I didn't have a clue what to do with my hair or what products to use. So far I've just been doing wash n go using different products to figure out the best combo for my hair. I've spent so much money experimenting with Oyin, KBB, Qhemet, BeeMine, Darcy's Botanicals, Curls, Jane Carter, etc. I'm now trying out Kinky-Curly stuff and I do like it but I'm trying to get rid of the crunchiness. I also tried Giovanni's Direct Leave-in last week with aloe vera gel and my hair was hard - not sure if it's the glycerin or the protein in the condish. Can't wait to find my HG's so I can save some money. As the temps get colder, I would like to try protective styles but I only have about 2-4 inches and I don't think that's long enough. I need to figure it out so I don't have to leave the house with wet hair in the AM.

so i just hit 1 month friday (whoop!) and i am loving this go round so much more than the first time! i guess its because i know what to expect from my hair, what works, what doesnt and not buying into bandwagons blah, blah, blah. so this go round its more intimate with my hair, really listening to it and leaving it be. i tend to grow bored easily with my hair so last time i experimented with dyes and lots of different styles. this time, i keep it really simple. im trying (with difficulty) to stay away from headbands, which have been a staple (crutch) for me in the past, in order to give my hairline a break. the 1st time i went natural i dabbled in mixology but this go round i am at it with a vengance! knowing exactly what im putting in my head gives me such satisfaction! as far as styling i wet daily, sometimes cowash, in the shower, plop dry, apply my leave in and just run my fingers through it to saturate. sometimes i brush (with a baby soft boar bristle brush) my edges down to not look so boyish or lately ive been doing the solange side part which is uber cute at the length i have now.

anyway, for the winter im getting a full sew in so my hair is protected. im in houston so its not like it get super cold here, but the moisture in the air + pollution can wreak havoc on my skin and hair. so i would rather not expose it to all of that. plus i am prone to getting sick (weak immune system) so leaving the house at 10:30 at night to go to work with a soaking wet head is out of the question! hopefully i can maintain and keep the sew in in long enough to reap some benefits of low manipulation to my hair (i have a problem keeping styles in my hair for long)

Hello All!!!

I can honestly say I'm starting to grow into my TWA! I get a lot of compliments and I'm starting to feel more confident about my hair! I BC in August and I think I have about 3 or 3 in a half inches, but I have a lot of shrinkage! I would prefer if my curls stretched a little more and my sides are thinner then the front, middle, & back. A lot of people tell me I should keep it short because it brings out my face, but I want to see how long my hair will get! I would love to have nice big and full hair (because I love big hair!!!!
And like some of you mentioned before I find myself always twisting my hair or pulling at it! lol Idk why because when I had a realxer I would never touch my hair once I finished styling it, I guess that's another freedom I have now with my natural hair I can touch and twist it and not worry about it getting messed up or not laying right!
But I'm nervous about the change in weather; I've only had my TWA out (without braids or a sew in) for about 2 weeks and before I had the braids I only had my hair out for a week. I also think I'm a product junkie I find myself trying all these different products and I get a lot of product build up and then have to rinse my hair or co-wash all the stuff out. How exactly do you find your regimine????? I thought I had one but then my hair was looking too dry so now I'm back at square one! (at first my regimine was: KCKT leave in conditioner, Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Conditioner as a Co-Wash and Jojoba oil and Mizani's Moisture Stretch Cream). Any suggestions of how I can get a better regimine?? I think I am a 3c but I'm not totally sure about that either!

As of lately, I have been cowashing every 3 days, and wetting it every morning. My "wetting" solution is water, KCKT, aloe gel and a little jojoba oil. I use Aussie Moist, Organix Coconut Milk deep conditioner and an herbal shampoo I got on Butters-n-Bars to wash my hair. I generally try to stay away from protein since my hair seems to hate it. I found that out when I put egg in my DC. My hair felt too stiff after. Anyway, after I cowash, I use Aussie Moist or HEHH as a leave-in, then let it sit for about 30 minutes before sealing with jojoba or sweet almond oil. I only use shea butter for my edges, as it seems a bit heavy if I try to seal my hair with it. My hair seems to be all over the 3 spectrum.