11 Tips for Perfecting Your Braid Out or Twist Out
Make sure your hair is moisturized.
Make sure your hair is detangled. If you have a Denman brush or Tangle Teezer, now is the time to use it.
Make sure your hair is smooth. Think of your fingers as a flat iron and smooth your fingers down your hair strands. If you feel any rough patches, apply more conditioner to that section and keep smoothing until it feels soft and smooth to the touch.
Set the braids or twists the same way you will wear your hair. If you wear a center part, set the braids or twists that way with the front two sections framing the face and braiding or twisting the middle section straight back. If you wear an off center part to the left or right, braid the hair that way. If you prefer to wear your hair straight back, you might try cornrows, flat twists or just setting the braids or twists so that they are all going towards the back. You don’t want to manipulate your hair too much. Make sure the way you’re braiding is as close to the finished style as possible. Frizz happens when we try to move the part or do something different than the way we set the hair.
Don’t use a comb to part the hair where you don’t want a part because the part will show and you will have to manipulate the hair to hide the parts. This is where the set has the potential to be ruined. Instead just gather sections with your fingers and try to use the same amount of hair for each braid for a more uniform set.
While braiding, be sure to keep the 3 sections of the braid separate. Do not mix hair from one section of the braid with the other. Keep the 3 sections of the braid separate from root to ends. If you braid to the ends, this will be an issue. You might consider braiding as far down as you can without mixing sections and then add a roller or start a finger coil to ensure that all 3 sections of the braid stay separate. Use this same method for twisting with 2 sections of hair.
If your hair is prone to puff or frizz, use smaller braids or twists to prevent frizz.
Use oil or butter after applying conditioner, but before starting the braid or twist to prevent frizz and to seal your hair. Just lightly dip your fingers in an oil or butter and smooth over strands before starting each braid or twist.
Make sure hair is completely dry before unraveling the braids to prevent frizz.
Use a seamless end of a rattail comb or very carefully with your fingers to unravel the braids and start from the ends up. If you want more volume, you can separate the unraveled braids from the root to ends using the rattail end of a comb.
If your hair is prone to frizz and you don’t want frizz, do not finger comb. It will make your braid out or twist out frizzy and ruin the set.
i am a day late and a dollar short on EVERYTHING! LOL i attempted a wet set 2 strand twist out and could have benefitted from this tutorial…i'm quite puffy today….hoping some pin curls tonight can tame the lion mane – aka my hair…
Jez
they are some great tips. I may also try this on a twist out… lol if i can..
Patrice-The Soap Seduction
I tried my first braid out last week, and it was DISASTROUS! I didn't moisturize my hair-DUH, and I braided all the way to the end, and I didn't roll the ends. I'll follow your advice and give it another try. Thanks:)
Anonymous
I am the braidout mistress! I've been doing them since BEFORE I ever transitioned (I never really wanted bone-straight hair) and I love them still. I've got two tips:
1: I do cornrow braidouts almost exclusively because they look great with as few as FOUR braids (yes, really!) so they're SUPER fast, and there's less handling. Six is actually my fave. Experiment— you may get unexpectedly good results with fewer braids than you think.
2: When I had straight ends, my braidouts looked terrible. The damage there was so obvious. Solution: 1.5"-long pieces of drinking straw used as mini-rollers. Roll the last inch or two of each braid (y'know, that skinny bit), et voila! Perfect ends! Somehow curling them hid the damage, and the straws made teeny tiny curls that were just more… realistic, IYKWIM. More like my natural texture. Now that my ends are curly (and actually healthy for real; no more "skinny bit"!), I find this isn't so vital, but it still adds a certain something.
Fun Times
Awesome article! Braid outs are my fave style.
Tips:
Braid length of hair and then twist an inch or so from the end. –This leads to an easier take down, its easier on my ends and gives a cute spirally effect on the end of the crinkly braid-out pattern.
If you want more definition, smooth on a little gel after moisturizing your hair and before braiding. –It works to blend the different textures on my head. I only so this on the parts of my hair that are less textured and don't hold the braid-out pattern well.
Seal ends thoroughly. –Sealing your ends make a big difference in the feel of your hair and the outcome of the style. I like using a shea butter mix to seal.
