Weave Tips | The Journey of My Senegalese Twists

Hair Styling Options For Senegalese Twists

The time is finally here! It has already been 6 amazing weeks with my awesome protective style: Senegalese Twists. I am very proud of myself for keeping a style for that long and have really taken care of my hair during that duration...but!!!! The time has come to the end of my long-term protective style and get back to loving on my natural hair.

Let's check out the journey of my Senegalese Twists:

Week 1

"Too excited about my Senegalese Twists! I decided to go with an auburn/light brown color for the Spring/Summer months. The twists are not too tight, but snug against my scalp. I do massage my scalp with Castor Oil and rosemary to keep the itchiness away and to soothe my scalp from the new braids."

Auburn/Light Brown Senegalese Twists

Week 2

"Now that my twists have soften up a bit, I don't feel too much pressure or tightness on my scalp. I don't see any bumps or sores around my hairline, which is absolutely awesome! I continue to massage my scalp with JBCO and rosemary to soothe and promote hair growth. I mostly wear my hair down or in a French braid to stay simple with styling."

Auburn/Light Brown Senegalese Twists

Week 3

"I still mostly wear my hair down, but I have experimented more with styling and trying to come up with new ones. I have noticed growth already and tend to keep my twists in one style for a few days, so my roots won't get twisted too much. I moisturize my hair with OYIN Juices and Berries and seal with Coconut Oil ."

Hair Styling Options For Senegalese Twists

Week 4

"I am now getting to the point where I want to take out my braids...I miss my natural hair!!! However, I'm trying to wait until this style wears off (6 week mark). I still massage my scalp often and moisturize my hair twice a week."

Hair Styling Options For Senegalese Twists

"I did redo a few twists along the hairline as they were slipping and growing out. I'm still experimenting with different styling option, mostly going for the avant-garde look. The main tip I would remind myself if to twist large bulky sections to keep the style in place and the stress off the scalp. My hair does look great, but 6 weeks need to hurry up!"

Hair Styling Options For Senegalese Twists

Week 5

"I have kinda relaxed on the styling and experimenting part of my hair because my roots are really twisting (they are soooo skinny). So I don't want to do too much to my hair. But feeling the root of my hair and the beginning of the twist, my hair feel like that it has grown over 1/2 inch just now! So I'm definitely ready to take out my hair and see how much my hair as grown!!

Hair Styling Options For Senegalese Twists

Week 6

"I have found the perfect style for the last week...the high bun! No stress equals no mess for my hair, especially with lots of new growth. I've even stopped massaging my scalp because the new growth is ridiculously awesome and my fingers get stuck in between my hair and the braids. So bun it is!"

High Bun With Senegalese Twists

"Hard to believe, but I did NOT wash or cleanse my braids/scalp during my journey. I found that I did not need to use too much product to keep my hair moisturized and cared for. Also, I have dry scalp as well, which is why I massaged my scalp with oils when needed to keep healthy and found no need to cleanse/wash. This is the very first time that I did not wash my scalp and hair while in braids. Just wow!!!"

Pros

Very convenient for on-the-go

Just wake up and go!

Easy to care for and low maintenance 

I literally moisturized and massage my scalp with oil 2-3xs a week and slept with a satin scarf.

Don't need a lot of product

The most I used was Oyin Juices and Berries Mist (moisture), Coconut Oil (seal), and JBCO with rosemary (massage). That's all I need to care for my own scalp, natural hair, and braids.

Put hair away for long-term

This style stayed in for a good 6 weeks!

Able to care for scalp health
This is a great style for me to reach my scalp and keep it healthy. As I have said before, I have dry scalp and massaging often with oil allows my scalp to not be to so itchy and be "scaly."



Hair Styling Options For Senegalese Twists

Cons

Skinny twists

I love the look of Senegalese twists, but I don't think I will get skinny twists again. It took a lot of bobby pins to style, it takes a long time (5-7 hours, with two on my head) to get done, and I have to take 2 days to take out this style.

Twists at the roots over time

This is no one's fault, but the skinnier the twists and the more the braids will twist at the roots. So I would have to be extra careful and simple when styling my braids and even more careful when removing them.

Used Let's Jam - product buildup

Seriously?! Does every salon braider use this crap??? This is some goop the braiders use to de-frizz the natural hair and to keep the braid in place. Not knocking the technique, but this creates the most disgusting and terrible buildup. When I redid my hairline, there was so much product buildup and nasty flakes on my scalp!

Too Snug

Of course the braids should be snug, but they were really too snug for my liking. I did not get bumps during this style, but my scalp was on fire and was completely itchy. I'm thinking it was the manufactured hair and/or the tightness of the braids. Either way it was hurtful to sleep during the first few days of my style.

Thoughts

I really enjoyed my Senegalese twists and I'm really happy that I did stick with them for so long. My own hair did not get too frizzed up and did not get lots of product buildup, from me caring intensely over my hair. This is just a "I really need a break from everything" and "I'm really glad I did this style." I really appreciated this style...but I don't think I would get this again anytime soon.

Check out my Senegalese Twists Journey:

High Bun With Senegalese Twists

Protective Style Series Vol 10.1 | Prepping The Hair For Long-Term Style   

Protective Style Series Vol 10.2 | Senegalese Twists At The Salon

Protective Style Series Vol 10.3 | Hair Style Ideas For Senegalese Twists
Protective Style Series Vol 10.5 | How To Safely Take Out Senegalese Twists

Natural hair says: long-term styles are pretty fun to have, which give you a break from doing your own hair. But it does take work to keep your style upkept, sometimes even more than with your natural hair. Give yourself time to care for and style your braids and twists. Patience is still the key.

Always Desire Your Natural,

Christina J