Monday, December 13, 2010

Twist Series: Washing & Matting




  • How do you wash your hair when it's twisted?
I use diluted shampoo, do one lather only, and focus on massaging the scalp.  I try not to manipulate the roots and strands much.  This helps to minimize matting.  (When I feel like it, which is rare, I will put my twists into 6-8 plaits prior to washing.)  More details below ...

After every wash, I airdry my twists in two big frenchbraids.  This helps to minimize frizzing.
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  • Hi! Thank you so much for the twist series. I'm making a twist regimen of my own and it helps to see yours. I have a question-- When you say "twist for 3 weeks and 1-2 washes", do you mean 1-2 washes after the inital wash (the same day you twist your hair)? I want to avoid matting.
Yes, I do.  After the initial wash/twist day, I usually wait 2 weeks then do my first wash.  On week three,  I do my second wash.  (When I'm able to, I wait the full three weeks then do my first wash.)
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  • weekly, i washed my hair in braids (10-15) and detangled every two weeks. most of the time it was fine, but sometimes i found that the base of the plait was matted. i could feel it -- straight + whatever that was + straight.  how do you avoid matting at the base of your twists/plaits?
For my hair, it really comes down to a) how I wash and b) how often I wash.

a) How I wash: The method of washing is more important than how often you wash.  Avoid manipulating the roots much.  I purposely use the shampoo that I use because it lifts the oils/dirt without me having to do much work.  I don't massage the scalp haphazardly while washing.  I kind of do a pinch method ... pinch the base of each twist with my thumb and index finger.  I also focus on cleansing the visible scalp between sections.  (Let me know if this makes sense; otherwise, I'll try to post a photo the next time.)

b) How often I wash: I keep washes to a minimum - about 1-2 washes during a twist session.