Caring for kinky twists isn’t hard if you have the right steps in place.
Kinky twists are my go-to natural hairstyle since I figured out how to make them last for at least a month instead of two weeks.
This guide will go over everything that you need to know when caring for kinky twists.
Read Also: Hair Styles When Transitioning to Natural Hair
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Prepare your hair for kinky twists
The first step to taking care of your kinky twists is to prepare your hair for kinky twists.
By this, I mean you need to wash, deep condition, and grease your scalp before your hair appointment.
Ideally, you’ll want to do this before putting any type of extensions in your hair.
The products that you will need to prepare your hair are:
By making sure my hair is moisturized I find that my scalp isn’t itching like crazy the first week of having the extensions installed and I’m able to leave them in for a longer period of time.
Bonus Tip: If your scalp is super sensitive soak the kinky twists hair in water mixed with vinegar to pull some of the chemicals out.
Read Also: Natural Hair Essentials
Get the hair that works for your scalp
If you want your kinky twist extensions to last for more than a couple of weeks it’s important that you buy the best hair for kinky twists that work for your scalp.
I find that the Marley twist hair at my local beauty supply store works best for my scalp versus buying random hair from Amazon or online hair suppliers.
Make sure the person installing your kinky twist extensions knows what they’re doing
By no means do you have to go to a salon to get the kinky twist hairstyle, but it is important that the person doing your hair has experience with this hairstyle.
When your hair is finished you want to make sure it looks nice and clean with straight parts and doesn’t have a ton of pull on your edges (or you’ll have an entirely different problem you’re trying to address when you take the twists out).
Also, while on the topic of edges, whatever you do, don’t let the stylist use gel on your edges. Instead, I recommend using either Carols Daughter edge control or Shea Moisture edge treatment.
Sleep with satin on your hair at night
At night make sure that you have satin on your hair to keep your kinky twists looking as fresh as possible for the longest amount of time.
This could be done by putting on a satin scarf, satin bonnet, or sleeping on satin pillowcases. Ideally, you’ll do this even with your natural hair to avoid damaging your hair on cotton and other bedding materials.
For me, I keep my kinky twists hair extensions looking good for at least a month by wrapping my hair with a satin scarf, then putting on a satin bonnet, and also sleeping on satin pillowcases. This way even if the scarf and/or bonnet come off while I’m sleeping my satin pillowcases work as a backup to make sure my hair doesn’t frizz up.
Plus, I’m going to keep it real, sometimes I may take an unexpected nap during the day and not wrap or cover my hair up at all and simply lay my head on the satin pillowcases.
Bonus Tip: When you go to sleep make sure your hair is out of a ponytail and just inside the bonnet to avoid putting more stress on your roots while you sleep. This is especially important the first couple of days after having the kinky twists installed and they are super tight.
Spray your hair daily
Some people will tell you that kinky twists damage your hair.
However, I haven’t found this to be the case at all AND I wear kinky twists hairstyles a few times every year.
I believe the misconception comes from not taking care of your real hair underneath the twists.
Yes, kinky twists are a great protective hairstyle for natural hair, but you cannot forget about your real hair.
For me, I spray my hair in the morning with Carol’s Daughter Leave-in Conditioner and at night I lightly spray my hair with Sulfur 8 braid spray.
With this routine, I find that my hair stays moisturized and my scalp doesn’t dry out.
Trust me, by keeping your hair conditioned underneath you will experience the least amount of breakage, besides natural shedding, when you take your hair out.
Plus, you’ll be amazed at how moisturized and healthy your hair looks when you do take down the extensions.
Cleanse your scalp if needed
Did you know that you can wash kinky twist braids?
If you’re keeping them in for a month or longer I highly recommend it.
But, instead of washing your entire head focus on cleansing your scalp.
Once I tried washing my hair like normal and it was a complete disaster. It was a pain drying the twists and they soaked up so much water it instantly put a ton of stress on my roots and it was just overall unpleasant.
So, how to wash kinky twists you ask?
Simple.
Shampoo your scalp and rinse out the shampoo with a spray bottle or peri bottle. By washing your kinky twists like this, you’ll be able to get product build-up off of your scalp without having to have the twists soak up an obsessive amount of water in the process.
Be patient when taking out your kinky twists
When it’s time to take out your kinky twists plan to spend 1-2 hours taking them down (time varies depending on the kinky twist size).
Ideally, you’ll want to drench your twists, where your natural hair is showing at the roots, with a detangling product (I recommend Doo Gro Detangler) before you start the kinky twist takedown process to avoid kinks and knots during and after.
Once you have all of the twists out then it’s important to detangle your hair before washing it AND after you finish washing your hair you’ll also need to deep condition it again.
Final thoughts on how to take care of kinky twists
Kinky twists are a great protective style for natural hair and are even great for those who are transitioning into natural hair when they are properly taken care of.
By spending approximately 10 minutes per day on your hair, you can maintain this hairstyle for at least a month and potentially experience some hair growth in the process.
Due to this being a bulkier style I like wearing it during the winter months so my head doesn’t get too hot, however, if you have shorter hair short kinky twists would be okay for the warmer months as well.
Great information. Thank you! I just got my kinky twist hairdo today. I oiled my scalp afterwards good. Hope for good results while wearing them.
Lovely tips. I have only had kinky twists one time in life. They didn’t exactly match my hair texture. I wish I had these tips when I wore them. It dried my hair out.
I wish I had these tips when I had kinky twists!! Thanks for the info!
I’m in Virginia too – Norfolk VA. I had kinky twists when I first big chopped in 2008. I think I needed these tips!
Jonna,
That’s awesome you are in VA. I don’t go to Norfolk a lot, though. I just hate the tunnel traffic.
Yesss to this! So many women (myself included) end up damaging their hair with “protective styles” because of lack of proper care. Great post!
I love kinky twist, I got them first in Ghana, Africa I had them in for several months and they looked great the entire time . Some people think that you cant wash them but you certainly can. Is it true that cotton head scarf are not good for your hair or is a satin scarf better?
Tiffany,
I have heard that cotton head scarfs cause your hair to break. Since I made the switch to satin and silk scarfs I don’t experience breakage as I did before. Therefore, from my experience, I would say that there is some truth to it.
Your hair look wonderful! I love using chemical free products, feel safer for my body!
Some really great tips here!!! I swear the key to anything to do with hair is really just how well you take care of it!!!
I think this great information for any protective style. Definitely deep condition and wash the hair real good before an install because it will be a while before you can wash it good until you take them out.
Keeping your hair moisturized is extremely important. Even though we wear protective styles, you always need to make sure you are nurturing your own hair underneath as well. #TeamSatin
How interesting! I used to wonder how those people take care of their kinky twists. Now I know. Great post!
I should try this for my daughters hair. Great tips!
Twists are such great protective styles as well as braids. It gives your hair a little break from being out.
I have never dyed my hair before and have been attempting to stay away from chemicals away. I’ve always wanted to try this with my hair!
People always forget about maintenance when they get a protective style. It’s usually just like a get up and go type of thing. Little do they know the requirements to make sure it’s actually PROTECTING your hair. Great post!
this is great info, I love that you went so in depth with each important subject to getting and maintaining kinky twists… a few of my very good friends tell me all about their hair so I’ll have to pass this on to them, esp one who always seems to get these twists : )
I love this look. I don’t think I could pull it off though. I can only imagine how much work it is to keep up with too. I think you look great with this hairstyle!
Congrats on being natural for almost a year. Chemical treatments can be so bad for you and your hair. My daughter recently got extensions and I definitely understand the whole silk is your friend thing. Everything seems to make them itchy.
You have a beautiful hair. I have a long hair but very thin. Thanks for the tips.
thats interesting! i always wonder how to porperly wash and maintain kinky twist! that looks so adorable! i like it
Good tips! Glad you’ve returned to natural! I don’t do protective styles as I have locs but I do twist my locs together to create kinky twists. I love the look of kinky twists. ♥
Thanks for the info, definitely wanted to try this style
I have never tried satin pillowcases but it seems like it’s worth it! I also heard that silk pillowcases were good for hair!
I had no idea taking care of the twists can be so complicated. This is a great resource for those who are planning to braid their hair.
Your hair looks absolutely amazing and what an interesting insight into how to look after it as well, thank you so much for sharing.
I recently go t a perm and my hair is breaking a lot. I need to do some treatments. I like the color in your hair!
I’m terrible with protective styling, especially if it includes fake hair. My scalp is really sensitive and I’ve not found a hair that won’t irritate it. My biggest struggle is the itchy scalp, I don’t know how to deal.
Mimi,
I know what you mean. Thankfully, I have found out which hair types work for my scalp with the kinky twists. However, with goddess braids and crochet I am still trying to find something that does itch my scalp like crazy. I have read that if you wash the hair before having it installed it will remove the chemicals and could be a solution. Additionally, with individual things such as twists and box braids, I find it easier to access my scalp, so I can use grease and sprays in addition to cleansing my scalp to help me keep the styles in longer.
Taking care of black hair is a totally different ball game from hair like mine and I really respect those who go natural! I took care of my best friends daughter for a year after my friend passed at a young age. I learned a LOT in that year about African American hair. Personally, I am envious at times since my hair is soooo flat and fine but I know the grass is always greener right? LOL
I love your kinky twists!
Great tips, Victoria. Welcome to the Natural Hair Journey, you’ll def love every moments :*
Good points! Yes it will really need enough time to spend taking down those twists and I like the idea of spray bottle method.
Oh my goodness. This is such great information. It was a really interesting read for me. I had no idea so much went into taking care of this type of braided hair before.
I so wish l had seen this a while ago. I was always one of those who was impatient to take out braids and twists, essentially ripping them off my scalp and now no new growth no matter what l do. Your hair looks great and l am so glad to be rid of relaxers etc.. 🙂
I have been there before with sew ins which is why I switched to more protective styles now. I usually take them out over the weekend when I have no plans so if I do get lazy I at least have two days to tackle my hair.