JJ's Signature Style: Two-Strand Twists

About a year and a half ago, a simple google search led me to discover the existence of "hair blogs". The very first blog I found was Happy Girl Hair, and it was through blog-author Katie's posts that I first learned the basics of caring for JJ's hair.

One of Katie's posts around that time was about "signature" hair styles. I remember wondering if I'd ever be good enough at doing JJ's hair that she would have a signature style. Surprisingly though, it didn't take long for me to learn the joy of two-strand twists, and luckily, JJ loves them too!

A headful of two-strand twists is definitely JJ's signature style. I've become pretty quick with them, and I love the versatility they offer. JJ can wear them down, or her twists can be easily gathered in half-up half-down or pigtail styles. I usually do smedium-sized twists (note: I love this term for the size between small and medium - I first saw it used at Mainly Braids by the amazing and talented Shay. Check out this link for an awesome braid-out with smedium braids). We usually leave twists in for 2-3 weeks but I do have to pay careful attention to JJ's ends. I usually unravel and re-twist just the ends every 4-6 days or so to avoid tangles/loc'ing).

Here are JJ's recent twists:

Before twists: big hair

Halfway done. I usually do a (relatively)
straight part in the back so that I can easily throw in some pigtails. 

Done! 

JJ prefers the side part at the front so she can have some bangs hanging down.

Her bangs are actually getting really long...! 

As you can see, she loves to swing her twists around.

But wait!! It's not like JJ is the only cute kid out there who sports some awesome twists. Check out these blogs for even more twistspiration:

Chocolate Hair Vanilla Care: Love Boo's twists! Be sure to check out this post about how to do two strand rope twists.

Charlotte's Avenue: Twists are definitely Choca's signature style! Here is one of my all-time fave posts about Choca's twists.

Baby Big Hair: Chloe is another master of the two-strand twists! This is one of my favorite posts:  "lets do the twist"!

Greek Ghana Mix: The adorable GG rocks some great mini 2 strand twists here and an update on the 2 strand twists here.

Finally - be sure to check out this recent Blast at Baby Big Hair which gives the inside scoop on actor Yara Shahidi's beautiful, shiny twists.

More Little Brother Hair

K's hair with Supercurl cream

K's hair never gets as much attention as JJ's. As I've said before, he's not too big on manipulation. I've been experimenting with different products for his hair. He has a different curl pattern than JJ - with tighter coils framing his face and looser curls at the top of his head.

His usual routine:

• Shampoo every week or two depending on circumstances, using a no-sulfate shampoo or a mix of warm water and baking soda. Then I leave conditioner in for as long as he's willing to sit in the bath, finger detangle, and rinse. Occasionally I go "all-out" and comb with a wide-tooth comb while the conditioner is in. "Style" clean hair with a leave-in product or shea/oil combo (coconut/almond/macadamia).
• In between shampoos, co-wash (with conditioner only) and finger detangle. 
• Daily routine (morning): spritz with water/jojaba oil/leave-in conditioner mix, finger detangle while applying coconut oil. In the evening K sometimes sleeps with a cap, especially because he likes to do what his big sister does. When I remember I apply some shea butter mixed with either coconut/almond/macadamia oil before bed.

Once in a while I'll use some fancier product on his hair. The other day I used some of JJ's Uncle Funky's Daughter Supercurl Miracle Moisture Cream. It looked and felt soft, and smelled amazing. Interestingly, it seemed to make his coils even tighter.  JJ asked him if he had a hair cut! I've been able to "revive" the Supercurl cream so far (three days) which makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth (I'm a bit thrifty, and this cream was not cheap)! Did I mention it smells nice? I'm not big on scented products in general but I do find this one pleasant.

The Usual Routine

Our hair routine varies somewhat from week to week, but here is the "usual":

1) Take out whatever style was in (usually done the night before).

2)  Wash hair. Usually this is a "co-wash" (wash with conditioner only). If there is a lot of product buildup I'll do a baking soda rinse (baking soda dissolved in warm water). Every two weeks or so I use a no-sulfate shampoo. Currently, we're using a very affordable line called "live clean". I like the Apple Cider "clarifying" shampoo. I usually wash JJ's hair in two sections as it is very thick.

Usually I wash JJ's hair in two sections - back and front.

3) Condition. I usually apply conditioner and let it sit for a while while JJ plays in the bath. We like the live clean Argan Oil conditioner. Sometimes I mix a little jojoba oil into the conditioner and let it sit.

Sitting with conditioner.

Jojoba oil, and live clean shampoo & conditioner
 (sorry - focus problem)

4) Detangle. Usually I comb JJ's hair in the bath with a wide tooth comb. I comb it in smallish sections, starting at the ends.

5) Rinse.

Clean hair!

6) Apply product and style. Typically, I lean towards "protective styles", like two-strand twists. I try to style so that I can change it up during the week by adding/changing hair accessories. Usually I add some almond oil to a tub of organic shea butter and mix it around with my fingers until I get a smooth, creamy consistency. I then divide the hair into sections, add the shea/almond "cream", comb through, and twist, making sure to twist right to the ends. I have a bottle of water to spritz as JJ's hair dries quickly. Usually I'll wrap the ends of the twists around a barrette a few times and secure. This helps the ends curl up nicely instead of getting frizzy. It also helps "pull down" the twists for some length. I take the barrettes out once the hair is dry.

I start with the back as JJ's scalp is most sensitive there.
Note length of the combed out section. 

First twist.

Back row of twists, second section ready to go.
Barrettes added to stretch the twists and keep the ends neat.

Two rows done!

Three rows done, added some flat twists for variety
and to keep JJ's hair out of her face.

More flat twists and a flat twist to the side at the front.

Added some baubles - done!

From the top.

Twists can usually last the week easily. JJ does sleep with a satin cap at night. Sometimes towards the end of the week we do twist-out. If I can keep this momentum up, I'll post a pic!


Addendum: Katie's post on Happy Girl Hair called The Care and Feeding of Protective Twists reminded me that a daily spritz is a very good thing for twists (or any style for that matter). I've been trying to remember to spritz JJ's twists daily. I've been using a homemade mixture of live clean Argan oil smooth and shine cream, a little almond oil, and water. I just shook these together in a small spray bottle. So far, so good....