Installing My First Kinky Twists

As summer nears, I plan on being out and about with my camera. I don't want to be stuck in the house dealing with my hair too often, so when I watched a video by YouTuber ToniDaley80 speaking about installing kinky twists, I wanted to try installing a set of them on myself.

Prepping Natural Hair for Twists, Braids or Weave

1. I cleansed with a moisturizing shampoo and on my final rinse used a 1:3 Apple cider vinegar : Water mix. 
2. Deep conditioned using a heating cap.
3. I stretched my hair by twisting it loosely in large sections. When the twists were about 80% dry, I applied a few drops of jojoba oil to my hands and I divided each twist into 2 smaller sections. I stretched it further by starting off with a braid only at the root and then a loose twist.

Keep in mind that I did not do this all in one day. While the twists were air drying, I put on a knitted hat and went to the park with Hubby, my dog, and my Nikon. The process left my hair so soft, I could hardly keep my hands out of it. I will repeat this process upon take down.

Ready to shoot ya!

Installation

• Complete install took 11½ hours but keep in mind, this was my very first time. I wanted to make sure they looked like a professional did them so I took my time.
• To see the back of my head, I used 2 mirrors, parting each section with a metal pin tail comb.
• I used almost 5 packs of Marley Hair by Janet Collection (color 1B) that I purchased from my local BSS at $5/pack. Marley hair has a very natural texture similar to my own kinky hair so you can't tell where my hair ends and I LOVE that.
• Slightly larger sections were done in the back to save time.
• I dipped it in hot water avoiding my hair to soften the twists.

I plan on keeping them in for at least 4 weeks but I'm hoping they will last for 8 weeks. I learned a lot while installing them and when I've mastered the whole process, I will probably make a tutorial detailing everything.

What I Love About Doing It Myself

• I control how tight the twists are. This is suppose to be a protective style, so I don't want to cause damage to my edges by pulling on them too tightly or weighing down small sections of my edges with hair that's too heavy.
• It cost me only $25 to purchase the hair and I did them from the comfort of my home.
• I can refresh the twists anytime because I'm confident that I can do them myself.
• When I wake up, my hair is done... LOVE THAT.

I would definitely do it again, especially if I'm going on vacation. I'll have to come up with a few ways to style them, but I'm quite happy using a scrunchie to keep them back. Perhaps next time I can experiment with a shorter length or doing them larger for that Janet Jackson / Poetic Justice look.

I was nervous this was going to be a huge waste of time but thankfully they came out great.