I saw someone with hairstyle similar this on Tumblr so I decided to give it a try myself and I loved the results. I wore this hairdo in three different styles but there is a lot more that can be done with it.

Style #1 – As-is.

Style #2 – Sides clipped back with pompadour.

Style #3 – Sides clipped back with bangs.

This is my favorite two strand twist style to date. I’m sure I will be revisiting this style again in the future.

This summer I decided to keep my hair in two-strand twists all summer long. I accomplished my goal and did a different style each time. Check it out!

Style #1

Style #2

Style #3

Style #4

Style #5

Style #6

Style #7

I wanted to try something new for the New Year. So, I two-strand flat twisted one side of my hair and did single two strand twists on the other side. Here are the results.

I washed and conditioned my hair with Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Shampoo & Conditioner. Then, I pat dry and add Bronner Bros Moisturizing Growth Lotion Hair Strengthener. Finally, I detangle and style my hair. I applied Softee Indian Hemp to my scalp and ORS Smooth-n-Hold Pudding on my ends.

See video below for step-by-step instructions on how I created this style:

I shared these pictures in my Kinky Pride product review video (seen here), but I wanted to post pictures of the style for those who have not seen the video.  Here is the result of my first attempt at doing rope twists on my own hair:

Although I am not new to a rope twist out as a style (I’ve been doing them on my daughter for quite a while now), I had never tried the style on myself.

To create a rope twist-out, you divide a section of hair into two strands and you twist each strand before your twist the two strands together (see video link above for detailed instruction).  You later remove the twists and voila…you have a rope twist out!

Twisting each strand before twisting the two strands together gives you a tighter twist with less shrinkage.

It also gives your resulting twist-out a slightly different texture which is what I was looking for.

Products used to create this style: Kinky Pride Shea-Loe Butter and Aloe Vera Lock and Twist Gel (see my video link above for my review of these products)

I did a video on two-strand twists with two-strand flat twists in the past but my hair was  a lot shorter. I haven’t done my hair in two strand twists in awhile other than yarn twists. Therefore, I thought I’d show you another styling option, but this time with longer hair.

Here’s the front view:

Side View:

Top view:

If you would like to try this style, check out my video:

This post is a follow-up to the “My Hair is not Happy” video that I posted a week ago (didn’t get to see it – here’s the link).  I have not posted a length check in a very long time; probably not since my 2nd BC.  I really don’t like doing length checks because I do not want anyone to feel that they need to compare their hair growth to mine.  However, I am on a mission to improve my hair care routine as well as making a few changes to my water intake and food choices, so I decided to finally begin monitoring my length retention and hair growth.

My hair is currently around 9 inches on the sides and the back.  The front is slightly shorter, but is still very close to 9 inches.  The middle picture gives you an idea of how much shrinkage I get when I two-strand twist my hair.

My main length retention strategy will be protective styling.  Here are pictures of my last set of twists.  The only product that I used for these two-strand twists is ORS Lock & Twist gel (a favorite of mine for the past 5, almost 6 years).  These twists were completed two weeks ago.  I am currently still wearing them, but I will probably shampoo them, allow them to dry and wear a twist-out for a few days before re-twisting.  My goal is to keep my hair in some sort of protective style all summer (with short breaks in between).  At the end of the summer, I plan on posting another length check to compare my results.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I trimmed the ends of each twist just to get rid of any raggedy ends.  This twist & trim technique is called dusting.

In addition to increasing my length retention, I am also working on improving my water intake as well as my consumption of fruits and veggies.  This is a part of my overall health goal.  Here’s a picture of one of the green smoothies that I have been making on an almost daily basis.  Like I mention in the video linked above, I add a few handfuls of spinach to my blender and puree it with 100% juice.  I then add frozen fruit (I like mixed tropical fruit) and more juice.  Then I blend it until it is a smooth consistency.  My children love the green smoothies!  If you decide to try the smoothie and you want an interesting flavor, add some bell pepper   I did this once because I did not want the bell pepper to go bad, and it actually tasted pretty good…interesting…but good.

Oh and did I mention that I have begun jogging?  I would love to become one of those people who are addicted to jogging.  You know, one of those people who can’t start their day right without a 3 mile jog… but for now, I can’t even run a mile   Hey, I’m taking it one day at a time.

I finally received my new video software in the mail.  I decided to try it out, so I created a short video (bear with me, I am still learning, so this video may not be my best). My inspiration for this video came from my attempt to two-strand twist my little sister’s hair.  I attempted to use the same method that I use on my own hair which involves spraying it with a bottle of water, applying gel and twisting.  Well, her twists just fell apart.  I adjusted my method and tried twisting her hair while dry, which is a big no-no when twisting my own hair, but it worked well on her shiny looser curl pattern.  Here’s the video and picture results:

This is, Lala, the younger half of my twin sisters.

Here is a close up view of her finished twists. Check out how shiny her twists came out. Her hair was totally dry when I twisted it.

Here is a shot of the back of her hair. Because her hair does not have a ton of volume, I would probably do a grab and twist method next time, rather than parting the hair.  This would create more volume and less visible scalp with her twists.

Here is the top.  I just love how pretty her twists look.  I could never twist my own hair while dry.  It just goes to show that different things work on different hair types.

I decided to try something new again. I was on YouTube the other day and saw someone doing a similar style and thought it was interesting so I decided to do something close to it.

First I parted my hair in 5 sections (3 in the front, 2 in the back).

Then I flat twists both of the sides in the front and bantu knotted the ends.

Next I flat twisted and bantu knotted the center. I had an extra twist in the front so I added it in with one of the side twists.

Then I put 8 chunky braids in the back in preparation for a twist-out.

I really didn’t like the results of the twistout so I only wore it for a day.

Since I didn’t like the twistout, I wet it the next day and wore a fro. Didn’t like that either. So…

I put the back in a puff the following day and I liked that look a lot better.

I am pleased to present yet another how-to styling video.  This one was requested by one of our facebook followers. This is a fairly easy style that I like to do when I want a protective style, but do not want to two strand twist all of my hair because of time restraints  (ok, ok you can call it laziness ).  First, here are a few pictures of the style, then you can check out the video below:

While I was finishing up my twists, my husband received his new Arch by CCB sweatshirts in the mail.  I just had to show mine off.

I'm wearing an Arch by CCB sweatshirt

Arch by CCB sweatshirt & running shoes

So how do I trim my hair?  I still use the twist n clip method shown in this video: twist n clip. I have come across some blogs that advise people against using this method of hair trimming.  Some say that it’s best to blow dry the hair and trim it.  Others suggest trimming it while it’s wet.  Still, others say only have a professional trim your hair. My hair does not like being blow dried.  When it is blow dried, I end up with dry crispy ends.  I also do not trust myself with scissors on loose, wet hair (yikes).  I’m definitely not very interested in going to a salon to have my hair trimmed.

The thing about this whole hair journey is that you have to do what’s best for you.  My advise is to find a method that works for you and roll with it.  I have had good results with the twist n trim method, so this is what I’ve been doing.

Please note: I would not recommend this method if you are trying to actually shape your hair.  I would leave that to the professionals. This is only a means of trimming off a bit of the ends.  When I use this method, I’m not worried about the hair being slightly uneven, because my hair shrinks and curls up anyway.

Here are my results:

These twist were done on freshly washed moist hair.

After washing, I rubbed Coconut Oil all over my hair.  Then I began parting my hair in sections, applying ORS Lock N Twist Gel to each section.

After twisting a section, the very end of each twist was trimmed, resulting in neatly trimmed two-strand twists.

I love the way my twists look after they have been trimmed.

I had to include a few pictures of the twists accessorized a bit with earrings.

My twists are not long enough to style yet, so for now I have to settle for other means of dressing up my look.  These pictures were taken just before my family and I left for an after birthday dinner at Benihana (I love Benihana!!)

This was our Benihana chef, TJ!

Here’s my free birthday treat!  By the way, if you have a Benihana in town, make sure to go to their website and sign up for their Chef’s Table membership for a free $30 certificate on your birthday.  Sign the kids up too!