Style School | The Three Strand Twist + how to do it

photo via Pinterest

After contemplating which curly/textured styles I'd like to wear this summer, I came to the conclusion that I wanted something curlier than a braid out but tighter than beach waves.  At the time, I didn't know that such a thing existed.  Then, days later, I stumbled upon the three strand twist.

Two strand twists are tough to pull off on relaxed hair because it often lacks the volume needed to produce the intended look.  The hair has difficulty wrapping around itself tightly enough to generate a similar looks as with natural hair. That's why we tend to go with a braid out as an alternative. But what if we could leverage three strands (like one would use in a braid) but create twists with it instead?  The result would be a curlier version of a braid out.  Interested?

Immediately, I poured myself into the research of this technique by indulging in back to back tutorials. At first I was totally mystified by the whole thing.  Every time I had three strands in my hand, I automatically wanted to start braiding.  It was a bit frustrating. But, I was determined.  It wasn't until I watched my third video that I finally got it.  At last I created a twist, using three sections, on my dry hair.  And it actually stayed in place with only mild unraveling.  I know for sure this would work wonderfully on my damp hair which has more texture than it does on roller set hair.  So, I'll wait until another occasion to fully try this look. Next time I experiment, I'll twist my damp hair and while using my Keratindose, coconut oil and maybe some whipped shea butter.

In it's simplest form, the method involves taking a section of hair, splitting into three (as if you were going to braid) then taking a strand of hair on the outside and crossing it over the two other pieces. When you do this, the original middle piece of hair now moves to the outside. Then you take the (new) outside piece and cross it over the other two pieces of hair. You repeat the process until the entire section is twisted.  I am well aware that my explanation probably made no sense to you so I'm fully ready to provide visuals.

Click on any of the images below to see how it's done.