How to Box Twist & 15 Box Twist Hairstyles

Box twist is quickly gaining popularity among the natural hair community for how easy it is to make while looking nothing short of awesome.

When going for the style, you should note that you need some form of training to be able to make cool-looking twists like those you see on Instagram.

If you’re wondering how you can get the requisite training, you shouldn’t, as this article will show you all you need to know to make an amazing box twist hairstyle. Before we jump in, let’s take some questions about the style.

What Kind of Hair Do You Need for Box Twists?

While hair extensions may be necessary to achieve a specific look for your twists, you don’t really need any hair extensions for your box twist hairstyle. If your natural hair is full enough, you may achieve decent box twists without needing to add any kind of hair.

When using hair extensions, however, you can use any kind that helps you achieve the kind of box twists you need. From straight extensions to curly extensions, human hair, and synthetic hair; you can achieve twists using any kind of extension that works for you.

What’s the Difference between Box Twist and Two Strand Twist?

When you take a look at some popular two-strand twist styles, you’ll find them virtually indistinguishable from box twists. Your observation isn’t wrong, as two-strand twists and box twists are similar in more ways than they’re different.

The primary difference between box twists and a two-strand twist is that the latter doesn’t need to have the unique boxy look at the root of each strand, while that’s the main defining feature of the former. While all box twists are two-strand twists, it’s not necessarily the other way around.

How Do You Do Box Twist with Natural Hair?

There’s nothing really special about making box twists with natural hair. It’s something most skilled people do regularly to keep decent-looking hair without needing to visit a hairstylist. All you need to do to achieve decent box twists with natural hair is follow the steps in the following sections.

It’s crucial to note, however, that using natural hair will require you to use some form of cream or moisturizer. Not only does it make it easier to twist the hair, but it’s also necessary to ensure the hair stays in for as long as you want.

How Long Do Box Twists Last?

While you can make your twists last as long as 10 weeks, it’s usually safer to take them apart around the six to eight weeks mark, especially when you’re twisting on your natural hair. Not only does it preserve the natural shine of your hair, but it also prevents frizz and makes it easier to take the hair apart without breakage.

What’s the Difference between Box Braids and Box Twists?

The technique makes the primary difference between box braids and box twists. While box twists will only require you to twist two individual strands of hair (hence the name), box braid requires intertwining three, making it a bit more complicated. Eventually, both hairstyles will have a similar look.

Products and Tools Needed for Box Twist Hairstyle

When trying to make box twists, you need a couple of products and tools to ensure you can complete each step easily. You’re free to improvise with some of these items, but getting the original thing will eventually result in a better hairstyle.

That said, here is a list of items to put in place for the average box twist hairstyle.

Some packs of natural or synthetic hair extensions if you intend to add them to the style. Note that you can use your natural hair for the hairstyle without any extensions and it will turn out just fine.
A couple of hair clips. Around six to seven should work fine, depending on the volume of your hair.
Hair moisturizer (or some other hair product you intend to use).
A rake comb or brush for detangling.

How Do You Make the Box Twist Hairstyle?

After getting all the required items for the hairstyle, you’ll need to prep your hair to get it ready for the task ahead. Prepping your hair for box twists can be as elaborate as you want it, depending on how good you want it to be.

At the very least, you want to ensure you wash and condition your hair beforehand. You can choose to use a hair dryer or allow the hair to air-dry after washing it, depending on what you prefer. Applying a moisturizer is another excellent preparation step you may not want to skip.

Before starting to make the hairstyle, you want to dampen the hair to make it easier to control. You can use a spray bottle to make this process easier.

After prepping your hair, you can start making the twists by following the steps below.

Section your hair

Sectioning your hair makes it a lot easier to install the twists, as the rest of your hair won’t get in your way while you work on some. You can section your hair using any method that works best for you.

A popular method is dividing your hair into six (or so) equal sections and holding them down using the clips you got earlier. You start working on the hair from the section at the back, as it’s the easiest to work on while leaving the rest clipped.

Detangle

Using the comb (or brush) you got earlier, gently comb out the loose section in a bid to detangle it. You don’t want to encounter any unnecessary knots while twisting, as it makes the process frustrating.

Start twisting

After detangling your hair, you can apply some hair oils or creams to make it look shinier and make your job easier if you haven’t done that already.

Then, you can start separating each section into even smaller mini sections to create the individual strands.

If you have hair extensions, you can add them at this point. Otherwise, make each section into two pieces and start twisting them around each other tightly. You can repeat this with other mini-sections until you finish with the entire section (recall there are five more sections held down with clips).

Then, remove the clip from the next section you created in the first step and repeat the process from the preceding paragraph. Continue this way until you’ve successfully created beautiful box twists across the surface of your head.

The awesomeness of box twists depends on how creative you are, and what style you intend to wear. If you’re new to the entire thing, here are 17 amazing box twist hairstyles to show you the way.