How Long Do Two-Strand Twists Last?
When talking about twists, the hairstyle that comes to mind by default is the good old two-strand twists hairstyle. Given how beautiful and ubiquitous it is, that isn’t really surprising, but it also means we’ll have to answer some questions about it, and one such question is this: how long do two-strand twists last?
Two-strand twists last around two to four weeks, which is a pretty respectable timeframe when you consider how easy and quick they are to make. While they don’t fare too well compared to braids, they can be referred to as long-lasting hairstyles in their own right.
In this article, I’ll show you how long two-strand twists last, while accounting for the peculiarities that may apply to your hair. Also, you’ll learn about the best maintenance procedures for twists in general and two-strand twists in particular, while getting answers to some other pressing questions about the hairstyle.
How Long Do Two-Strand Twists Last?
Two-strand twists do last a bit long, but comparing them to something like braids would be unfair. If you’re looking for something you can put together yourself in little time, they’re great; but how long do two-strand twists last exactly?
The correct answer to this question depends on how you want your hair to look. You can practically wear twists for as long as they look good on you; going by your definition of good. For most people, two-strand twists only last for around two to four weeks before they start to look “not good.”
If you’re planning to keep your twists in for an extended period, you may want to ensure you’re practicing some extreme maintenance. With maintenance, you may be able to get your twists to last for up to four weeks or even more.
How Do You Maintain Two-Strand Twists?
From the preceding section, you can already tell that maintenance is about all you need to make your two-strand twists last longer. For the average Joe, however, the required maintenance is relatively unknown to them; so, how do you maintain two-strand twists?
To make your twists last long, you may want to keep practicing every hair maintenance tip that has been working for you up until now. In addition to that, you should avoid keeping your hair in for extended periods. When you do that, the twists get tangled, leading to breakage when you eventually need to take them apart.
Also, it would help if you tried to prep your hair before installing the twists at all. Given how many tutorial videos are on YouTube at this point, there’s a very good chance that you may want to try your hands on two-strand twists without having to go to a salon. Not that there’s nothing wrong with that, but if you skip the prep process, you’ll find yourself redoing it in a week or so.
Finally, you should learn to protect your hair at night before retiring to bed. Cotton, the material your pillow and bedsheets are made of is dangerous for your hair. To prevent them from inflicting damage, you may want to use a silk or satin scarf or t-shirt to wrap your hair throughout the night.
Which Last Longer: Braids or Twists?
Any article about two-strand twists is automatically taken as a contest between twists and braids, which isn’t really my fault. Since I’m sure you’d be itching to know how the longevity of two-strand twists and other twist-based hairstyles fare compared to that of braids, I’ll save you the need to ask by answering it here.
Generally, braids last longer than twists, even if we’re only talking about two-strand twists. That’s not really a bad thing, given that braids are made with three strands, causing them to hold on to themselves better, while twists require only two strands.
With that said, badly made braids may, and will likely fare worse than properly made twists with tons of maintenance. You shouldn’t expect any magic from your hair just because you installed braids, but with every other factor being equal, twists are hardly comparable to braids.
Are Twists Faster than Braids?
Most people will prefer a hairstyle they can install very quickly, as long as it gives them roughly the same longevity as the competing style. In this assessment, we’re comparing twists and braids: so are twists really faster than braids during installation due to their simplicity?
Yes, twists are faster to install than braids since braids generally result in a more intertwined strand. Twists is basically twisting two strands of hair together to form a longer one, held together pretty loosely and susceptible to loosening, while braids involve intertwining not two, but three different strands in a way that’s challenging to loosen, which is a more complicated process.
Of course, the general duration of installing a hairstyle will still depend on what kind of style you’re installing exactly. Someone trying to install huge cornrows will get it done faster than another trying to make tiny two-strand twists, and that’s just the first example I can think of.
To put it simply and conclusively, twists are faster than braids if you can ensure that all other factors affecting the speed are equal. Since braids eventually turn out better and last longer, the extra time you put into installing them can be described as “well worth it.”
Does Twisting Damage Hair?
Another misconception that’s unfortunately widespread is the idea that wearing two-strand twists will damage your hair. If that happens to be true, there wouldn’t be so many people wearing them, would there? But assuming neutrality here, does twisting damage your hair?
When done right, there’s no proof that two-strand twists can damage your hair in any way. The style is categorized among protective styles, so named because they keep the ends tucked in to prevent your hair from damage that most hairstyles expose them to.
When you start practicing harmful haircare practices; like making the twists too tight or leaving the twists in for so long before taking them apart, you may start to experience the negative sides of twists. However, that would be on you, and not on twists as a group of hairstyles.
Conclusion
Two-strand twists are popular for a lot of things, but lasting long doesn’t seem to be one of them. While you should expect to carry your twists for a respectable amount of time, you shouldn’t try to compare them to tiny cornrows; they’re just built differently.
