If you’ve got thick 4C hair, you probably experience super puffy or uneven twist outs. Let’s try to avoid those mishaps!

You are probably here because you are a 4C babe, like me, and struggle with achieving the perfect twist out. Perhaps you twist outs tend to be frizzy, and, or end up looking flat with little to no volume. No worries girl, I got you! Here are a few things to consider the next you attempt twist outs again. I do have a visual representation on my YouTube channel. Make sure you subscribe as well (:

1. Your ends are not trimmed

Keeping your ends nicely trimmed does wonders for your twist out. This is highly important when you want length retention and definition in the way your twist-outs turn out. I used to make the habit of getting twists and not actually trimming my hair. A few things that happened was that my ends would get either knotted up and tangled in the process of  taking down my twists. I would end up doing a lot of separation of curls just to get the ends to stop snagging onto one another. This is also why I made a tutorial on how to avoid single strand knots. Trust me, it goes hand in hand with the information laid out in this article.

2. You have build up/product build up

As a stylist that specializes in protective styles for natural hair, I have noticed many 4c hair clients tend to also fall in the low porosity range. In short, this is the type of hair that collects build up easily and finds it hard to absorb moisture.  Product build up occurs when ingredients of hair products are are sucked into the shaft without being thoroughly cleansed, leading to build up. I cleanse my natural hair with Bentonite clay mask every 6-8 weeks to rid my scalp of any product build up. Sometimes I will simply make use of a clarifying shampoo because it does just about the same thing as a Bentonite clay mask, except it is less messy and it is removing my build up in a different way than Bentonite does.

Another cause for product build-up on could be the choice of ingredient(s) we pay attention to (or don’t pay attention to) when purchasing natural hair products. Gels containing significant amount of alcohol and other products containing silicone do not improve the health of your hair. In fact, products like those tend to sit on top of the hair strands and cause build up or dandruff if not properly cleansed out of your hair. This is why clarifying your natural hair is important.This does not mean you HAVE to clarify or use a bentonite clay mask every time you apply gel into your hair or around your edges!

3. You are “accidentally” borrowing your hair from parted sections

GIRL. Don’t do this anymore. If you want defined results in your twist-outs, it is important that when you are parting your hair, you part evenly, not taking hair from one section to another.We need to start seeing and understanding that our natural hair is out crown. 4C hair is naturally course in texture. There are even people with type 4 hair that carry all or some mixture of 4A, 4B, and 4C. Either way, type 4 hair has to be treated with gentleness and care. We defeat the purpose of achieving healthy hair growth when we do not part twist-outs evenly. Making such a mistake in twists can actually lead to some hair breakage and some tension in your hair, trust me, I have had my fair share of going to sleep in pain. Yeah, I’m tender headed in some areas, don’t laugh at me (:

Borrowing strands not only leads to snagged ends and tangles, but also frizzy twist-outs. Once you become more cautious about how you manage your hair, you will make fewer mistakes.

4.  You are using the right product in the wrong quantity

The being “at the right place at the right time?” principal inadvertently applies to the use of products when styling our natural hair. Some people tend to overload their hair strands with products, especially if they have trouble getting moisture in. We just have to be careful though, because putting the wrong amounts of the right product or just putting the wrong products into your hair can be a contributing factor to why your twists outs are not turning out right. Lathering too much product weighs down the hair and causes it to take longer to dry. When premature twist-outs are unravelled, a frizzy hair style is born.

5. You are not retesting your twist-outs every night

When you have afro-textured hair or simply thick course hair, your hair strands tend to be springy or coily in appearance, causing the hair on the ends to hang on to one another. This will more than often lead to snags and tangles. Re-twisting your natural hair every night, as tiring as it sounds, is your best shot at allowing your twist-outs to last.

6. You are not protecting your hair with a silk bonnet or scarf

Many stylists, including I, will tell you that you need to “wrap your hair up at night”. It has been the unfailing mantra that hair stylists use as a first line of defense, especially when it comes to preaching about maintain neat braids. In the same regard, I recommend silk scarves to tie your hair with or silk pillows for you to lay down on without the twists being covered. Silk can be very pricey, although, it brings the best result There are also workable substitutes, such as simply getting a bonnet or just a hair scarf should help.