Okay, let’s talk about keeping short natural hair protected. It’s something I’ve been doing for a while, especially when I don’t want to fuss with my hair every single morning.
Getting Started: The Why and The Prep
My hair is on the shorter side, maybe neck-length when stretched? And honestly, it gets tangled and dry real quick if I leave it out. Plus, I just wanted something easy for a week or two. Less manipulation means less breakage, that’s the idea anyway.
So, first thing was wash day. You gotta start with a clean slate, right? I did my usual routine:
- Washed my hair with a moisturizing shampoo.
- Put in a deep conditioner and sat with a plastic cap on for maybe 30 minutes. Really let it soak in.
- Rinsed it all out and detangled gently with my fingers and a wide-tooth comb. This part always takes time.
- Applied my leave-in conditioner and some oil to seal it in while my hair was still damp.
Got all my tools ready too: some small hair ties, edge control (just in case), and a good gripping gel, but not too heavy.
Doing The Style: Two-Strand Twists
I decided on two-strand twists. They’re pretty straightforward and work well on shorter hair. I wasn’t aiming for perfection, just something neat and protective.
I started by sectioning my hair. Tried to make the parts kinda neat, but didn’t stress too much about them being perfectly straight. I used clips to keep the other sections out of the way. For each section, maybe about an inch square, I made sure it was properly moisturized, maybe adding a tiny bit more leave-in if needed.
Then I applied a little bit of gel to the section for some hold. Split the section into two equal pieces. And just started twisting them around each other, from the root all the way down to the ends. Tried to keep the tension even so they wouldn’t unravel too quickly. Since my hair is short, the twists were short too, obviously. Some ends I just finger-coiled, others I secured with a tiny rubber band if they looked like they wanted to unravel – gotta be careful those bands don’t snag though.
It took a while. My arms definitely got tired holding them up. I just put on some music and took breaks. Section by section, twist by twist. Some twists came out thicker, some thinner. It is what it is when you do it yourself.
The Result and Keeping It Up
After a couple of hours, maybe more, I was done. My head was full of these little twists. It wasn’t salon-perfect, but it looked decent. My hair felt secure and tucked away.
The main thing is keeping it moisturized while it’s in the style. So, every couple of days, I’d lightly spritz my hair with a mix of water and leave-in, or just use an oil on my scalp if it felt dry. At night, always slept with my satin bonnet on. That’s key.
This usually lasts me about one to two weeks before it starts looking too fuzzy or my scalp needs a good wash. It’s a simple, practical way I found to give my short hair a break. It’s not fancy, but it works for me. Just gotta have patience during the install part.
