Kinky Twists vs Senegalese Twists!!!

I have been talking a great deal to my facebook hair friends about my decision to try Kinky or Senegalese Twists.

Up to this point I have reviewed youtube video after youtube video, read various blogs and how to web sites and I have made many discoveries . So I am going to take the time right now to share with you what I have stumbles upon in my research!!!


First... let me talk a bit about the various types of twists and their respective differences.


Kinky Twists - Also known as Marley Twists, Nubian Twists, Spring Twists and sometimes called Havana Twists. With this hairstyle the definitive identifying quality is the type of hair used to achieve the look. Kinky twists by nature are designed to look and feel as close to our natural hair texture as possible. When attempting to achieve this look, the hairstylist will use marley hair or a marley dredlock hair ( separating the synthetic strands and puffing out the hair before twisting into the desired style of the customer ) Size wise, kinky twists can be installed in small, medium and large. Typically small and medium are the most common size for this style however. The larger the twists, the more hair is needed per twist. There are several companies that make kinky textured hair that can be used for this style, but I have noticed that the length and the color variety seem to be rather sparse. Based on deductive reasoning, I have come to the conclusion that choices are limited based on the idea that this hairstyle is designed to look like your natural hair. And since African American's are not perceived to have / grow authentically natural hair that is also long, the average length for these kinky strands tend to range between 8 - 20 inches. This proves to be one of my biggest challenges to date. Especially after recently doing a length check and discovering that the average length of my hair is between 16 - 18 inches long.

 

 

 

Havana Twists - Sometimes interchangeably called Kinky Twists. The definitive identifying quality used to represent this style is the over all size of the twists. Havana twists by nature are chunkier and require far more hair per twist in comparison to Kinky Twists. Also, there is a particular hair brand called Havana hair that is associated with this look . You have to buy the hair online though @ www.fingercomber.com . Havana hair is also kinky textured synthetic fiber, but the major difference with this brand is that this hair can be used again, whereas marley hair and brands similar to it can only be used once. The fibers used to make Havana hair is supposed to be more durable , hold the texture longer, and keep the hair looking presentable for a longer period of time.

 

 

 

Senegalese Twists -  Unlike Kinky and Havana Twists, you can instantaneously determine the difference with this hairstyle because of the smoother and silkier look and feel these twists have. The reason for the difference rest with the fact that Senegalese twists are made using kanekalon hair or hair that is typically used for braiding. Another major difference the separates this style of twists is the length and color selection. Because a specific type of hair ( i.e. kinky textured hair ) is not required for this look, the hairstylist can select from a wide variety of lengths ranging from 8 - 84 inches long. They can also chose from virtually any color imaginable ( because braiding hair has a fantastic array of subtle & realistic to magically impossible hues to choose from) Size wise, these twists are usually installed in small to medium width, but can also be styled in a larger thicker/ chunkier form as well.

 

 

 

Yarn Twists - Although this is a pretty self explanatory style, I will explain anyway. Yarn twists are made by using yarn instead of the synthetic or human hair. These twists can range from whatever length or color that the person chooses. They can also be styled / made and installed in small , medium or large widths!!!

Now for those of you who are into the whole D.I.Y ( Do It Yourself ) movement like I happen to be, you are not even thinking about paying someone else to put any of the previously talked about hairstyles in your head!!! First of all it is expensive as all hell, and to be honest if you really want to get the maximum out of the hair style you are going to have to get a certain amount of it re-done after a few weeks if you are at all serious about keeping protective styles in your hair without having to switch it up often. Like I stated previously, I have watches youtube video's, blogs and the likes. Naturally I have retrieved enough information to become a professional hair stylist at this point. LOL. But, since we are talking about installing these by ourselves, here are a couple of installing methods that I would like to share:

Braid in Method - Simply put, you braid your hair in with the hair pieces  that you are going to be using to create your hairstyle. First you braid your hair and the extension pieces like you would an ordinary braid approximately an inch or two down. This is to make sure that your hair and the extension hair are secured and will not unravel or become undone as soon as you begin the twisting process. After you have braided your hair and extension hair you then divide your hair into two sections. You evenly distribute your hair into each to the extension pieces, and begin two strand twisting your hair into the extension hair. Continue twisting until you reach the desired length. Depending on which type of hair of fabrics you are using, you may dip the ends in boiling hot water, burn them with a lighter or loop a small knot at the end of the twist to insure that the twist will not unravel.

Alikay Invisible Roots Method  -  My favorite and possibly the more challenging of the two methods is the Alikay invisible root method. Here the objective is to twist your hair from the root directly into the extension hair. This is done by measuring the size of your twist creating a small, medium or large section. Divide the portion of hair that you have selected into two even pieces. Place the extension hair in between the two pieces of your own hair. This should form an "X". Holding one section of your hair and a section of the extension hair, you begin to wrap the piece of your hair around the extension hair clockwise. Do the same thing to the other piece of your hair and the remaining extension piece, except twist your hair around the extension piece counterclockwise. Continue twisting the hair down in both sections individually about 1-2 inches. Then with the two pieces , you begin two strand twists. Make sure that your hair blends into the extension hair so that when your hair stops, it can successfully remain in the twist without altering the look of the hairstyle. When you twist your hair using this method depending on the color you decide upon, the hair looks as if it has grown out of your head and you merely styles it like this.

Alright... so now I have completely spilled the basics and quite possibly more than that to you all!!! LOL. As I mentioned earlier, I have been wrestling with whether to install Kinky twists or go with the Senegalese twists. Although I love the smooth look and the many different colors that I can choose from if I were to install Senegalese twists, I am missing the kinky coarse hair texture that I am craving. Plus from what I have read , it take a considerably longer amount of time to install Senegalese twist in comparison to Kinky Twists. And as the wise ol lady who had escaped from her burning apartment stated " Ain't Nobody Got Time fa Dat!!!" So, I am thinking that I would prefer to install Kinky Twists.... BUT... the hard thing that I am going to have to figure out, is if I can actually find kinky hair that is in fact 20 inches or more so that I do not have to worry about the twists unraveling or not twisting part my real hair. Because the objective is to keep all of my hair tucked away inside the twisted hair. I can't do that if my hair is the same length as the extension hair is!!! Hopefully I can get the second color and install the Kinkies the way I originally planned to do!!! Wish me luck!!! (^_^)

 

So... I am hopeful that I will be able to find kinky hair that is long enough and comes in the colors that I am looking for ( 1b for the front half of my hair and T1b/Burgandy and T1b/ Red )

* The "T" in T1b/Burgundy means that the hair is 1b at the top part of the hair and bleeds into the second color (burgundy in this case ) and the tip is Burgundy. T = Tipped hair


Well... I think I have covered a considerable amount of information in this particular blog!!! So I shall end it here!!! As always thank you for tuning in. Hope to see you soon to check out my next installment!!! Until then...

Đi nhé! (^_^)