How To Do A Flat Twist On Natural Hair 2024 [With Examples]

When it comes to versatile and protective styles, a flat twist on natural hair is one of the best options out there for black hair.

Flat twists are easy to do if you know the steps to follow.

In this guide, we give you all the tips you need to create the best flat twist look at home.

What Are Flat Twists?

Flat twists are a very good protective hairstyle for natural hair. They are kind of a hybrid of cornrows and two-strand twist outs.

Two-strand twists typically are only attached to your scalp.

But flat twists are braided from your forehead to the nape of your neck, staying attached to your scalp all the way. Hence the “flat” aspect of their name.

And while cornrows, typically are braided with three strands, flat twists use two-strands to create a similar look.

Instead of doing an interweaving motion like with cornrows, you simply “twist” two strands together to create the flat twist look.

Another thing to know before you try to do a flat twist on natural hair is how long these twists last.

Flat twists, unlike other protective styles such as braids or cornrows, are short-term styles.

Flat twists will typically last you about a week or two if you do them really well.

However, they are relatively easy to do and re-do. Which is what makes them an increasingly popular natural hairstyle.

That and the fact that flat twists also look very stylish and put-together.

There are also a number of ways you can do flat twists to spice up the style.

The easiest flat twist style is the one that resembles cornrows where you twist them in straight rows from the forehead to the nape.

But you can also do styles like an updo flat twist. This involves twisting your hair from your nape going up to the top of your head.

Or you can do your flat twist rows in patterns to make a more creative flat twist look.

You can also switch up the size of your twists by making them thinner or much thicker.

The thicker twists can make your hair look much more voluminous, which is a look many prefer.

Whatever you decide, it is important that you follow the next steps to get the best flat twists.

Wash Your Hair

Washing your hair is an important step to take before you attempt to do a flat twist on natural hair. The best way to go about this is to use shampoo.

Shampooing your hair is essential because it will remove any dirt or unwanted substances that may be in your hair.

This will make your hair much easier to grip and will prevent it from having obstructions in it that will make it harder to twist.

The best shampoo to use is a shampoo that has a lot of hydrating properties. Any primarily water-based product will be good for this.

As much as you want to cleanse your hair, you also want to make sure it’s not left dry because this will make it more susceptible to damage when you style it later.

Once you have washed your hair thoroughly, you can move on to the next step.

Condition Your Hair

The next thing to do after shampooing your hair is to condition it.

Many people skip the conditioning step in their haircare routine, but this is a really a mistake.

Conditioning your hair is good, especially if you’re going to style it later, because it makes your hair soft and much easier to maneuver.

Hair conditioner typically are made with a whole host of nourishing ingredients that make this possible.

Ingredients such as natural oils and butters make conditioners good at softening natural hair, removing frizz and making it easier to detangle.

A good conditioner to look for is any that contains ingredients such as avocado oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, coconut oil and other such natural ingredients.

You can also use either rinse-out or leave-in conditioner for this step.

And then the next step is where you really begin creating the hairstyle now that you have adequately prepared your hair.

Part Your Hair

Before you can start doing a flat twist on natural hair, you need to part your hair.

For this step, you will need to make sure you have a good comb.

The best kind of comb for this is a rat tail comb.

To part your hair, start at the forehead, leading down to the nape of your neck.

If your goal is to do simple, straight rows of flat twists, you will want to make this part first at the center of your forehead and lead to your nape in a straight line.

But if you want to do a more complex style like an updo twist style, you will want to part your hair in half from ear to ear.

This makes it easier for you to then braid your hair in an upwards direction.

Once you have decided which of the different ways of parting your hair is best, you can then start the next step to doing a flat twist on natural hair.

Section Your Hair

Now that you have parted your hair, it’s time to section it even further.

In this step, you divide your hair into small fragments that you can then use to make individual twists.

To do this step you need to use a rat tail comb. This will allow you to make clean clear sections of your hair strands.

You will want to begin at your scalp, and then move towards the tips of your hair.

You should aim to be gentle as you do this step so as to avoid damaging your hair.

Applying too much force when sectioning will cause strain to your hair, which could lead to breakage or split ends.

A good thing to do as you section your hair is to go slowly, and when you encounter a kink, stop and detangle the section with your fingers.

Then you can carry on sectioning with your comb.

Once you have made a section for a twist, you are ready to start twisting.

Begin Twisting

In order to do a flat twist on natural hair, you will want to begin at the scalp, from the start of your hair section.

You will want to grab some of the hair from here, but not all of it, as you will add more and more hair as you go down the flat twist.

Once you have grabbed a bit of hair, you will want to separate it into two equal parts. Then with one hand, you grab the first section of hair.

Use your other hand to grab the other piece of hair and then tuck it under the first piece of hair.

Doing a flat twist is simply a repetition of this motion as you go from your scalp to the end of your twist.

The only things to remember are to move in a straight line and to keep adding more and more hair to thicken the twist as you go down the line.

Use Styling Product

When it comes to doing a flat twist on natural hair, using hair products to nourish your hair and enhance your twists is essential.

One kind of product that you definitely need to have in your arsenal is moisturizer.

While washing your hair before twisting it provides some moisture, additional moisturizing product gives your hair the necessary hydration to protect it from breakage while you style it.

A good type of moisturizer to use is some kind of hair lotion. It would be good to apply this to each section of hair right before you twist it.

Another kind of hair product you need as you do flat twists is edge control.

Edge control product is good because it allows you to lay down the small sections of hair that you cannot grasp and twist.

Applying edge control around your hairline will help you to give your twist outs a neat and finished look that will make them look professional and stylish.

Seal Your Twist Ends

The final step when it comes to trying to do a flat twist on natural hair is to seal the ends of your twists. To do this, you can use a couple of methods.

One simple method you can employ is to coil the end of your flat twists. You do this by simply leaving a bit of your hair untwisted at the ends of your twists.

You then grab on this untwisted and coil it around your finger to prevent it from unraveling.

Another way to seal the ends of your twists is to use perm rods to twist your hair in place.

This one is a little less convenient, however, since it requires you to own the rods and to go through the step of applying them to individual twists.

Another way to seal your ends is to just twist your hair to the very end and then twist the tips of your hair between your index finger and your thumb.

Once you’ve picked a method for sealing your twists, the style is complete.

Conclusion,How To Do A Flat Twist On Natural Hair 2021 [With Examples]

Flat twists are a great hairstyle to try out for natural hair. They are very stylish, easy to do and they are a protective style.

With the right steps, flat twists are very easy to pull off.

Hopefully, with the help of this article, you will be able to rock this great hairstyle with little hassle.