At this time of year, protective styling is a godsend. Apart from damage protection, a lot of the beauty of protective styling lies in the opportunity for versatility and effortlessness, so it’s no surprise that many naturals opt to keep their hair twisted, braided, or crocheted for a season or two. And out of the abundance of these new creative twisted and braided styles, Bohemian-inspired twists of all lengths and sizes known as passion twists have come out on top this year.
The brainchild of Miami hairstylist Kailyn Rogers, passion twists have gone viral for their simultaneously glam and carefree look, and the style’s incredibly easy maintenance. If you haven’t already tried this charming and uncomplicated style, consider it for your next fall protective style. Ahead, we’ll fill you in on what exactly passion twists are, how to get the look (or how to install them yourself”>, and how to keep them looking fresh until you’re ready to take them out.
Senegalease Twists, Goddess Locs, Passion Twists? What’s The Difference?
Source: @_cicimichele
To the untrained eye (myself included”>, passion twists can look very similar to other twisted and braided styles, but the distinction of passion twists is that they are created with looser-textured synthetic hair, particularly Freetress Water Wave hair. While goddess locs are focused on recreating the look of messy locs (not twists”>, and Senegalease twists are clean and neat, passion twists reside somewhere in the middle–two-strand twists that are meant to look perfectly imperfect, and even slightly “undone.” And with this style’s immense popularity, there have been multiple different takes on their length, colors, and twist sizes, ensuring that there’s a passion twist look for just about every natural.
How Passion Twists Are Installed
Source: @goldynaps
Along with dozens of more recent tutorials, Rogers, aka The Boho Babe, posted a step-by-step tutorial to YouTube in 2018 detailing how she achieved the coveted look on her own 4B/4C hair–but this style suits any texture. To create this look on your own you’ll need Freetress Water Wave hair, ECO Style Gel, a leave-in, an edge control, a foaming lotion, and a trusty rat tail comb to lay a clean brick pattern. Using 9 packs of Freetress Water Wave hair, Rogers twists her hair into the synthetic hair, continuing all the way down, and repeats. You can determine the shape of the twists by how loosely or tightly you pull. The overall process doesn’t look difficult and if you’ve got about 8 hours and some energy to spare, you can save money by attempting this style yourself. Pricing will vary by stylist and location, but you will save the couple hundred dollars that would have gone towards installation.
If you don’t have the time to install this style, fear not–most natural stylists who do protective styles have done passion twists. And if you live in the Miami area, you’re in luck. You can visit The Boho Babe and get passion twists from the creator, herself.
How To Maintain Passion Twists Long-Term
Source: @rahelbrhane_
When it comes to maintaining protective styles, maintaining the natural hair underneath is equally as important, according to Rogers’ website. Especially when you’re wearing protective styles for 6+ weeks, it’s important to keep your hair and scalp moisturized, and passion twists are no different. Leave-in sprays (a store-bought spray or leave-in + water mixture”> work perfectly here!
When it comes to cleansing your scalp in this style, however, you’ll want to be careful about over-washing–but don’t ignore wash day. You’ll still want to tend to your scalp and new growth. Too much washing will encourage frizziness in the twists, but a bit of frizz definitely adds to the overall look!
If you want to prolong the lifespan of this style, you can separate the twists into 4 sections, distribute a non-sulfate shampoo throughout the roots of each section, and rinse. After the hair is sufficiently dry, distribute the leave-in conditioner and oil of choice. In-between washes, try distributing a small amount of dry shampoo on the roots and scalp.
If you’ve tried passion twists, how have they worked for you as a protective style? Did you install them yourself? Let us know your take in the comments.
