How to Blow Dry a Twist-Out at Home: DIY Guide to Perfect Curls

If you’re searching for methods on how to blow dry a twist-out, I’m betting things have already gotten out of hand at home (Am I right?).

In that case, you must know that keeping those twist-outs looking glorious isn’t child’s play.

Don’t worry, though; I’m here to save the day!

Keep reading for a complete guide on creating terrific twist-outs in less than 3 minutes right in your own home!

How To Blow Dry A Twist-Out (Video Tutorial)

Blowdrying the perfect twist-out at home is about stretching, sectioning, twisting, and unraveling. Let’s see how it’s all done.

Step 1: Gently Blow Dry While Stretching Your Hair.

You must always begin by stretching and detangling your damp hair after washing it.

If you have a tough and stiff hair texture, I recommend using a wide-tooth comb or a brush with a big paddle. That works even if you’ve got coarse hair.

For those curious about shaping their fringe, our guide on how to style bangs with a flat iron offers detailed steps and tips to achieve that flawless look with ease.

I also recommend using a good leave-in condition if your damp hair doesn’t allow easy stretching. It’ll make the stretching process easy and keep the hair shafts soft. [1]

Step 2: Sectioning & Twist Up.

For more aesthetic and even hair twists, sectioning is vital. I generally divide my natural hair into the back, right, and left sections.

Youtuber Browneyed Beaute beautifully portrays the sectioning in her video.

As Bri twists her hair, she divides the left section into two parts.

Ensure you’re stretching your hair; it need not be straight.

Until you’re done doing the same for all the sections of hair, continue stretching and twisting.

Once you’re finished with that, take your dryer with speed settings on high and medium heat. Use the dryer until your hair becomes about 80% dry. [2]

Step 3: Unraveling.

Now, you’ve got two options. Once you’re done blow-drying, you can choose to unravel the results immediately.

But in case you want longer-lasting and defined twists, use a sleep cap and let it stay on your hair at night.

Things To Consider When You Blow-Dry A Twist Out

Now that we have the basics out of the way let’s check out some tips for success.

1.     Items Needed

• Wide-tooth comb or a detangling brush.
• Leave-in conditioner, preferably lightweight.
• Heat protectant.
• Clips or hairpins.
• Blow dryer equipped with a paddle brush or comb attachment.

2.     Time

Based on your hair type, the duration of blow-drying will vary. The drying rate is different for hair with varying levels of porosity.

Also, the density of your hair matters when considering the time it will take you to blow-dry. Bigger twists take more than drying compared to smaller ones.

3.     Other Considerations

Use a blow dryer equipped with a diffuser if your twists come out flat. Use the diffuser for your hair ends and roots/head of hair while blow-drying them. 

I strongly advise you to keep the heat on medium. Also, ensure that the dryer’s speed is set on high. These tips will help you to prevent burning your twist-out style. 

You can even use hair soil for a sleek and shinier look.

Got luscious black hair and wondering the best way to style it? Check out our light-hearted guide, “How to Blow Dry Black Hair,” and unleash that radiant shine!

4 EXPERT Hair Care Tips

1. Detangled hair is a must. Make sure not to forget to apply a heat protectant/ leave-in conditioner.

To prevent that, I advise you always to detangle your natural hair, followed by ample moisturization. Only then, dry your hair by blow drying.

An efficient and non-aggressive heat protectant or leave-in conditioner is enough to moisturize your fresh or day-old blow-dried hair during the blow drying process.

That’ll also help your hair look flawless.

2. Extremely HOT Drying is a BIG NO NO: Use Cool Setting/ Low Heat Settings.

I cannot stress enough that your hair will get destroyed if exposed to too much heat.

Excessive and direct heat exposure can damage the hair cuticle, make your hair breakage-prone, and dry out your hair strands.

Keep in mind that you’re dealing with very delicate transitioning hair. Thus, use minimal heat to keep your hair healthy and beautiful for a long time.

Check out the video below for tips on telling how hot is too hot:

3. While twisting your twist-outs, do not let loose hair in.

As you deal with one section, it’s crucial to avoid grabbing loose/stray hair from another section. If these strands do a crossover, the result will be pretty ugly.

And when you let your hair down, you’ll end up with a tangled mess.

So, as you make your perfect twist, carry out the stretching and twisting thoroughly, working around each section with care.

And also, as the Mielle Organics creator Monique Rodriguez exclaims,

“If you untwist your hair while it is still wet, you could cause frizz and lack definition in your hairstyle.” [3]

4. Make use of perm rods for more even curls.

When you’re creating twist-outs, you’re going to realize that a few sections of your hair will get curled more easily.

In comparison, other sections may not comply so easily and remain flat especially the ends.

For such stubborn flat hair in twists, I use perm rods to get the curls I want.

FAQs

Conclusion

With that, I ended my guide on how to blow dry twist out. What I must urge you at this point is to figure out your hair type before you expose it to heat.

Also, remember that even if you and I have similar/the same type of hair, all curls have unique personalities.

Finally, to avoid heat damage, always use hair cream or heat protectant, and yes! Let your hair cool down and relax. 

Have you tried blow drying a twist-out? Let us know in the comments below!

References

• 1. How to stop damaging your hair [Internet]. Aad.org. 2021 [cited 2021 Nov 30]. Available from: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/insider/stop-damage
• 2. Elias N. The Healthiest Way To Dry Your Hair [Internet]. Prevention. Prevention; 2012 [cited 2021 Nov 30]. Available from: https://www.prevention.com/beauty/hair/a20442345/the-healthiest-way-to-dry-your-hair/
• 3. Dodson T. 7 Twist Out Mistakes You’re Probably Making [Internet]. SELF. SELF; 2018 [cited 2021 Nov 30]. Available from: https://www.self.com/story/twist-out-mistakes/amp