July 2, 2014

Natural Hair | The Good & Bad on Havana Twists

Hello Beauties!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I tried something new with my hair.  I had havana twists installed.  This must be the year of new things for me because just like my last protective style, this style was completely different for me.  I have seen so many fabulous naturalistas rocking havana and marley twists and I wanted to give them a try for myself.  Now that I am approaching the one month mark since having them installed, I wanted to share my thoughts on this style so far.


Before I get down to the nitty gritty, I wanted to answer the question that I had myself before having havana twists installed.  

What are havana twists?  What is the difference between havana twists and marley twists? 

Havana twists are essentially two strand twist extensions using havana hair.  Marley twists are the same, but using marley hair instead.  The main difference between these styles are the hair used.  They also come in a variety of sizes.  It's your choice to how small or large you would like them to be.  To me, I feel like they all look like a varying form of senegalese twists.


The Good

  • Havana twists are extremely easy to install and with the help of YouTube, many people can install them themselves.
  • In many cases, they are very natural looking.
  • They can easily be manipulated into other styles.
  • Depending on how they are installed, there is not much tension to your edges.

My Personal Good

  • The havana twists were installed in less than six hours, which was great compared to most braiding styles.
  • The hair we used was extremely easy to locate and affordable.  
    • I paid $30 for six packs of hair.  I ended up needing seven packs.  See package here.
  • They are surprisingly lightweight.
  • I can easily pull my hair into updos and in general, it saves me so much time.


The Bad

  • If you want to use actual havana hair, most of the time, it can only be purchased online.
  • Since the hair used is typically not human hair, if you have a sensitive scalp, it may not react well to synthetic hair.
  • If you have curlier versus kinky hair, your own hair may unravel from the twists causing the twists not to last as long as typical braids.

My Personal Bad

  • My scalp has not reacted very well to havana twists.  Not long after having them installed, my scalp became dry and flaky.  It is an everyday battle with my scalp.
  • My 3C/4A hair has already started to come out of the twists.  They will most likely have to be removed in a week or two.


Suggestions

If you decide to give havana or marley twists a try, I would highly suggest you deep condition your hair and scalp before having them installed.  This practice is good before any protective style.  Also, if you have a sensitive scalp and you are not sure how your hair will react to the synthetic hair, you can soak the hair before installation.

Final Thoughts

All in all, I like havana twists, but they are not my favorite protective style.  Due to the complications I have had with my scalp and the fact they are already coming out, I don't think I have gotten the length of time from this style that I truly wanted.  You live and learn!

Have you worn havana twists?  Are you rocking a protective style this summer?


God bless & stay fabellis,


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21 comments

  1. Thanks for the update Ashley! I was actually considering this, but since my curl pattern is even looser than yours, I doubt it will last long considering your review. Also, did you treat the hair before you installed? When I was doing research I read that people soaked the hair in a mixture or water and vinegar do it wouldn't cause scalp irritation.

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  2. So glad to see this! I was considering trying a new style, but my scalp is already having some problems. I'm not sure the tension of Havana twists would be good for my sensitive scalp.

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  3. No problem! I have noticed with any type of two strand twist, my hair just tends to come out of the twist. My hair only lasts for awhile in actual braids. Also, I didn't soak the hair first. I have read many people do that before box braids too. The only reason I didn't is because I have used synthetic hair without issues in the past. I'm thinking it may have just been the type of hair I used. If I tried it again, a soak would be definite!

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  4. Thanks for reading Dana! I think compared to other braids, these would be the least about of tension but if your scalp is sensitive, the hair itself may bother you. You can soak the hair before having it installed to possibly prevent itching. That sounds like a lot of work right? Lol.

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  5. I had them before and loved the look and that disrespectful big obnoxious bun, however, mine didn't last longer than a week. My curls popped right out the twists and they looked awful very quickly. The style definitely lasts longer on kinkier textures

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  6. Great post! I've considered them for awhile because I prefer larger twists. I've always had the idea to go larger because it seems like an easy, quick removal process. They look good on you! Were they heavy?

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  7. Girl... I'm surprised I have been able to keep mine looking decent this long. I definitely will have to stick with more of a braid style if I want longevity with this.

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  8. Thank you so much! Mine are not heavy at all. They are actually lighter than typical braids.

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  9. I'm love reading your point of view about havana twists. I always thought they would be heavy but glad to know they're not. Yours look good on you Ashley. I'm not for sure if I want to get them due to giving you dry scalp.

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  10. I've not worn Havana twists. I've only worn Senegalese twists, and I did like those. Thanks for the authentic pros and cons!


    Chandra
    www.momomod.com

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  11. I was having this issue of my scalp reacting really bad. I just put some in this week too. They are super drying. I've learned to spritz my hair, and use my oil blend directly on my scalp. I also used the Marley hair which was drying. I took a ACV rinse to it in my tub, then I completely wat the hair and did a gentle wash with castille soap. Rinsed and twirled the hair in the tub to remove the hair.

    I do however like the Havana Hair better than the packs you get from the hair store here in DC. Washing it has been so much better for me with my scalp. it was so bad too, I couldn't deal with it.

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  12. These look great on you. I've been thinking of putting my daughter's hair in some twists . I personally think she is too young for this kind, but I love how easy they are to maintain and style.

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  13. Is her hair shoulder length or longer? You could totally do a similar style on her natural hair. I guess they would be more like two strand twists.

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  14. Girl, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has experienced this! Thank you for sharing with me what you did. If I ever try them again, I may have to give this method a try. My scalp was so relieved today when I washed it!

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  15. Hey Chandra! Thanks for coming over and checking out my blog. :-) I love senegalese twists and my scalp did too unlike these, lol. It just seems any type of twists grow out (or come out) too quickly for me. :-(

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  16. Thanks Monique! I used to thrift anytime, but I seriously am going to start limiting thrifting at certain stores to just their sale days. :-)

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  17. Why thank you Tori! Congratulations again on your marriage! :-D

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  18. You wore them very well! Super cute on you!

    Xoxo,
    MaRae
    http://thealwaysfabulous.wordpress.com/

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  19. Thank you! I truly wish I could have kept them in longer.

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  20. Stellar job making polka dots and stripes work together! Love the outfit

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  21. Why thank you ma'am! I appreciate you stopping by! :-)

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