4. Twist out
Twist outs are a much simpler version to the three strand twist technique because it only involves two sections of hair and twisting in this manner comes naturally to most of us.
The key to a great twist out is great product layering as well as ensuring that your hair is absolutely dry before releasing the twists. To create perfect two strand twists you want to start at the root and twist the hair tightly so that it naturally moves down the strand to create a solid twist that wont unravel.
Watch below:
5. Braid out
Similar to a twist out but with braids you tend to get more stretch to your strands. Braiding has been around for years so this technique is very familiar with most of us. Again the best braid out happens when you find the right combination of products and you allow your hair to dry completely.
One of my favorite braid out tutorials was done by Mini Marley, I swear by her method and you will too. Watch below:
6. Flat twist out
Flat twists are a little harder to master especially when you do it for the first time but they are a great alternative to just a regular twist out and they are a great protective style as well.
This is also the type of style that is much easier to demonstrate than it is to describe and the tutorial below will help you to thoroughly understand how to do it.
7. Bantu Knots
Bantu knots are very much a part of historical afro hair styling and are an awesome way to stretch your curls and create unique uniformed curls all over your head. We almost did not include them as a method of defining your curls but found that leaving them out would be a gross injustice to our readers because they are such a staple for many of us.
Bantu knots are created but twisting sections of your hair in one direction so much so that the section curls on itself creating a neat knot on top of your head. They can be worn as knots or the knots can be removed to create awesome curls that when fluffed become a pretty dope style. The thing about Bantu knots is that once released your strands are not as defined as the previous styles which typically why they tend to be excluded from these lists.
Learning to do a bantu knot is still important because it adds variety and they are a ton of fun to rock. Watch this very detailed tutorial below:
Flexi-Rod, Perm-rods, and Curl Former sets
Finally, the market has helped women create different shapes with their curls by creating products like, flexi-rods, perm rods*, and curl formers that all help to manipulate your curls in different ways.
We all have one or all of these tool in our collection and tend to pull them out on special occasions or for those weeks we need very stretched style that lasts a long time. They are definitely a viable part of the styling conversation though they are not the first thing we think about when we say ‘defining our curls”.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day all of these techniques and methods are a direct result of just how creative and versatile we have been within this industry over the years with our hair.
Every style starts off with one person daring to do something different with their hair so we encourage you to get creative as well as try a few of the methods outlined above. With that said comment below and let us know what is your staple way to define your curls!