How to Flat Twist Protective Hairstyle + 19 Ideas (2024)

The flat twist protective hairstyle is simply two-strand twists made to look like cornrows. That description should already give you the idea that it’s a bit more complicated to make than regular two-strand twists, which is why you need a tutorial.

One of the biggest advantages of getting flat twists is the styling; you can make it into whatever form you want when installing the style, just like regular cornrow braids.

In the same vein, the biggest disadvantage of getting the flat twist protective hairstyle over a regular two-strand box twist is the styling. Once you have the hairstyle locked in, there’s really not much you can do to change the look until you decide to get another hairstyle.

If you’ve decided that your next hairstyle will be flat twists, I’ve decided to help you. This article will show you how to install flat twists yourself easily while answering some questions you might have.

How Long Do Flat Twists Last?

If you’re getting flat twists with the expectation that it’s going to be a long-lasting hairstyle, you’ll be disappointed, even if you have very conservative expectations. The flat twist protective isn’t a long-lasting hairstyle by any means since it lasts around one week on average.

Having the style last up to a week will require a great deal of maintenance. If you’re only looking to install the hairstyle and look away, you should expect to take it apart and reinstall the hairstyle within a couple of days max.

Are Flat Twists a Protective Style?

Flat twists are from two-strand twists and they inherit a lot of things from their parent hairstyle. One of the pleasant qualities that the flat twist protective style inherits is that it’s a protective hairstyle. It’s only unfortunate that the hairstyle couldn’t inherit the long-lasting quality of two-strand twists.

How Do You Secure Flat Twists?

When making flat twists, it’s only natural to need help securing the twists in place after twisting down to the end of your hair. The best way to secure your flat twists is to keep twisting in the form of two-strand twists after getting to the end of the cornrow-like section and the twist should naturally stay in place.

If it doesn’t stay in place by itself, however, there’s nothing wrong with using some help. Using a hair tie, a tiny clip, or even some twist gel are some popular ways to secure your hair in place when making flat twists.

How Do You Make Twists Flat?

The process of making two-strand twists to look flat like cornrows is something that so many ladies still find so hard to comprehend. However, when you start to get the hang of it, you’ll notice that it is much easier than the insanely complicated process you’ve been imagining.

Is It Better to Flat Twist on Wet or Dry Hair?

As long as your hair is not dripping from excess water, it should be fine enough for twisting. However, twisting on damp (not necessarily wet) hair will make the hair easier to control when twisting the hair. However, that doesn’t mean you cannot make the flat twist protective style on dry hair; just one way is better is all.

What Do You Need for Flat Twists?

The flat twist protective hairstyle is one of those styles that you don’t really need any new item to make. If you’re an enthusiast of working on your own hair, you should already have all the materials required for an excellent flat two-strand twist.

Just to show you what the requirements look like, here is what you need to make flat twists.

A rat tail comb for parting the hair and detangling.
Optional braiding hair extensions if you intend to use them. Hair extensions are unnecessary for flat twists and there’s hardly ever a reason for you to use them.
Optional essential oils and haircare products

How to Make Flat Twists?

Now that you’ve got all that’s needed together, you need to ensure your hair is in the proper shape for the twists. Being in the proper shape involves being washed and conditioned with a good shampoo and conditioner and allowed to dry until it’s damp.

Once you’ve prepped your hair, you need to conceptualize how you want the end product to look. You don’t have to make the regular style that sweeps to the back all the time; you can twist to the side or try something entirely different from the conventions.

With that in mind, you’ll need to follow the steps below to make flat twists.

Divide your hair into sections

This part of the process will vary depending on how you want your twists to look. If you want the regular ‘all-back’ look, you can section your hair vertically into two halves, clip down one of the halves, and then use the rat tail comb you got earlier to part the unclipped half into workable mini-sections.

Add extensions (if available) and start twisting

It’s generally not necessary to add hair extensions to your flat twist protective hairstyle, but there’s no harm in doing so if you want to. Adding hair extensions to flat twists isn’t very much different from adding them to regular two-strand twists; so you might want to keep that in mind.

If you’re wondering how people manage to make their twists flat, it’s simple. From the vertical section you’re working on, you take a mini-section like you’re trying to create box twists. When you get that, you start twisting it over the remaining hair in the section repeatedly, causing the twists to become flat.