Protection with Palmer's: A Twist Tutorial

So you want healthy hair? You've got to get protection!

Protective styling isn't a naturalista's favorite thing to do, but if your focus is on healthy hair and length retention you have to get with the program. These secure styles were made to tuck your ends away to reduce breakage as well as keep your strands moisturized for longer periods of time...the looking cute is technically just icing! Some styles can last for up to 3 weeks with proper maintenance and moisturization. Today, Taylor and I are going to show you this amazing flat twist updo using all Palmer's Olive Oil Formula products (plus our favorite styling tools of course). This range is one of our favorites because the quality is amazing, it's infused with Jamaican Black Castor Oil, and best of all—the products are super affordable.

Pre-style Musts

It's very important to have clean, hydrated hair before protective styling. Just remember if you style on dry, damaged hair you are going to lock in exactly that—dryness and damage! No thanks. But if your hair is clean and moisturized beforehand, you're going to lock in all that goodness instead.

To prep Taylor's hair I first used the Olive Oil Formula Smoothing Shampoo. This shampoo has amazing slip that allows me to detangle her hair while cleansing. It's easy to rinse, sulfate free, and never leaves her hair feeling stripped. Before her hair has a chance to lose any of that moisture, I follow up immediately with the Olive Oil Formula Deep Conditioner! We set a timer for 5-10 minutes to really let the extra virgin oil seep into her strands. Pro tip: try using a plastic cap to add even more benefits!

Because it's extremely important to style on detangled hair, we detangle while shampooing and conditioning as well as one final time after she's all dried off to keep the tangles from locking up in her protective 'do.

Finally, we rinse the deep conditioner out and add the Olive Oil Formula Leave-In Conditioner—a convenient spray that strengthens and softens her beautiful curls with keratin and silk proteins! Talk about a combo-deal!

Keeping the style safe

Now that Taylor's hair is clean and conditioned it's time to start styling for real. We're using Palmer's Olive Oil Glossing Hair Mousse and Super Control Gel for Edges to keep this style in place, stop any outer breakage in its tracks, freeze out flyaways, and give her curls a high-definition shine. Doing so will make sure the style stays fresh longer!

Use the Mousse on the length of your hair before each flat twist, and after the twists are done keep the Edge Control, well... right where it says!

Supporting Staff

Palmer's styling products definitely made this process easier, however, styling tools are just as important. You can't get all this fabulous with fingers alone! We started the flat twists in the back of her head going horizontally. Twist by twist, I added the Control Gel for Edges with Camryn's BFF Edge Brush and then detangled each section with our favorite Felicia Leatherwood Detangling Brush. The final style includes both flat twists and two strand twists and can last up to 3 weeks with proper care such as sleeping with a satin bonnet or pillowcase, adding moisture + oil to the scalp as needed, and keeping edges smooth with the gel.

Want a sneak peek at this style in action? Check it out!

And that was just a taste.

For the full scoop, take a look at the full video and see how we used the Palmer's Olive Oil Formula Suite to the fullest! Pro tip: if you're out and about, you can pick this line up at your local Target andWalmart! Okay, maybe there can be a quick and convenient option with curl care every once in a while.

This tutorial presented in partnership by Palmer's.

Yolanda Renee is a popular natural hair enthusiast, influencer, designer, and YouTuber. She creates content centered around motherhood, natural hair, beauty, and lifestyle. To keep up with her & family, follow @etcblogmag on social media and subscribe, http://bit.ly/TheBecksVlog.