Senegalese Twists

As the name suggests, Senegalese twists originated in the Senegal area of West Africa. The modern day style became a trend in the 2000’s. In 2015, popular magazine Teen Vogue came under fire for its use of modeling Senegalese twists on a Caucasian woman, as opposed to an African-American woman.

Senegalese twists have remained a popular twist style for African-American women. The two-strand twists are created using synthetic jumbo braiding hair, such as Kanekalon or Toyokalon. Like many twists, Senegalese twists are low maintenance and can be worn down or in a high ponytail or bun.

Most women choose to wear Senegalese twists at or below shoulder-length. Senegalese twists can vary in thickness, though it is more common for Senegalese twists to be of medium thickness.

Senegalese twists are commonly worn straight. It is possible to create wavy Senegalese twists by braiding the twists shortly after installing, dipping the braids into hot water, and unraveling.

Senegalese twists can take an average of 8 hours to install and last up to 3 months with proper care. It can take around 4 hours to uninstall.