Cornrows & Sister (Rope) Twists

As promised, we're back with another new hair style for your girls! This style works for all ages, even adults. Read below to see how we achieved this look.

Miss A's hair had already been stretched out from her previous hair style (large cornrows), as seen on our instagram, @beadsbraidsbeyond (follow us!) so there was no need for banding this time around. As many of you know, I almost always style on stretched hair. Click here to see how banding works and how it stretches natural hair in preparation for styling.

Alright, so now that the hair is already stretched, I applied a little Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer to her hair and gently detangled with a Denman brush. Once her hair was completely detangled, I began cornrowing the top of her hair straight back for about an inch or two. I didn't want to braid too far back because I wanted the twists to hang to the side (as shown in pictures). If you're not able to cornrow, you can always flat twist, or check out our Cornrowing for Beginners post. I ended each cornrow with a rubberband (not too tight!) and began doing a sister (otherwise known as rope) twist with the remaining hair.

Sister/Rope twists are actually very simple. Split the section of hair into two pieces and begin twisting one clockwise and the other counter-clockwise. So, you're twisting each piece in opposite directions while twisting them around one another. It sounds complicated but try it right now with your own hair. Ready? Grab a small/medium section of hair, split it into two, now begin twisting one piece to the right and twist the other piece to the left, now begin twisting those two pieces around one another while maintaining the clockwise/counter-clockwise motion. Got it? Good! If all else fails, check out some Youtube tutorials. We will be making one of our own in the near future!

Now that the top is done, I moved on to the back. I began at the nape of her neck, parting a small square with my rat tail comb, adding a little Curls Control Paste and twisting, as explained above. I didn't use a rubberband at the base because her hair type holds these twists pretty well. If you're working with a finer texture of hair, you may need rubberbands. I continued parting small squares through-out the back of her hair and twisting until the style was complete.

A common question I'm asked is how I get the ends to stay without using a rubberband. Once again, this has a lot to do with her hair type but, once I reach the end of the twist, I begin rolling the ends between my thumb and index finger several times to ensure they stay put. You can also use a little holding product (such as Curls Control Paste) for a little extra help.

This style is easy to maintain and very versatile. These twists should last between 1 and 2 weeks. Check out our Youtube channel to see how we remove the sister/rope twists.

Instagram saw this style first... Follow us for the latest hair happenings! :) @beadsbraidsbeyond Let us know what you think of Miss A's new style and stay tuned for more blog posts!

Interested in trying out Bee Mine Products (our fav!)? Well, we have a reader discount code for you! Use code: FALLBBB only at www.beemineproducts.com to receive 10% off. Happy shopping!

Cornrows & Sister/Rope Twists Braided to the Side

This is the style I did on A's banded hair. I did this over the course of 3 days because I started during the school week and we didn't want to sit for long periods of time. I absolutely love the look of sister/rope twists! I actually tried to make a video tutorial but for some reason the tripod would not stay straight up, it kept falling down so I gave up after 3 tries. I will have to figure it out because I really want to post more tutorials.

Instructions:

• Again, I started on stretched hair from banding. If you are not familiar with banding, please check out our banding frequently asked questions post.
• I began by parting a section near her left ear for the first cornrow. If you do not know how to cornrow, please check out our cornrowing for beginners post.
• I continued cornrowing three sections near her left ear, then I moved on to the other side at her hairline. I cornrowed three sections on that side then went back to the other side. No reason in particular, this is just how I like to do it. You can certainly stay on one side until you reach the other side.
• At the end of each cornrow I took the three sections and made them into just two sections by borrowing hair from the middle section and adding it into the right and left section. 
• After I had two sections of hair I began doing a sister twist, otherwise known as rope twist. This is not a regular two strand twist. You simply begin twisting one section clockwise and the other section counter clockwise as you twist all the way down. Continue this twisting motion (twist one section to the right and one to the left) until you reach the ends. Please check out this sister twist video tutorial. Once you get to the end of the twist, roll the ends between your index and thumb several times to make sure the twist stays.
• After I cornrowed and twisted the top, I parted the hair horizontally at the nape of the neck and tied the rest of the hair off to get it out of my way. I parted small squares using the end of our metal rat tail comb and began doing the sister/rope twist. I did this to all of the remaining hair until I was finished.
• To make this style look less basic and a little more creative, I gathered the twists coming from the cornrows and started cornrowing the twists all the way to the left side near her ear and tied the cornrow off with a black ouchless band.
• I used Bee Mine Curly Butter (BBBHOT will get you 10% off your purchase) and unrefined coconut oil for this style.
• Please note, I prefer doing the sister/rope twists on dry, stretched hair because it shows length a lot more. I find that when I do this style on wet or damp hair the twists curl up a lot more, don't hold as well and tend to be more frizzy.