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Girrrl!! These 35 short Senegalese twist braids are some of the best-looking and favorite styles for many naturals, these super-cute kinky twists and unique Senegalese twist styles & updos will give you NEW short hairstyle ideas for months.
You'll also see:
And at the veerrrrry bottom of this gallery you'll get my best products suggestions, because healthy hair makes your styles TRULY beautiful.
You'll see my recommended hydrating shampoo choice and more.
So make sure to scroll through all the styles to reach my recommended hair health products list. And enjoy sis!
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FIRE! Both the plum lipstick and this small Senegalese twist crochet hairstyle. This hairstyle is versatile and fun. And if you love a good long bob, you need to take this picture to your stylist and tell her to give you this Senegalese twist bob look ASAP!
This medium Senegalese twist updo is perfect for date night. (Especially when your makeup is POPPIN' like hers is),
YES!!! I love to see the hair accessories add that extra bit of flair to Senegalese twist for short hair, it's #BlackGirlMagic at it's fullest. It's super cute!}
This hairstyle is simply sexy and chic, from the window to the walls! This medium-short Senegalese twist bob is a SURE compliment magnet!
Many women ask "How do you keep Senegalese twists tight?"
The answer is, first, install them or have them installed correctly. And use top-notch extension hair while being sure to avoid the wrong hair types.
When you master these 2 important steps, you'll know how to keep Senegalese twists looking fresh for longer.
And this Senegalese twist braids how-to tutorial video from Breanna Rutter teaches you that same lesson through a detailed, step-by-step explanation.
After watching that video you should be able to DIY your twists THE RIGHT WAY and then style them into whichever hairstyle you feel fits your face shape and style the best.
It doesn't matter whether you prefer short or medium Senegalese twist styles updos, kinky twists with curly ends or long jumbo styles in various colors.
Colors like the red and ombre colors I'll show you further down this page...
Having the best hair and hair tools is no small thing. In the Senegalese rope twist install instruction video above, Breanna used 5 packs of high-quality Kanekalon braiding hair. Pre-stretched extension hair is best.
These braided twists, are said to have originated in Senegal, a West African country.
The hair products and braiding supplies used in this tip tutorial are:
I love the shine and sheen on these short Senegalese twist crochet hairstyles. These are suitable for women with natural hair and in need of a protective style, as well as little girls who need a cute hairstyle for school.
I feel like short Senegalese twist crochet braids are a perfect summer hairstyle, some might feel that this looks like a Senegalese twist wig, and although it's sometimes hard to tell the difference between real twists and twist wigs.
These in the photo above are real twists...
As you see above, you can put these twist styles in updos and various wrap around styles. This would make a gorgeous bridesmaid hairdo, imagine a bridal party rocking these small Senegalese twist crochet hairstyles down the aisle, looking fab-u-lous!
And all hairstyles can be manipulated and arranged to each bridemaids personal style and desired look. They are also great styles for adding little design trinket ornaments, braid ring jewelry and hair accessories.
These short Senegalese twist braids have this beautiful woman displaying her Black Girl Magic TO THE FULLEST!
And listen:
If you know a Black hair salon or independent hair stylist who can do these unique braid designs and styles, please write to me about them and maybe we'll feature some of their work soon.
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Although Marley hair may seem to be the number one best extension hair choice for many naturals who commonly wear box braids for growth and as a method for protective hairstyling, the consensus favorite and best types of braiding hair extensions for Senegalese twists are Kanekalon silky braiding hair extensions.
The second best is Toyokalon (yaki braid extension hair). And you don’t need to worry about how much are Senegalese twists extensions, the hair usually only cost about 25$ or less for 7 bundles, which is usually more than enough for an install..
And of course, you want Sengalese braiding hair that is very light-weight, hair that doesn’t make you itch, smells neutral and has no foul odor, no tangles and no shedding. The Yaki texture should be soft, smooth and feel like human hair.
The answer, in general, is 7 packs for short, medium to jumbo Senegalese hairstyles.
Thinner braid twists will require more bundles of hair, while thicker twist styles are going to call for fewer bundles of Kanekalon hair.
As a general rule of thumb, seven packs enough for what's needed and if you're going for very thin, small Senegale twist braids, eight packs of hair is a safe starting point.
If you're doing thicker Senegalese twists, you might be able to get a twist install done with only 6 packs of high-quality braid extensions.
There are pros and cons to getting Sengalese twists, one of the negatives is the fact that installation can take up to 6 or more hours to do twists.
Because the time that it takes to install Senegalese twists is long and can cause some to not want to endure the long process, some choose to “cheat” and use pre-twisted braiding hair because the installation process goes much faster if you buy pre-twisted braiding hair and use correct crochet braiding techniques.
I think Senegalese Twist with curly ends are my favorite type in the genre of twist styles, the curly ends look especially cute with ombre and blonde or brown tips when your main color is black.
The edges are highlighted and the curls give a playful, yet sexy look.
Short Senegalese twist crochet hairstyles are becoming more and more popular as the natural hair community realizes the value of protective styles in our natural hair journey regimens.
Sis is shining brighter than a diamond! She is also rockin' the ombre colored twists with curly ends. LOVE IT!!!
Short senegalese twist braids are also a great professional look for nurses and corporate business settings. Especially now that more anti-discrimination bills are being passed to protect Black women and our hairstyles in the workplace.
Will Senegales twist styles weigh your head down too much? Well. It depends on the length and how much hair you use.
When installing SHORT-to-MEDIUM length Senegalese twists, no, they will not be too heavy.
In your installation the twists start off as braids at your scalp and are then are twisted in a spiral pattern, and protecting your scalp health is crucially important for length-retention and faster growth.
Senegalese twist should not feel too heavy if you’re are installing 6 packs of hair or less. Many naturals who get this protective hairstyle use only 5 or 6 packs of the long Kanekalon braiding hair, and it’s not too heavy, it feels lightweight and is a very versatile style.
I love how she put her short Senegalese twist braids on her widow's peak, 9because I have a widoe's peak too, lol). this twist braid style was done very professionally.
If you’re wondering if installing Senegalese twist is faster than box braid installations, the answer is yes.
Well... usually.
You see... Senegalese twist braids take less time to install and take down.
But, one disadvantage is that twists unravel more easily than your typical box braids.
That makes it more difficult to thoroughly wash your hair without undoing your Senegalese hairstyle.
Yes, ofcourse you can and should shower with twists, you just need to be more aware of not messing them up while you bathe, so that you keep them tight and without frizzing up.
So there are definite pros and cons to both protective hairstyles.
The box braids take longer to install and longer to takedown and that's a negative, but you can easily wash your hair as often as you'd like without worrying about the braids coming out too soon, that's a big positive.
Although these twists may be viewed by some naturals as long Senegalese twists, I had to add them to this page because in comparison to the twists that go down to waist-length and past the butt of some women, I see these as short and gorgeous.
These almost look like a hybrid mix between short Senegalese twist crochet hair and kinky twists, either way, a professional natural hair salon will be able to give you this twisted style.
If you’re worried about Senegalese twist braids damaging your natural hair, don’t be. Because, NO, Senegalese twist won’t hurt your hair or scalp UNLESS they are being secured too tightly to your scalp (i.e. a bad wig-snatching installation).
Your normal installation is completely safe and helps your hair health and length-retention efforts. But twisting too tightly can turn a protecting, hair-growth promoting hairstyle into a style that becomes the cause of breakage.
This tightness problem often happens with hairstyles such as box braids, goddess braids, etc.
While it’s true that wearing these protective hairstyles are a great way to grow your natural Black hair, it’s SUPER-IMPORTANT to pay attention to the tension-stress you may be putting on your edges. Overall though, no, Senegalese twists are not bad for your hair.
Using attractive braid jewelry and accessories can make your short Senegalese twist crochet hairstyles looking like something Queen Cleopatra wore!
Gorgeous, simple and cute. If you get these short Senegalese twist extensions in your hair, please send your photos in to be posted on the blog!
You have to love the unique color on these red ombre-style Senegale twists, they are neat-looking and very brilliant looking with a shine that draws attention and snatches compliments like crazy.
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I'm TRULY feeling these gold or blonde twist hairstyles, they really display the color very well and help you stand out from the crowd.
The better choice depends on your hair journey and your goals. Box braids are great for hair growth and well-known as being a long-lasting protective hairstyle for Black women with natural type 4 textured hair.
Box braids are better if you need a protective hairstyle that will last a long time. On the other hand, Senegalese Twists can start to unravel pretty quickly in comparison, but are more trendy, unique and much cuter in my opinion.
Hey, and if you're wondering "How do you sleep with Senegalese twists?", the answer is that you can sleep better without pain from the very first night by doing a turban style medium-to-long twists and sleeping with a premium-grade satin hair bonnet, it will make your hair flat on every side and it will fight against frizz.
For shorter twists, you'll sleep better by tying your twists back with a stain or silk scarf so that your twists aren't rubbing against each other.
If you want to see a video tutorial for these 2 comfortable ways on how to sleep with Senegalese twists or box braids in the 1st night, click here for Senegalese twist braids tip video...
You can tell that sis had a real professional natural hair stylist do her short Sengegalese twist because her parts and edges are fully defined and super-crispy. This is elite work.
These Senegalese twist styles updos are fit for a wedding or bridal party. Natural hairstyles like these are not only protective styles, but they help you grow your hair from shorter haircuts for women and look like a million bucks.
If you’re wondering how are Senegalese twist and Havana twists different, here’s the answer.
Havana twists are known to be bigger and chunkier, very similar to Marley twists, it’s just that they show fewer twists compared to Marley twists because each twist is larger in diameter size, so of course, in comparison to Senegalese twists, Havana twists are bigger and bulkier than Senegalese twists by far.
With Senegalese twists, the silky smooth texture of Kanekalon extension hair gives you a sleeker, tighter twist in appearance. And it looks so classy!
This is another short Senegalese twist hairstyle with cute curly ends, the curly ends are a cute hairstyle option that you can ask your natural hairstylist for or do yourself...
If you want a smaller twist then you'll see that Senegalese twists are the better choice because Senegalese Twist are usually done with a straighter grade of braiding hair than the type of extension hair used for Kinky Twists, helping to make the twist smaller and more compact.
Senegales twists give off a silkier look and feel and are usually worn long.
If larger sized twists are your preference then Kinky twists will be the better selection because they are done with kinky braiding hair and are usually larger in size than Senegalese.
Both hairstyles look chic, unique and have you looking like Black.Girl.Magic. PERIODT.
I am in love with the short Senegalese twist braids on top, some even wear them with the shaved sides, a very funky, chic look for the natural hair honey with personality!
If you want to use one of these short Senegalese twist braids that will boost growth and stop excess breakage, I want you to check out our article about how to grow hair with box braids.
For you to get the BOMB short Senegalese twist braids you need to start off with healthy and hydrated hair. Here are the suggested natural hair products.
Be warned:
The MoroccanOil oils are super high-quality and the cost reflects that (especially the "big" bottle), although a little goes a long way.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Melissa Lee
Melissa Lee is a Contributing Editor to NHP and a former owner of the BlackhairOMG website. She formed 4C Trichology Growth Services, LLC., a US based hair care consultation service. She has also contributed as a writer and consultant for various hair and beauty websites. Melissa can be followed on Twitter here.