40 Senegalese Twist Hairstyles for Black Women

Senegalese twists allow you to decorate your hair any way you wish, without risking damage to your hair. Many of us want adorable, cute hair, but worry about all the damage done by blow drying, hot irons, and holding sprays or gels. Not to mention the damage that relaxers do to our hair.

The cool thing about these are the ability to retain the health of your natural hair because you don’t need to wreck your own hair using expensive and damaging products to try and achieve adorable and fashionable looks for everyday wear. You can even find extra fancy ones perfect for weddings, or a night out.

Perfect for office work, a trip to the mall, or simply because you want to turn some heads with your gorgeous and versatile look, these are the way to go.

1. Simple twist.

This model has a simple Senegalese twist style. The twists are shoulder length and allowed to naturally fall as they want. The result is multiple lengths on the twists and a wavy texture all around.

2. Short hair.

If you prefer short hair you can still have that with the Senegalese Twist, here she has her hair cut in a bob with the twists curling around her face. The tight even coils are larger for a more dramatic look.

3. Twists and braids.

This model shows off her twists and braids. The braids create beautiful lines on the sides and back with the top twisted and shaped into a Mohawk look. The detailed twists from a tight shape sweeping across her forehead.

4. Red stripes.

With long twists you have a lot of options. Here she has added red twists into her hair and the result when pulled up into a large bun is a beautiful stripped effect. The red stripes direct your eyes up to the large bun making it an eye caching look.

5. Pink ombre.

Ombre is one of the hot looks right now for any hair style. Here we have an ombre Senegalese twist. The hot pink against the dark brown twists stand out. The twists make the pink ends stand out more as it is not uniform in distribution. The pink color will pop up ins random places the further up the twist you go. This effect will make any other styling of the twists take on a different appearance.

6. Fishtail braid.

Senegalese twists are perfect for braiding. Because of the texture of most women of color’s hair, braiding can be challenging. The twists allow you to create styles that you otherwise would not have been able to achieve. Here we have a long fishtail braid that is done in blond.

7. Fun knot. 

The fun thing about twists, is you can do just about anything with them. This style shows just how versatile they are. Some are swept back into a knot on top of her head, others are hanging loosely around her face and they all work together to create layers of twists that accentuate her face.

8. Smooth look.

Another style of think twists, this one longer. The twists are arranged in different directions with multiple parts so they hang around her face down in multiple lengths. The think twists make for a smooth look and show off highlights and color variations.

9. Funky fun.

Sometimes you just need to have fun with your hair and think out of the box. No need for a hair bow here. Take your twists and form a big bow right out of your hair in this fun and different look. The top layer of hair is pulled from the sides and back and added to the top to form a big bow on the crown of the head. The bottom layer of hair is left to hang down around the sides and back.

10. Piece of art.

There are many ways to show your personality, this look has some mystery in it as it dips across the eyebrow and down to the corner of the eye. The multi color twists are all woven together into a large braid that is swept across the top of her head and down.

11. Fun and flirty.

Thick twists that taper down and curl make this style fun and flirty. She parts her hair on the side sweeping it across her face. Her natural hair color adds light highlight that give the twists dimension and accentuate the twist patterns.

12. Sweet combo.

Here is a combination of braids and twists. One side she has spiral braids close to the scalp leading up to the crown where the long thick twists cascade down. The smooth twists are a stark contrast to the tight braids on the side.

13. Dramatic effect.

Color adds so much to hair, don’t be afraid to go bold. Deep purple against her skin tone is stunning. The darker color makes her face brighter. The long twists and arranged on top of her head to form a sweeping knot showing off the braids along the side. The long twists down the back can hang down or be swept over the shoulder for a more dramatic effect framing her entire face.

14. Many textures.

This stand out Senegalese twist look takes a portion of the twists and forms a ponytail to start. They then transform the ponytail into a coiled braid that adds texture a different component to the long smaller twists left hanging in the back.

15. Bold highlights.

Another good use of color to highlight a style is shown here. The blond against the rich brown in these twists stands out adding a dramatic contrast when the hair is pulled into a bun. This emphasizes the spiral coils in the hair in the finished style.

16. Bun.

Another bun, this one pulled up to the crown with the long twists hanging down the back. The emphasis on the twists being pulled up to form the bun elongate the women’s face while the long tresses handing down from the back elongate the neck profile.

17. Natural waves. 

A good style for the summer to reduce frizzing is small tight twists. Here the model has her hair done in many small twists allowing the ends to curl and the twists to form natural waves. When parted on the side the ends take on an uneven length and add layers to the look. This style is easy to maintain and ready to go with minimal effort.

18. Office style.

This style clean, neat and professional. The smaller locks are than transformed into a thick braid down her back and kept neat and tight. The look is great for the office or anywhere you need to keep your twists out of the way without adding a dramatic flair like some styles.

19. 50 shades of blue.

If you are brave you can go with all over color like this women. Her twists are dyed a variety of blue hues. The twists blend the color variations like natural highlights only in a dramatic blue. Pulled back into a pony tail and allowed to flow down this contrast to her skin tone is complementary.

20. Cute headband.

Add a headband and you have a new look for your twists. In this style the women has placed a headband over the top of her hair. She wears it low on her forehead and that starts tucking the twists around the headband to form a rolled look. This look can be adapted by simply changing out the headband to suite your mood or outfit and adjusting how tightly your tuck in the twists.

21. Twisty pompadour.

This style is called the pompadour twist up do. It has a fancy sweep across the forehead with no twists handing down the back. This is a great style for special occasions or a professional office environment.

22. Easy fun.

Ready for some fun? This look is all that. Part the hair and make two small high buns on the top and then let the rest of the twists fall down the side and back. This is a great look for heading out to a party of the club when you want to be noticed.

23. Elegant style.

A simple and elegant style is the twisted sides half up do. This style takes the coils and twists them together framing the face and keeping them back. The rest is left lose down the back. This look is quick to style and take down.

24. Conservative look.

For this style you will use a Dutch braid for the front section of hair and you can than place it in a side ponytail. This takes a conservative look and spices things up. The thick braid on the side is an attention getter but keeps the locks under control.

25. Back tie.

When all over color is too bold for you, but you want more than just a few highlights, this style could be the one for you. Several of the twists from the front and sides are dyed a bold color leaving the rest natural. You can than style those separate twists like this woman does in a simple tie at the back. This adds a pop of color without too much commitment to a the all over look.

26. Ultra high bun.

This high bun style is dramatic in it’s height and the twists emphasize the movement of the hair into the bun. To create this look you start with a ponytail and split it in two that wrap them in alternating directions around the base and secure. The result is a high bun on the crown of the head.

27. Classic bun.

This Senegalese twist up do is simple to create. Start with all the hair pulled to one side and dived into two parts. Twist the two parts together and now bring up and pin into the desired look you want. You can make this look as simple or as complicated as you desire.

28. Combo.

For a combination of an updo and long twists down the back this style is an eye catcher. Start with a pony tail and divide into two sections wrapping them around the base of the pony tail to make the knot shape. Hold the ends in place with bobby pins and let the lower layer in the back hang lose. This look really elongates the face.

29. Bold and edgy.

If you’re looking for more of a cutting edge look, what about shaving part of your head? Here we have gorgeous long red twists pulled up into a pony tail at the top of the head. Under the layer of twist she has shaved a design into her hair. This is great for up dos, and when you need to be more conservative you just let the twists fall down covering the back.

30. Confident.

A women’s hair is an extension of her personality. Here we have a woman that is confident and not afraid to try new things. The bold purple looks great with her skin tone and the intricate knot made from her twists is fun and different.

31. Quick and easy.

Another quick and easy style that looks elegant. Place the top layer of hair into a pony tail and then divide into two sections. Then you just twist the two together and secure the ends. Wrap a couple twists around the base of your pony tail and your ready to go!

32. Ponytail style.

Another pony tail style here, this time take the partitioned hair and loosely twist it around the front across your forehead. The sweep up of the twists adds height and draws the eyes up.

33. Silver queen.

With a color like silver / gray you don’t need a fancy style to make a statement, the color does it all for you. This shimmering look is achieved from long tresses of twists pulled up into a pony tail and left to cascade down her back. With the right make up this look is exotic and very flattering to those of all ages.

34. Twist the twists.

Turn your small Senegalese twists into large rope twists and braid them together for this polished look. The smaller twists are sectioned off and twisted again into the chunky rope twists, that are than braided for a finishing touch.

35. Elevate your style.

Twisting your coils together like this make a crown around your face adding instant style with little effort. The long coils from the back tuck under the crown giving the look more detail and sophistication.

36. Fun with red.

Another fun style, bright red color buns. These long twists are shaped into two buns on the top of the head with the ends wrapped around the base for a multidimensional look. The bright red color is fun and daring.

37. Complicated updo.

This looks requires more time and effort but you can see the results are well worth it. The multicolor twists aid in seeing all the detail that goes into this style.

38. Exotic look.

For this style you will end up with 3 braids to your twists. The top is a Dutch braid shaped to the side leaving the other side exposed to see the beautiful coils pulled tight to the scalp. The remaining twists are divided and put into two French braids making an exotic look.

39. Elegant look.

This women has created and elegant look by placing the front half of her twist into a large knot at the front, and leaving the rest in a long pony tail down the back. Simple but gorgeous and great for an evening out.

40. Wrap the braid.

For this style we have another braid made from the top portion of twists. This braid however is wrapped around the front of the head to make a headband. The rest is left to hand down under the braid. This would be great to add some fun hair pieces into in order to dress it up.

In conclusion, there are so many choices to choose from, you could try a different style every week and never run out of ideas for the future. Whether it’s a splash of color, or adding pretty beads, or decorative bows, these allow you the freedom to design amazing and awesome hairdos while leaving your natural hair intact.

Be daring, be bold, whatever you choose, you are definitely going to stand out of a crowd and be noticed for the gorgeous hair fashion. Styling these can be a bit of an art form, so if you need to practice, that is perfectly okay too.

(all images are sourced via pinterest.com)