7 Easy Nubian Hairstyles & More

Nubian Hairstyles/Nubian Twist Braids/Nubin Twist

Nubian Twist Styles for Ladies

Nubian twists are a protective hairstyle that involves twisting natural hair with coily, spring-like extensions, creating a look that closely mimics natural curls.

This style is popular among individuals transitioning back to their natural hair texture, as it provides a natural appearance while protecting the hair.

Installation Process

Preparation: Start with clean, detangled hair and section it into manageable parts.
Extension Application: Fold the Nubian hair extension in half to create a “U” shape and place the center of the “U” at the root of a hair section.

Braiding: Begin with a three-strand braid at the root for about an inch to secure the extension.
Twisting: Divide the three strands into two and proceed with a two-strand twist down to the ends. The twist should be tight enough to prevent unraveling but not so tight as to cause tension on the scalp.

Benefits:

Protective Styling: Nubian twists help shield natural hair from environmental factors and daily manipulation, reducing breakage and promoting growth.

Versatility: They can be styled in different ways, including updos, ponytails, or left loose, and can be customized in various lengths, thicknesses, and colors.
Low Maintenance: Once installed, Nubian twists require minimal upkeep, making them a great option for individuals looking for a stylish yet low-maintenance hairstyle.

Maintenance Tips:

Cleansing: Gently cleanse the scalp and twists using a diluted shampoo solution to prevent product buildup.

Moisturizing: Regularly apply a light oil or leave-in conditioner to keep both the natural hair and extensions hydrated.
Sleeping: Protect the twists at night by covering them with a satin or silk scarf or bonnet to reduce friction and frizz.

Nubian twists typically last between four to six weeks, depending on care and hair growth.

It’s important to monitor the health of your natural hair and scalp during this period and to remove the twists if any issues arise.

Nubian Twist Braiding Extensions Site:ChickAboutTown.com

For creating Nubian twists, it’s essential to use hair extensions that closely mimic the natural coily texture.

The ideal choice is synthetic hair with a tight, coiled pattern, often referred to as “Nubian hair.”

This type of hair provides the springy, natural-looking twists characteristic of the Nubian twist style.

When selecting hair for Nubian twists, look for extensions labeled as “Nubian twist hair” or “spring twist hair.”

These are designed to achieve the desired coiled appearance. Brands like Xtrend offer suitable options, such as their 12-inch spring twist hair extensions.

Using the appropriate hair ensures that your Nubian twists will have the authentic, springy look that defines this protective hairstyle.

How Much Is Nubian Twist in Kenya?

You can expect to pay around Ksh. 600-850 for a packet of Nubian Twist extensions in Kenya.

Ordinarily, Nubian Twist hairstyles take about 2 packets per head.

How to Style Nubian Twists

Nubian Twist Colours

Nubian twists come in a surprisingly broad range of colours.

Although natural black and dark brown shades are probably the most familiar, you can use colour to make the twists look very subtle, add highlights, create an ombré effect, or make the hairstyle deliberately bold.

One thing to know is that colour availability depends on the particular extension hair you buy.

Nubian-twist hair is sold in standard braid colours as well as blended and ombré combinations.

For example, Nubian twist hair is available in shades ranging from black and brown through blonde, burgundy, red, copper, grey and some more unconventional colours.

1. Black Nubian Twists

1 and 1B are the obvious starting points.

1 is a very deep, jet-black shade.
1B is generally a softer natural black or off-black.

For Nubian twists, 1B is particularly useful if you want the colour to look close to naturally dark hair rather than intensely black.

You can also combine 1B with another shade instead of using it throughout the entire head.

2. Brown Nubian Twists

Brown is one of the easiest ways to change the look without making the colour dramatically obvious.

Common choices include:

2 – dark brown
4 – medium/dark brown
30 – warm auburn or chestnut brown
33 – a deeper reddish brown

A #4 Nubian twist can give you a noticeably softer appearance than black while remaining relatively natural-looking.

You can also mix black and brown, such as 1B/4, for a subtle dimensional effect.

3. Blonde Nubian Twists

Blonde can range from warm golden shades to very light blonde.

Some commonly encountered extension colours include:

27 – a golden or honey-blonde shade
613 – a much lighter platinum-type blonde
27/613 – a blend of golden blonde and lighter blonde

A full head of blonde Nubian twists is quite a statement, but 1B/27 or 4/27 gives you a much softer transition.

4. Burgundy Nubian Twists

Burgundy is particularly attractive with the texture of Nubian twists because the colour adds richness without requiring a completely different hairstyle.

You’ll see both burgundy and 99J used in braiding-hair colour ranges. Some

Nubian twist products also specifically offer T1B/BURGUNDY, which gives you a dark natural-black root transitioning into burgundy.

That makes a black-to-burgundy combination an interesting option if you want colour without having bright red twists from the roots.

5. Auburn, Copper and Ginger

If you want something warmer, look at:

30 – warm auburn/chestnut
350 – copper/ginger-red territory
T1B/30 – dark-rooted auburn
T1B/350 – dark-rooted copper

These colours can look particularly good when the twists are worn loose because the textured surface catches the light differently along the length.

There are also blended options such as T1B/30/27, which move through dark brown/black, auburn and golden-blonde tones.

6. Ombré Nubian Twists

Ombré is one of the most interesting ways to use colour with Nubian twists.

Instead of having one colour from root to tip, the hair gradually changes colour.

Some examples include:

T1B/27 — dark root to golden blonde
T1B/30 — dark root to auburn
T1B/350 — dark root to copper
T1B/BURG — dark root to burgundy
T27/613 — blonde-to-lighter-blonde

There are also three-colour combinations. T1B/27/30, for example, combines an off-black base with honey blonde and auburn.

This is a good approach if you like colourful hair but don’t want the entire hairstyle to be one bright shade.

7. Red Nubian Twists

Red can range from a relatively deep wine colour to a much brighter red.

You may encounter:

99J for a deep burgundy/wine effect
350 for a warmer copper-red
red as a more straightforward bright red
1B/red or similar combinations for dark-rooted colour

A dark-rooted red can be particularly wearable because the colour doesn’t begin abruptly at the scalp.

8. Grey and Silver Nubian Twists

Grey is another option, particularly if you like deliberately unconventional hair colour or want to incorporate grey into a hairstyle.

Some extension ranges offer grey, T1B/grey, and grey/silver combinations.

The darker-rooted versions give you a transition rather than an entire head of grey.

You could therefore have something like black-to-grey Nubian twists, rather than simply choosing solid grey.

9. Unconventional Colours

You don’t have to stay within the traditional black-brown-blonde-red spectrum.

Some Nubian twist hair is available in colours such as:

dark blue
purple
white
green
pink
combinations of unusual colours

For example, one Nubian twist range lists dark blue, dark purple, red and white alongside its conventional shades.

These colours make the hairstyle much more obviously a colour choice, rather than an attempt to imitate natural hair.

10. Mixing colours yourself

You don’t necessarily have to buy a pre-blended colour.

You can combine two or more colours when installing the twists. For example:

1B + 4
A subtle black-and-brown combination.

1B + 30
Dark hair with warm auburn dimension.

1B + 27
Black and honey-blonde contrast.

4 + 30
A warmer brown-and-auburn combination.

1B + 99J
Black with deep burgundy.

This gives you much more control over how prominent the colour is. You can distribute the lighter pieces evenly throughout the head, concentrate them around the front, or put them predominantly toward the ends.

Nubian twist colour doesn’t have to be uniform

That’s probably the most useful thing to remember.

You can have solid-colour Nubian twists, subtle highlights, alternating colours, ombré, or dark roots with brighter lengths.

The texture of Nubian twists also means that colour doesn’t necessarily look as flat as it would on a straight hairstyle. The coiled, textured surface creates little variations in how the colour catches light.

So if you’re looking at Nubian twist colours for a hairstyle, I’d group the choices into four broad directions:

Look	Colours to consider
Natural	1, 1B, 2, 4
Warm	30, 33, 350
Colourful but wearable	1B/27, 1B/30, 1B/Burgundy
Bold	613, red, purple, blue, grey, multicolour

Photo credits: Natural Hair Kenya, Wakanda Beauty Spa, King N Queen Beauty Paradise Hair Braiding, La Reine African Hair Braiding, ShopBeautyDepot, The Beauty Cottage, Karim Salon and Spa