I Got Jumbo Twists For The First Time — & I’ve Never Felt More Confident

The past six months of quarantine have inspired many dramatic haircuts. But the same way that people have been plotting curtain bangs or a four-inch chop for October, just as many have been opting for the opposite kind of hair transformation: adding extensions.

For L.A.-based influencer Jamilah Middlebrooks, the objective is to take her natural hair and give it extra length and a whole new look with the help of a protective style. "Typically, I've just worn my hair pretty natural," Middlebrooks says of her personal hair journey, "but I've been sitting in the house during quarantine and I'm excited to try something different."

To complement her Southern-belle style, Middlebrooks had her heart set on long, 30-inch jumbo twists. "I'm from Georgia and I've always been taught that your hair is your crown and a jewel that you carry," she says. "I want jumbo twists because I've never had them before, but I've seen them on so many people and they look gorgeous, like these beautiful goddess majestic braids."

To help in both the styling and education, Middlebrooks schedules an appointment with Sabrina Porsche, Beyoncé's hairstylist and total braiding pro. According to Porsche, the jumbo twist is a chic braiding alternative that's super trendy right now. "We did a lot of jumbo twists on the set of Black Is King," she says. "Since then, I've been seeing the style everywhere."

Porsche makes the process look easy: She starts by sectioning the hair, then uses a crochet needle to attach a hair extension to each subsection. To create the twists, she divides each extension into two strands and twists down the extension from root to end. Then comes the important finishing touches of sealing the twists to keep them shiny and designing the hairline edges. "I use Nairobi Wrapping Foam to seal the twists," Porsche explains. "Once I get that all over, I grab an edge tamer and an edge brush to lay the edges into a design. In this case, we're doing little circles and zigzags."

The expert tell us that professional jumbo twists can typically last up to a month or a month and a half, depending on how well you take care of them. Her tips for maintenance include wrapping your hair at night and treating your twists with TLC. "If you start noticing flyaways, take a hot wet cloth, lay it on the hair, and let it sit on the hair for 10 to 15 seconds, and you'll notice that those hairs tend to relax," Porsche advises. "When you sleep, try putting your twists into a topknot bun, which might be heavy but will ultimately be beneficial for your hair."

When all is said and done, Middlebrooks is thrilled with her new jumbo twists. "I love them, and I actually can't believe I waited this long to get twists," she raves, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "They definitely give me that goddess look, and overall I feel confident, happy, and beautiful."