Does Too Much Re-Twisting Really Cause Thin Locks?

Every time the subject of thinning locks comes up, the advice given to stop the problem is to stop re-twisting so much.  So with that there is a continuous debate on how often you should re-twist your hair.

I have seen people who re-twist their hair anywhere from every 2 weeks to once a month, to never.

When I first started my locks I started a regimen of shampooing my hair and re-twisting every 2 weeks.  This worked really well for me. But then I started to see information about too much re-twisting causing thin locks. And, being a lock newbie I got nervous.  I did not want to cause harm to my hair.

So, I tried to wait longer to re-twist. The longest I have gone so far is 3 weeks.  I guess the reason is because for me, a shampoo means its time to re-twist.  But, I have learned that its not necessary to re-twist every time you wash your hair. I tried the method of washing without re-twisting.

The first couple of times I did this my hair was dry and rough feeling because it was not sealed with the gel I use for a re-twist.  Even though I put product on, my hair still looked frizzy and dry.  This made me feel like there was no way I could go without a re-twist every time.  But, I kept trying and I think I finally figured out the key to at least make my hair soft and look nice without re-twisting after a shampoo.

For my hair the key to getting it to stay soft and look better without a re-twist is to add oil, not grease to it while its wet. Then when it dries, it dries soft.  Sounds real simple but this journey is a process.

With all of that being said, even though I have experimented with the frequency of re-twisting, I'm still not completely convinced that re-twisting my locks every 2 weeks will cause them to get thin.  At least not the way I do it.  I never twist tight.  I'm not really a believer in tight hair styles since they can cause worse problems than thin locks...too tight hair styles can cause alopecia.

Even though I am not convinced I still hesitate to take the risk. But right this minute while I type this, I'm thinking about re-twisting my hair.  The puffy hair at the base of my scalp is telling me its time.