Crochet Passion Twists: What to Buy

Crochet passion twists give you the same finished look as hand-twisted passion twists in a fraction of the time. The hair comes already twisted and pre-looped, so instead of twisting each section yourself, you pull a finished twist through a cornrow with a hook. A full head that would take five or six hours by hand comes down to two or three.

Buying pre-looped hair

Look specifically for pre-looped passion twist hair. Loose water wave hair sold for hand-twisting will not work with a hook, and pre-looped hair sold for other styles has a different texture. Packs vary widely in how many twists they contain, so count rather than assuming, and expect a full head to need six to eight packs at typical density and shoulder length. Longer lengths use more.

The base underneath

Straight-back cornrows suit hanging twists. Keep the rows flat and evenly spaced, roughly an inch apart, and braid the ends down so they do not poke out later. The base is the part that determines whether the finished style lies right, and it is also the part carrying all the weight, so it needs to be firm without being tight. If your own hair is short, small rows are still better than skipping the base.

Hook and technique

A latch hook does the job, and many people prefer the knot method with a plain crochet hook because it sits flatter. Push the hook under the cornrow, catch the loop of the twist, pull it through, then secure it. A single knot holds for a lighter style; two knots or a knotless wrap method sits flatter and shows less at the part. Keep the first row along the hairline slightly looser, since it is the most visible and the most exposed.

Hiding the base

The row that runs along your part is where crochet installs are given away. Placing the twists at slightly different angles rather than uniformly, and using a small amount of edge control on the perimeter, does most of the work. Some people leave a thin strip of their own hair out at the front to cover the first row.