posted on: 10/21/2025
Vivienne Mackinder says the French twist is like a little black dress—“it never goes out of style, but what makes it current is how you deconstruct it.” She says once you know the fundamentals, you can make the style your own. “Classic versions are sleek, polished and red-carpet ready, while a modern take can be undone, textured, asymmetrical and playful,” says Mackinder, founder of Vivienne Mackinder Education. “Your artistry lies in knowing when to pull back into classic elegance and when to let strands escape, creating something fashion-forward and lived-in.”
Here are the core disciplines of building the twist,
according to Mackinder:
• Backcombing (Stacking and Packing): This is where strength begins. The base must be compact and balanced in height, depth, and width.
• Sculpting and Pinning: Precision pinning creates security, while sculpting defines shape. Together, they transform the foundation into a polished silhouette.
• Hair Sewing (Modernizing the Twist): Once the classic form is achieved, use sewing techniques to loosen, deconstruct, or reshape the twist into something fresh and modern.
A modern French twist begins with the set. Here are Mackinder’s tips:
• Product Test: Too much or too little product will either collapse the style or make it stiff. Do a strand test first to ensure the set and the product are cohesive.
• Directional Set: The set must mirror the direction of the hairstyle. This gives volume, texture, and control.
Steps to Getting the French Twist Look
1. Prep hair with thermal setting spray, then blast dry with a blow-dryer.
2. Use a large curling iron to set a pattern from the top of head down to the nape; clip each section to create a “cold set” and a strong base. Tip: Study shape in the mirror. Design from the model or guest’s prospective and create the classic triangle for ultimate beauty and balance.
3. Run your fingers through the hair to relax the set.
4. Tease the hair around the crown at the root with more “stack and pack” back-combing.
5. Mesh the hair (a light and flat back-combing method), lightly spray with hair spray, and brush into a loose ponytail at the crown. Use an elastic thread and plastic needle to sew, working around the head in an up-and-down pattern.
6. Create “valleys and peaks” for a relaxed undo style and spray a touch of hair spray to hold in place.
“A French twist is a masterclass in discipline, design, and reinvention,” says Mackinder. “Learn the fundamentals, then bend the rules to make it your own. That’s how you take a timeless style and make it modern.”
About the Author—
Vivienne Mackinder is a respected innovator in the hairdressing world, who served as Artistic Director for Vidal Sassoon and International Creative Director for Trevor Sorbie. Her company, Vivienne Mackinder Education, offers post-graduate education designed to develop and refine the skills necessary to increase value and income behind the chair, as well as elevate to the highest level of professional excellence and mastery.
Photo Credits: Hair: Vivienne Mackinder; Photographer: Roberto Ligresti; Makeup: David Maderich.