26 Black Girl-Approved Hairstyles I Never Get Tired of Wearing
Although I can personally testify to the versatility and strength of textured or black hair, it still requires a certain level of protection to remain healthy. In addition to regular cleansing, deep-conditioning, and the occasional treatment, natural strands should also be fashioned into styles that offer some level of protection and look really cute, too.
Black history is paved with innumerable beauty staples, such as hair grease and hot combs. But the unwavering popularity of intricate styling—both braided and otherwise—is what makes us love taking care of our hair even more. And since seasonal changes often ignite hair transformations, we’re giving you a rundown of 26 styles to choose from this spring and summer. You’ve seen them before, but let’s be honest: they never get old.
Faux Locs
This temporary version of dreadlocks is created by braiding the natural hair and wrapping the braid with kinky extension hair.
Box Braids
Three-strand twists that can be fashioned into different lengths, thicknesses, and colors.
Marley Twists
Two-strand twists created with kinky or coily extension hair.
Microbraids
Tiny three-strand twists that can vary in length and color.
Cornrows
Three-strand twists braided flat to the scalp.
Lemonade Braids
Sideswept small- to medium-sized cornrows, inspired by Beyoncé‘s look in “Formation,” the first video off her iconic album “Lemonade.”
Havana Twists
Two-strand twists created with extension hair called Havana hair (or a comparative version from your local beauty supply store), a man-made blend of ultra-soft hair fibers.
Goddess Locs
A method invented by Dr. Kari Williams, created similarly to faux locs, but with curly ends.
Ghana Braids
An African style of braiding, where extension hair is intertwined with your natural hair to add volume to a more traditional cornrow.
Crochet Braids
Also known as latch hook braids, this technique attaches hair extensions to cornrows using a latch hook or crochet hook, as opposed to sewing them in.
Fulani Braids
The most distinctive part of this braided style originated by the Fulani people, a Muslim group in West Africa, is a single braid down the middle of the head.
Feed-In Braids
These braids give off the illusion of extension-enhanced cornrows growing directly from the scalp. The look is created by merging a strand of extension hair with a natural hair strand at the beginning of a braid.
Bantu Knots
A series of small, coiled-up buns that can vary in size.
Headwraps
A solid-color or boldly printed cloth that can be fashioned into various shapes over hair.
Halo Braid
Two braids arranged in a circle around the outer area of the head.
Nubian Twists
Tight, two-strand twists (sometimes with curly ends), created with very soft extension hair.
Sisterlocks
A tinier version of dreadlocks, credited to Dr. JoAnne Cornwell back in 1993.
Wash and Go
When a naturalista chooses to wear her hair out without manipulating or styling it.
Blow-Out
When the hair is slightly straightened using a blow-dryer and hairbrush.
Buzzcut
A super-short haircut that’s close to the scalp.
Pixie Cut
A short hairstyle where hair is often cropped or tapered into varying lengths.
Tapered Cut
A short hairstyle where the sides and back are cut super low, while the middle area is grown out.
Two-Strand Twists
When the hair is parted into different sections, and two thick hair strands are twisted around each other to create texture.
Twist-Out
A hairstyle that’s done after the hair has been worn in two-strand twists over the span of a night or few hours.
Pineapple
A hair technique where curls are worn loosely at the top of the head to prevent tangling.
Flat Twists
Two-strand twists that lie flat on the scalp.
