There are a lot of natural hair styles out there for you if you have curly or coily hair. In fact I think it is safe to say that you have many more styling options with curly/coily hair than you have with straight hair.

Natural styles generally work with your hair texture. Some styles work better on some hair types but there is a natural style for everyone.

The Afro

One of the most basic natural hair styles is the afro. In fact that is what a lot of people think of when the think of natural styling. If your hair is curly to coily/kinky you should have no problems pulling off this style.

How you wear your afro all is a matter of personal taste. You may like to have it completely smooth or you may like to do the shake and go look. There are surprisingly a lot of variations on this simple style.

You can change the look of your ‘fro by pinning some hair back with hair clips or bobby pins. You can add a part, a flower (or two) all to change the look of your from. The only limit is your imagination.

Depending on the length of your hair up keep on this can be as simple as a little picking and going to needing to braid your hair at night to keep it tangle free for the morning.

The Puff (Afro Puff)

The afro puff is one of the wider worn variations on the afro. It is a tamer way of going free and loose. You can jazz this style up or tone it down depending on your choice of what your used to pull it back. You can use scarves, large pieces of fabric, teeny tiny bands, pantyhose, just use your imagination. You can clip things like broaches directly to the band for a different look.

One note of warning, this natural style can be addictive. What I mean is that it is easy to do and easy to fall back one. While that isn’t bad (you all ways want that ‘old faithful’ style) pulling your hair back excessively can cause you to loose hair around your hairline – traction alopecia. Just keep that in mind if you find yourself wearing a puff day in and day out. And although you may like the “Chinese eye” look, if your hair is pulled back that tight – it is too tight. Loosen it up a little! Your hair will thank you.

The Wash N Go or Shake

Just found out you have to be somewhere in twenty minute and you still need to take a shower and don’t know what to do with your hair? Try the Wash N Go/Shake. When you are done you can either go as is or pull your hair into a Puff.

Try to do this style early in the day so that your hair has time to dry. Sleeping on wet hair not a really good idea.

Finger Coils

Finger Coils is another good simple novice style. You are simply using your fingers to coax your hair into doing what it does naturally.* You can do your whole head or you can coil the part that comes out of your puff (Very cute). All you need is some gel, your fingers and you are good to go. You don’t even need to worry about parting. If you do this after you do the Shake it may be easier to find your coils.

To keep your finger coils looking nice, loosely tie your hair up before you go to bed. A light mist of water and a shake is all you need to do to freshen them up. To get more mileage out of the style you can separate the coils with your fingers after a few days.

*I first saw a girl in my dorm in high school do this. Her hair must have been the same texture all over because when she was done she had perfect little coils. When I tried it shortly after my first big chop, I learned my first lesson that all natural styles don’t work on all hair types. The front center of my hair is wavy/curly, so it wouldn’t cooperate and coil.

Twists (Double Strand Twists, Two Strand Twists, Kinky Twists) and Twist Outs

This is another style that can give you lots of looks not to mention return on time invested. It is a very simple style to achieve and you don’t even have to use a comb. Just part a section of hair split it in two and cross one over the other until you get to the end. There you have it a basic double strand twist.

You can do lots of tiny twists or several big ones. You can combine single twists with flat twist or cornrows .

You can wear your hair twisted for a while and then take them down and were them loose for a different look. You can curl them, braid them or do both for a true textural explosion. Pull them back with a scarf for a twisty puff. Lightly wet them with a little conditioner and water and shake for a twisty shake. You are only limited by your imagination.

To keep your twist looking nice, you will want to tie your hair up before going to bed.

Flat Twist

Flat twists are the perfect complement for twists and coils. They are similar to cornrows in that the hair is flat to the head.

You can combine flat twists in the front with coils in the back. Flat twist your hair straight back and wear it like that or do a flat twist out.

Flat twist can start to look fuzzy really fast and usually only last a max of two weeks. Tying your hair up will help the style to last.

Braids and Braid outs

Braiding makes up the foundation for so many styles. If you don’t know how to braid yet, you should start learning now.

Tiny natural braids can be wet set just like straight hair. You can wear them like that for a while and then you can unbraid them for a curly braid out. Or you can just braid your whole head and then unbraid it for the natural texturizer look.

You can braid your hair in large braids to give texture to your ‘fro. You can use braids to stretch your hair if you want to lengthen your twists look. The sky is truly the limit when it comes to what you can do with braids.

Cornrows

Cornrows are a traditional braiding style that comes to us from West Africa. Your hair is braided to your scalp in a continuous raised row (hence the name “cornrow”). Knowing how to cornrow , like knowing how to braids, is an essential skill for natural hair wearer who want to broaden their styling options.

Cornrows can be worn alone, used as the foundation for other styles, or used to lengthen hair for ‘fros or twists.

If you want your natural cornrows to last, be sure to tie your hair up at night. If you are planning on wearing them for more than a week or two you can freshen them up by using some astringent on a cotton ball to clean your scalp. Washing cornrows may make them come undone (depending on your hair type).

Comb Coils

Comb coils are similar to finger coils in that you are coaxing your hair to coil only this time you are using a comb. As long as your hair is a uniformly coily or curly you should have no problem doing this style.

Comb coils can be done on hair of various lengths. If you are looking for something different to do with you TWA, comb coils could be a cute option. Comb coils also look nice on longer hair. It has more of the appearance of shiny locks or long coils.

Comb coils can be worn alone or combined with cornrows or flat twist.

As with most styles tie your hair up at night to keep them looking fresh.

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written by vnatural, December 02, 2008

THis is excellent information. I like different styles. Not just the afro look and I am not accustomed to doing my own hair. But I am finding that I am enjoying that as well. I am relatively new to this world - but I LOVE IT!. Thanks

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