Style Options
Disclaimer: Please do not use these pictures without my express permission.
If you’re looking for styling suggestions, here are the many that I’ve tried over the short time I’ve been natural. These are pictures of my hair at different lengths. If you’re interested in learning how to do these styles, please check my video section or the tutorial category. If I don’t have a tutorial up for the style you want, check out YouTube!
Twists
- Two or three strands of hair twisted around each other
- Can be done on wet or dry hair
- This is a protective style and also stretches the hair out
Two Strand Twists done on dry hair.
Twists done on wet hair
Twists done on wet hair
Twists on wet hair
Twists done on dry hair
Twistouts
- Formed from twists that are unraveled
- Can also be a protective style
- Can give hair a wavy/curly appearance, depending on size of twists
- Has variation called twist n curl in which rollers are placed on the ends after being twisted
Chunky Twistout (done on dry hair)
Twistout (from twists on dry hair)
Twistout (from twists done on wet hair)
Twist out (from twists done on dry hair)
Twist out (from twists done on dry hair)
Bun
Buns are the ultimate protective style. You can do them on wet hair, but I prefer to do them on stretched, dry hair. You can stretch the hair by braiding, twisting, or banding.
Bun done on wet hair
Twists in a Bun
Bun done on twist out
Wash N Go or ‘Fro
Just wash and go! Applying gels and products can change the look of your hair. Wearing your hair “out” like this also increases the risk of tangles and knots. I rarely wear my hair out anymore, but it’s still fun every now and then!
TWA wash n go
Wash N Go, lots of product
Afro
Puff
A puff, or ponypuff, is like a ponytail but with kinky hair. You will find it very difficult to pull your hair back into a ponytail after chopping but pulling the hair back will create a puff, however small or big.
Puff made with scarf (not long enough to make a ponytail)
ponypuff (long enough to do a ponytail)
Puff
Box Braids
Braids done without extensions. Parts are often made in square shape, but I don’t ever do this. These take longer to put in and are harder to take out than twists (in my experience).
Box Braids
Braids with clip
Braid out
The style resulting from braids being undone. Creates a slightly different pattern than a twistout.
Braidout from large braids done on wet hair
Straight Styles
First and foremost, be cautious with heat styling. It can cause damage and ruin your texture, especially with no heat protectant. Having said that, I do occasionally heat straighten, usually with a flat iron set on medium temperatures.
flat ironed
Bantu Knots/ Knot Out
This is a style I’m still pretty much a novice to. I’ve only done it once or twice and loved the results. The knots themselves make a unique protective style. Take them out and you have a beautiful pattern.
Bantu Knots
Bantu Knots
Bantu Knot Out (knots undone and briefly twisted)
Banding
Banding is stretching the hair out using rubber or ouchless bands. I do this before putting in twists and also a bun. Be careful! The bands may dry your hair out if you’re not careful!
Hair Banded with Ouchless Bands
Hair Styled after Banding
Hair after taking out bands, completely dry
Banded hair in a bun
Fingercoils
Fingercoils/combcoils/palm rolls are often mistaken for locs when I wear them. The hair is tightly coiled in small sections. You can separate them, creating a coily/curly fro or, sometimes, just more coils!
Fingercoils
coils
Coil out
Comments
Powered by Facebook Comments
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
hey there my name is nicole and im 16 im transitioning at this moment….my last perm was Jan. 2010 (today is March 2010)..my question is how can i determine my natural hair texture?
Your styles look great!!!! I’m natural, but I have hair added. My hair is very dry and coarse, so I have been having a hard time finding styling products that will help me manage my hair.
How do you do the coils they are very nice.
Sandra, check out the video area, I have a tutorial.
Under puff….where did you buy that cute circular hair band item?
This post is awesome. I just started transitioning – 19wks and counting- with a head full of hair (past shoulder length).
I think I will eventually try all of the styles you’ve posted here.
My question is – how do you sleep on the twist outs without flattening them? Do you twist every night??
love the bantu knots!!! very pretty on you!!
Nicole, you may have to wait a little bit longer to see your actual texture. My last perm was in August and I’m still learning about my texture.
Okay, so I’m pregnant and I just transitioned to my natural hair in… November 2009, my hair is growing fast, but the relaxed parts of my hair are breaking off pretty bad, my natural hair is kinda short and I don’t know if I should cut off the relaxed ends just yet, my hair is in braids now. Should I cut my relaxed ends after the pregnancy or after I take my braids down?
I have not relaxed my hair sense November 2009. I started wearing a sewin weave. I had the weave taken out this past April and I noticed a lot of breakage. I have decided to go natural and I am currently wearing a wig until may hair grows back. I have a very dry flacky scalp. How often should I wash my hair and what good natural products would you recommend. Should I have the rest of the relaxer cut away from the new natural hair thats growning.
I really need some help here thank you.
Hi Kcurly,
I really need your help. I am 14 and have been transitioning to natural hair for 9 months now and I have about 4 inches of new growth and seven inches of relaxed ends.I plan on doing the big chop this december. So far I have been transitioning with box braids cornrows and kinky twists and I have been using extensions for all these styles. I usually keep them in for 4-6 weeks then leave my hair out for 1 week. I then braid my hair with extensions again. But I am starting to get tired of this transition method because my hair gets really flaky, itchy and dry doing the time my hair is in these protective styles.
I was just wandering if you could give me advice on treatments I can use whilst in protective styles to avoid flaky,dry hair and help me reduce itching. I would also like to know if there are any styles I can wear for 2 weeks that I wont have to comb or handle my hair much.
Thanks
I have a question about your homemade spritz. Do you have exact measurements for the aloe vera gel, water and glycerin portions of your home made spritz. You have them as “one part.” I want to get the combination right. Just bought the ingredients today. Thanks so much.
Italtukie,
One part can be 1/4 cup, whatever. It doesn’t really matter, it depends on how much you want to make. Just use equal amounts for “one part” and double for “two parts”
Hello,
I am in the transition process now going on 10 months, I have not built up the courage to wear it out yet so I have been wearing wigs. It is still short, can you suggest any styles? What was the first style you wore when you first revealed your natural hair.
I am all natural with shoulder length dry hair. I used several products without success. I want to get a texturizer in NJ or NY to help define and pull out my natural curls. Do know of any place in North Jersey on NY?
Love, I’m sorry you’re not happy with your hair. However, I don’t condone texturizers. so I have no advice for you. Good luck to you.
I did the bc 3 wks ago.Today is June 6,2010. This is a very liberating experience for me. I was practically bald, it is now growing, but I don’t have any curls, it is so straight, so I am just brushing it for now. I am not bi-racial but somewhere along the line, a mixture is a possibility because I am lightskinned. Anywho, how do I tell how my hair will grow, curly or straight
I absolutely love the styles!!! You are really beautiful and I’m so encouraged to hang in here until my TWA blossoms. I noticed something really interesting recently i used to think I had a hairline that sort of carved out a V – going back at my temples (wonder if you get the picture) but now that my hair is growing naturally i found that i have different textured and comparatively softer hair at my temples that would either not grow or get pulled out when i relaxed or had my hair in braids. I really can’t wait to see it all grow. I’m so excited!!!
your hair is seriously gorgeous!
Hi, thanks for sharing these pics. I have been natural for over ten years (locs) but am taking down my locs and looking into styles that I might want to wear. On the large braid braidout, how many braids did you do? Also when straight ironing your hair how do you do the back of your head (the kitchen area)? My hair is pass my shoulders but at the nape of my neck the hair is short. I can’t imagine doing that part without a hot comb.
Oh, also, what type of heat protectant do you use when straight ironing your hair and what kind of straight iron do you use?
Help Me!!! I’ve been natural since May of 2009…my hair is is about 2.5 to 3 inches long, and extreeeeemely tight curls! The only thing that I like that has worked is comb twists, but I want something new. I don’t like the longer afro too much, but I want to wear it without “restriction”, because my scalp is happier. It doesn’t itch or get dandruff when I wear it in a fro, but when I wear the comb twists, after about 3-4 days, it’s over — I’m itching and scratching and not happy. When it is in a fro, it doesn’t get soft like I want it. I use Sauve Naturals Tropical Coconut and Hello Hydration to co-wash, along with Giovanni smooth as silk as a deep conditioner. I just bought some Giovanni Tea Tree Treat Conditioner that I haven’t tried yet. I still haven’t found a leave-in that I like…right now I use Creme of Nature Naturals. I really want it to get softer and so the curls will loosen…… PLEASE HELP!!
Hi..I BC’d a month ago after not relaxing my hair for 8 months. Now my hair is about 2 -3 inches long …the front left side of my hair has very little curl definition..the rest is very very curly…I have doing wash and gos and wearing a headband. Does anyone have any styling ideas? I NEED HELP!
Your styles are cute, and seem simple enough to do which is refreshing for a novice stylist like me. It looks like your hair is a bit more manageable than mine though. I’m still feeling out products and techniques that will give it control and shine to last through this humidity. I have my relaxed ends still on, with about 5-6 months new growth cus its hard for me to commit to the big chop since I was natural before and everything I liked seemed to take soooo long, and I generally wasn’t “feeling it” as much as I thought I would.
Also @Opal with the flaky scalp, you have to find a careful balance. Too much washing will dry out natural hair, so try to find some of those directly to scalp treatments that you don’t require a wash/rinse to use. I’ve never seen any OTC but my dermatologist prescribed a good one.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for blogging about your natural hair adventure! The information you’ve provided has been invaluable : ) I just did my BC and I am in love with my natural hair. I wish I’d done it sooner. My hair is quite short but still long enough to finger coil. I’ve been practicing with mixed results…do you recommend finger coiling each natural section of hair – I have very small tight ringlets – or picking up a couple of natural sections and working them together? Thanks for your input and again GREAT BLOG!
Thank you!!!! Finally some pictures. I am 37 years old. Had relaxers since the age of 10 with hair down my back. Always afraid of weaves and wigs i let my hair grow.But in the past year have been on and off again about going natural. My mom, sister and niece got sister locs…cute on them but not for me. So after lettiing my natural hair grow in since Aug 2009, I finally cut the last bit of relaxer off 2 days ago. I LOVE IT!!! And I can now THANK YOU for some hair styles to try. I pray it makes it to your length. Thanks!! You look great!
Im so glad i found this website
I am soo interested in transitioning from relaxed to natural, I officially started a week ago. My hair is in a short hair cut( rihanna type hair cut) and its relaxed. I dont do well with micros because they break my hair off and I am skeptical about completely shaving my head. Any suggestions on how to grow out my relaxer efficiently, without much breakage?
Hello my name is Jane`e{janay} Since February 08 I have been growing my hair out naturally. Sadly my hair is not the desired length that I would prefer it to be. I know that its my own faught due to the fact that I am a product junky……yes a certified product junky. I wish i could just wash my hair and twist it up some time of way but it never turns out right. I wanna learn some new styles. I did my own “big chop”. Yup right in my mothers bathroom. I was looking for a change and decided it would begin with my hair. At first my family laughed and said their side remarks but then they came to understand that I was not about to change for them. I love being natural, I havent had a perm since 2007. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!! IWANT TO STAY NATURAL
Jane’e, congrats on your BC. All of my advice is contained in this blog. Check out my blog roll for further sources of information. Good luck!! The best thing you can do right now is read, learn, and experiment.
What does bc stands for?
Brenda, BC=Big Chop
Hey…this is a gr8 site!!!!! I jus did my mini bc after transitioning for about 1 yr n 7 mo… I am soooooo happy!!!!!!! I feel good about myself although sum ppl laugh but I don’t care b/c they wont b laugh’n when my hair is down my back!!!!! I wanted 2 kno if u or n e 1 kno much about henna dye??????
Your hair is so pretty!!! You may have said this somewhere on your site, but what’s your hair type??? It looks like mine. BTW- Love your site, so much really useful information!!! Thank you!!!
You hair is gorgeous! What is your hair type? I think my hair is 4a/b I think… I really need some advice on how to have it grow. Ive been natural for 4 yrs. Had locs for about a yr & a half & combed them out in March. It knots a lot, but I have recently been using organic poducts & alma oil. It has become much softer, but I am not sure if its growing (the curls are so tight & I rarely straighten it). I also struggle with a very dry scalp so I saw ur tip of not washing but I dont think I can go long w/o using my tar treatments on my scalp
Hello!
I love your site and have been reading it for a while. My last relaxer was in September of last year. I just cut off the rest on my relaxed ends Oct. 30. I have a good 5 inches of hair and have tried out wash and go’s. The next day, I wash it out and do it again. How long should a wash and go last? Im not a fan of how my hair looks on the second day but every day washing seems like a bit much.
Latoya, thanks for reading
There really is no “should” as far as how it long it will last. Some people’s last a long time and some others not long at all. I know that as my hair got longer, it would last longer. That’s one reason I enjoy twistouts, they last longer.
Hello, I just discovered your blog and I must say that I am impressed. I am currently doing research on transitioning from Relaxed to Natural because I am a bit nervous about it. My last relaxer was done in May 2010 and I currently wear my hair in kinky twists. My concern it that I naturally have extremely dry hair that breaks off even if you just look at it and it is extremely thick. I want to give my hair a break from the kinky twists and any sort of braiding, but I need to know of some styles and methods I can use that will keep me looking cute as well as professional as I transition. I also need styles that is work-out friendly, because washing my hair every time I work -out which can be four to five days a week is not the way to go. Any feed back you can give me is greatly appreciated. By the way, what does the acronym TWA mean?
hello ,kcurly
im 13 years old and i’ve been going natural for about a year now and my hair has been growing very fast i still have perm at the ends but i’m trying to let it grow out any suggestions ……
hi, i’m in GA – where can i get karens body beautiful hair milk?
I would like to try a CHUNKY twist on my hair. It’s NOT as short as a TWA. It probaly hits the top of my ear..mabey a lil further. As anyone tried this on “med” length hair?
Hi! I’m going perm free again but this time for good. Haven’t had a perm since September! For the puff hair style in the last 2 puff pics…I would like to know what products do you use for that style?
Hi Kcurly,
Just want to let you know I love this site! I have been transitioning since October of 2010 (about 7 months). I have tons of new growth and have been trying to keep heat off of my hair but my permed arms are breaking off REALLY badly. Is that normal? The permed hair is within compared to the rest of my hair I’m thinking of just cutting it off. (had it trimmed a bit Two weeks ago) What do you think?
brelock, it is normal for the area between the permed hair and your natural hair to be weaker and break easier (it’s called the demarcation line). It is entirely up to you if you want to big chop, just make sure you are ready mentally
Good luck.
These are all beautiful pictures of hair styles with some length to them. What about those of us who did the BC and we don’t have an inch of hair yet. What choices are there for us, especailly when our hair is not naturally curly but hard course and dry. Can you help us so that we don’t grow weary and turn back to using the creamy white crack for hair. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i just love that you try everything! who says we can’t have variety with our natural hair! what an inspiration!
I love these pictures! I’ve been transitioning for a year and finally took out the twists with extentions that I’ve been wearing. But I was totally confused as to what to do with my actual hair. What I’d like is to wear the style in your picture with the scarf. I think that style is super cute–and totally me! But how do you get it smooth in order to make the puff? Do you wet it? Use a brush? Help!
Hi Kculy!
I really like the styles you have done! They are very versatile and look pretty easy to do.
I’ve been transitioning for 8 months now. I haven’t cut my relaxed ends yet. I was wondering if you could suggest some quick and easy styles for me???
I thought about the rods and twists outs but im not quite sure how to take it out once it gets old?????
I wanted 2 know is it possible 2b natural without cutting off my permed hair, im only 17, and starting senior year and im afraid to make such a drastic decision such as cutting off all my hair, please help me
_ & Thank You <3
SO many options for natural and transitioning hair, thank you for showing all these versatile styles. I have one question. I am transitioning (5 months post). I’ve been primarily doing braid outs and buns for my protective styling. I’ve tried twists, however my hair tends to unravel. In your pictures, I notice you aren’t using any elastics or clips to maintain your twists…. once my hair is all natural, will I be able to do the same? Actually, I have two questions. What can I use besides elastics to maintain twists?