One thing about me: I’m gonna switch up my hairstyles. More importantly, I’m gonna pay homage to my ancestors in doing so. For some reason, ever since I moved to Denver, I have felt this strong urge to be creative with my hairstyles. Actually, I know the reason. The more I healed myself and learned to love myself, the more I felt empowered to show up as authentic as possible. For me, that’s with dope protective styles. Come with me as I share some of my favorite hairstyles that make me love being a Black woman.
There’s just something magical about adorning braids that go past your ass. Braiding dates back to 3500 in Africa with the Himba people of Namibia. Just like then, I consider braids to be a form of art. This style is one of my faves because it offered seamless versatility and style.
2. Bantu Knot/Afro Combo
Another fave has to be the Bantu knot and afro combination. I was inspired by beauty influencer, Tupo, after she rocked the look on Instagram. I ran to my stylist with the photo and thankfully she always delivers. I also love me some hair jewelry so we added some gold string to the Bantu knots to give the look more sass.
3. Textured Bundles
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Every now and then you gotta culturize your bundles. (Yes. I just made up a word, ha!) The braided sew-in became trendy as of late due to its stylish convenience. With this look, all you have to do is wake up, give it a little shake and maybe lay your edges. I loved this look because it felt so appropriate for this birthday trip to Puerto Rican. It was giving, “I feel like a Black girl in Puerto Rico in this hair!”
4. Braided Hearts
I very rarely have moments when I question my hairstyle choices but when I decided I wanted my stylist to design hearts all over my head, I had some doubts. The moment she handed me the mirror, I knew we had once again created magic. High key: this may be my #1.
5. Tuck and Roll
Ladies and gentlemen, I call this the tuck and roll. It’s such a classic style that I have worn it multiple times over the years. More than anything, it’s a perfect style for the summer with the rising temperatures. I also took the opportunity to play with some color to take it to the next level.
6. Elevated Ponytail
Now if we are going to do a pony, we might as well do an elevated pony. If you hadn’t noticed by now, I love my hair to sweep the floor basically. I had the random idea to style four feed-in braids into a curly pony and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
7. The Royalty Ponytail
I’m not sure what to call this style but I recall walking through a park and being called a goddess so I’ll just leave that there. The adornments in my hair had to be the thing that made me so happy about this hairstyle. We used some gold string and gold hair rings to really serve up royalty vibes.
8. Faux Locs
I want to personally thank whoever created faux locs. For years, I envied those beautiful beings who have the patience to loc their hair. I am just not able. But I do love that I get to be a poser and rock them like they are coming up out of my scalp. I wore this look for a birthday picnic in the park and it paired flawlessly with this African-printed gown.
9. Half Up, Half Down
The classic half-up, half-down has made a triumphant comeback over the last few years and it really takes me back. As a kid, I loved it when my mom would sit me down, make me pick out my barrettes, and then give me the cutest half-up, half-down hairstyle to make all the middle school girlies envy me. Not much has changed. I just hop in my stylist’s chair and do the exact same thing.
10. Literally Any Blonde Hairstyle
Black women and blonde hair is straight magic. While it was quite controversial for decades, it has become more prominent among the girls that get it. Truth is, Black women can pull of any color because we are in fact the blueprint.
After seeing this list, which one was your favorite? We want to hear from you in the comments!
