When you decide to flaunt your curly or coily hair, the search for African hairstyles for natural hair begins. Welcome to the club! There are millions of us globally, people who know their 3c to 4c hair needs a little bit more love than other hair types.
Different hairstyles like braiding, cornrows and dreadlocks preserve our curls, unlike heat and chemical hair treatment styles that change our hair structure and straighten it.
In this article, we will look at such natural hairstyles for ladies with 3c to 4c hair. You can DIY some of them at home, and others need the services of a professional hairstylist.
Different Hairstyles for Ladies
African hair is beautiful, but if it takes a few years of scalp massages and a bucketful of natural oil before you see considerable growth, natural hairstyles for short hair come in handy. There’s another group of ladies who prefer their hair very short. They never worry about length and always look stylish in short natural hair. Another group of ladies are transitioning from days of perms and curls to natural hair.
If you’re in any of the three groups, you might have seen words and phrases like finger coils, twists, puffs, faux locs and protective styling when looking for hairstyles for your short natural hair. These phrases refer to the most popular natural hairstyles for short hair.
Let us look at a few of them.
1. Braids, Faux Locs & Cornrow Styles
Most of the natural hairstyles for girls are styles that would look great on you too. For instance, Bantu knots are a popular style for short natural hair. The only difference when styling your girl is that you can get creative with colorful beads and fancy extensions. Scroll these hairstyles using the scroll bar on the right.
There is so much to love about these protective styles. First, braiding lets your hair grow without the stress of combing and styling. Also, your hair stays manageable when humidity wishes you the worst.
Plus, no more chemical treatments and other harsh procedures hoping to manage your textured tresses.
Another interesting fact about braiding natural hair is the wide range of braiding styles. Some will have you spending hours at the salon, while quick braiding styles have you in and out of there fast.
Have you tried faux locs? Faux locs crochet style is one of the protective hairstyles for people with thin hair as it adds volume.
There are many ways to style faux locs and braids. You have most probably tried pulling everything up into a bun. But, there is much more you can do, as the ideas below prove.
2. African Bridal Hairstyles
For some bridal hairstyles, a bridal hair piece or a hair brooch is necessary to complete the look. These two accessories have evolved from plain-looking tiaras to crystal hair clips and fascinators.
Most of the time, African bridal hairstyles pull the hair/braids up or to the back of the head.
The styles below would make stylish African bridal hairstyles.
3. Dreadlocks Styles for Ladies in Kenya
Short dreadlocks have limited styles. But once they grow longer, you can try as many fancy dreadlock styles as possible.
You can twist them, curl them, pull them up high into a bun or style them into a mohawk.
Locticians are coming up with creative dreadlock styles for ladies in Kenya daily. Additionally, dreadlocks salons have sprouted everywhere, and such competition is making these locticians very creative.
Locking my hair ended years of weaving and braiding. Now, I wake up, pull them up and away from my face, and I am ready to leave. I rarely style my dreadlocks, but I am unlearning, and the collection of dreadlocks styles below inspires me daily.
African Hairstyles YouTube Channels: Best Natural Hair Channels
What makes a great natural hairstyle vlog? What do you look for when browsing natural hair YouTube Channels?
I prefer hair YouTubers with a broad range of hairstyles to show. However, I don’t mind watching videos that focus on one style only since I am a dreadlocked queen.
Natural hair YouTubers help us find the best hair products on the market. They review the top-selling brands and let us know when there are discounts and giveaways from top brands.
There’s another group of natural hair YouTube channels that are all about how-to tutorials. These are great when you transition, such as from chemically treated hair to natural hair. For instance, I learnt how to lock my hair online. Hair vlogs also give solutions to hair problems like dandruff.
The most popular range of natural hairstyle YouTuber videos is the one that shows day-by-day growth. I love to see these as they motivate us to continue our natural hair journey by focusing on the little gains in length. Here are some of my best natural hair YouTube channels. They are in no particular order.
Raquel Malatole
Her videos are educative and entertaining for those who still enjoy a good laugh despite the number of combs our afros have broken. Check out her video on using rice water for hair growth.
Sheila Ndinda
Sheila reviews products, uploads tutorial videos and much more. I loved her faux curly bangs and bun video.
Tatenda
What I love most about her channel is the mix of fun things to do with natural hair, such as getting some box braids. One of her top videos is a washing routine for 4C hair.
Michelle Anyango
Michelle’s channel has everything – box braids tutorials, crotchet hairstyles, natural hair routines, and more. One highly recommended video is the wash-and-go tutorial.
Jade Ymanii Robinson
Jade talks about topics like taking care of short and curly natural hair and getting some goddess box braids. Her short box braid tutorial is a must-watch. Go and see!
DisIsReyRey
Her videos include how to turn an afro into a curly look, trimming ends, and quick hairstyles to try at home. My favourite is the wash-and-go routine. She will make you love your natural hair.
Vivianatz
I love her authentic Swahili language. She is one of the few Swahili hairstyles vlogs (there must be other Tanzanian natural hair YouTube channels). There’s a video on Nziga style and Hakuna Matata style, two popular Swahili hairstyles for natural hair. Visit her channel to learn.
Idee Francis
Her tutorial about using ginger and onion for hair growth is one of my favorites. Watch it to find out if the two ingredients work.
Adanna Madueke
She talks about gels for natural hair, protective styles, box braids and more. One of her top videos is a tutorial about styling a high puff for 4C short hair. I just had to embed it for you here.
Which other natural hair YouTube channels do you love that we can add to this list?
Final Thoughts
Our hair is beautiful. Its texture makes it so versatile that you can braid, loc or comb it into many fancy hairstyles. Do you know how else we know it is beautiful? Imagine hair so unique that there are online natural hair groups globally, all advocating for us to love our curls. Styling 4c hair every morning is stressful, but with the right products and styling ideas, you will have enjoyable mornings.
I love changing my hairstyles because it always gives me a new look and new style. Am not a barber, but I have worked with one who focused on giving good and classic hairstyles. I even try to create some of my own and makes people and myself look Good. I have designed a lot of interesting hairstyles for some people myself and they really appreciate it.