My Top 4 Hair Styles for My Type 2c-3a Hair
Written by: Kaitlyn Hughes
Hair. An essential part of every beauty routine. How your hair looks on any given day has the power to make or break your entire look. If you’re anything like me, it is also one of the biggest areas of beauty to master. With so many options and factors outside of your control, sometimes getting your hair right seems impossible. In the past, I had tried chemical relaxing treatments that made it easy for me to keep my hair straight all the time but straightening my hair all the time was time consuming and damaging to my hair. I continued getting these treatments from the age of 11 to about the time I turned 17. Eventually, I decided to embrace my curly hair and stop getting harmful hair treatments. However, making this decision required me to learn how to manage and style my natural hair for the first time. Although this was a long process (I’m now 5 years in), and my go-to styles and products have changed a few times throughout the last 5 years, I have finally found what works for me. So, with that being said, I thought that I would share some of the hair styles that work best for me.
1. 2 French Braids at the top with hair down.
I discovered this hair style about a year ago and it quickly became one of my favorite styles for many reasons. First, I can’t manage to wear my hair all the way down. I love the way it looks on other women and I have tried again and again to wear my hair all the way down, but I eventually get frustrated with the curls in my face and end up pulling it back. This style prevents that completely: it keeps the hair out of my face, while also pulling back the hair in the front that originally had the most heat damage and never really curls the way I want it to. Second, I love how this style is so versatile. Because this hair style is young and fun, while also being interesting and professional, I wear it to every event whether it be a job interview, or a night out.
And on days I’m feeling particularly lazy and don’t want to take the extra time to braid my hair, I take this same idea and quickly twist those pieces back. For an equally cute, but slightly different look.
2. Day 2: Braids into high ponytail.
When I first started wearing my hair natural, I often felt the need to completely restyle my hair every day. However, I eventually learned that if my hair is properly moisturized and styled, the curls will look good for more than one day. Now that I have found the products that work for me, I usually try to make my hair last for at least two days. This means that on the second day I wear a modified version of the same style. My go-to is a high ponytail. Although a ponytail seems like a basic style that everyone wears, I love the added detail at the top with either the braids or the twists which creates a more unique look than your average ponytail. No matter where I wear this look, I always seem to get compliments on it.
3. Simple Half-up Half-down.
A simple half-up half-down is one of my favorite ways to style my hair. It has been a staple style for me whether my hair is straight or curly and there are so many little variations to this classic style that you will never get bored of it.
4. Don’t forget to accessorize!
One way that I have found to keep my hair styles interesting is to accessorize! When I feel that I’ve been wearing too much of one style, I try to change it up by adding a cute headband or a hair scarf. They come in a variety of styles and can really spice up an outfit. One of the easiest ways to accessorize your hair is with a headband. I tend to use two different options. The first look is something I tend to do on more casual days with my hair in either a high bun or a high ponytail.
The other option is a satin headband like this one that I received in my December Melanin MagEK box. I love this headband because gives your hair a classy look that is perfect for work or going out to dinner.
In addition to using headbands, a lot of people have been accessorizing with hair scarves lately. I use them to add a little feminine touch to my everyday hair styles such as ponytails or buns and I love how I can match them to my outfit! Here are some pictures of my favorite way to include hair scarves in my outfits.
Let me know if you use any of the styles I use or if you have other suggestions for me!