Kinds of hairstyle
How a style is made.
Cuts
A cut is a hairstyle whose shape comes mainly from cutting, with scissors, clippers or a razor, rather than from braiding, pinning or setting. Good cuts work with the way hair grows and falls, so they can be washed and worn with little styling
Braids and plaits
Braids, or plaits, are made by weaving three or more strands of hair over and under one another. They are among the oldest hairstyles: figurines carved more than 25,000 years ago appear to show braided or coiled hair
Buns and updos
An updo lifts long hair off the neck and fixes it on the head: a bun, a chignon, a French twist, a topknot or a beehive. Updos are practical, keeping hair out of the way in heat and at work, and formal, being the classic choice for weddings and ceremonies
Ponytails
A ponytail gathers the hair and ties it so the length hangs free behind, like the tail of a pony. It is one of the quickest and most practical hairstyles, worn for sport, work and school, and the basis of many buns and updos
Locs and twists
Locs, also called dreadlocks, are ropes of hair that form when hair is left to mat, or is coiled, twisted or interlocked until it binds together. Twists, made by winding two strands of hair around each other, and Bantu knots, small coiled buns, are close relatives
Natural and afro
Natural styles wear curly and coily hair in its own texture, without relaxers or heat straightening. The afro, grown out and shaped round, is the best known; afro puffs, twist-outs, wash-and-go curls and teeny weeny afros are others
Curls and waves
Curls and waves can be natural or set. Set curls are made with heat, with rollers and pins, or with chemicals that reshape the hair for months
Shaved and partly shaved
Shaving removes hair down to the skin, over the whole head or in part. A shaved head can be a fashion choice, a practical one in heat or sport, a sign of faith or mourning, or a mark imposed on soldiers and prisoners
Fringes and partings
A fringe, called bangs in American English, is hair cut to fall over the forehead. Partings decide which way the rest of the hair falls
Styled and set
Styled and set hairstyles are shaped with combs, heat, rollers and products and fixed in place. The pompadour and quiff sweep hair up and back from the forehead, the ducktail combs the sides to meet at the back, victory rolls roll the hair into tubes, and the bouffant builds a round mass of height
Covered and wrapped
Many people wear their hair under a covering, for faith, modesty, protection or fashion. The Sikh dastar covers uncut hair, the hijab is worn by many Muslim women, many married Orthodox Jewish women cover their hair, and headwraps from the Yoruba gele to the South African doek are worn across Africa and its diaspora
Adorned
Hair has been adorned with flowers, pins, combs, beads and jewels in almost every culture. In South Asia the gajra, a garland of jasmine, is worn on buns and plaits every day and at weddings