Natural and afro
The afro, the twist-out and natural curls worn as they grow. 9 hairstyles on EveryHairstyle so far.
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. The natural hair movement, strongest since the 2000s among Black women in the Americas, Europe and Africa, has made these styles an everyday choice and a statement of identity.
The afro and its meaning
In the 1960s the afro became a symbol of the 'Black is beautiful' and civil rights movements in the United States, worn by activists such as Angela Davis and by musicians and athletes. It rejected the long pressure to straighten Black hair to fit white norms. The afro was large, round and proud; it returned in new forms with the natural hair movement of the 2000s, often shaped with a pick or worn as puffs.
Going natural
For many people, going natural means stopping relaxers and either growing them out, called transitioning, or cutting them off in a big chop. Natural hair needs moisture and gentle handling, and many people keep a weekly wash day. Hair discrimination at work and school led to the CROWN Act, first passed in California in 2019 and since adopted in more than 20 American states, which protects natural hair and styles such as braids and locs.
Famous natural hairstyles
Further reading
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Dreadlocks: Richard Mortel, CC BY 2.0, source
- Afro puffs: stevendepolo, CC BY 2.0, source
- Laid edges: Jean Chassaing, Public domain, source
- Cornrows: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Hair twists: Vox Efx, CC BY 2.0, source