Skip to content

Natural hairLocks for cash: inside Iran's booming hair trade TrendsThe “Choppy Rachel Bob” Is the Most Flattering Winter Hair Trend—How to Recreate Natural hair15 Stylish Haircuts That Make Growing Out Your Hair Look Chic Natural hairNamibian Rasta sues gov’t after locs chopped in prison Natural hairInfluencer Stella Tzortzi on building a brand inspired by Mediterranean hair oiling rituals TrendsAriana Grande’s Flipped Bob Is Fall’s Sweetest Trend Natural hairJa Morant Cuts Off Signature Locs, Reveals New Haircut Natural hairHGTV Star Leslie Davis' Natural Hair Color Is So Different From Her Signature Look (But Gorgeous)TrendsThe “Bombshell Blowout” Trend Has Entered the Villa TrendsColour Melting Is The Hair Technique To Know This Winter Natural hairLocks for cash: inside Iran's booming hair trade TrendsThe “Choppy Rachel Bob” Is the Most Flattering Winter Hair Trend—How to Recreate Natural hair15 Stylish Haircuts That Make Growing Out Your Hair Look Chic Natural hairNamibian Rasta sues gov’t after locs chopped in prison Natural hairInfluencer Stella Tzortzi on building a brand inspired by Mediterranean hair oiling rituals TrendsAriana Grande’s Flipped Bob Is Fall’s Sweetest Trend Natural hairJa Morant Cuts Off Signature Locs, Reveals New Haircut Natural hairHGTV Star Leslie Davis' Natural Hair Color Is So Different From Her Signature Look (But Gorgeous)TrendsThe “Bombshell Blowout” Trend Has Entered the Villa TrendsColour Melting Is The Hair Technique To Know This Winter

Natural and afro

The afro, the twist-out and natural curls worn as they grow. 11 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

AfroHair grown out and shaped round

Afro puffsNatural hair gathered into puffs

Hair twistsTwists and twist-outs

CornrowsNatural hair braided flat

Laid edgesBaby hairs styled at the hairline

Further reading

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Afro puffs: stevendepolo, CC BY 2.0, source
Laid edges: Jean Chassaing, Public domain, source
Cornrows: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Surfer hair: Rachel Amarette, CC BY 2.0, source
Conk: NBC Television, Public domain, source
Hair twists: Vox Efx, CC BY 2.0, source

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the hairstyle of the day, new pages on EveryHairstyle, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.