Everyday
Quick styles for daily life. 154 hairstyles on EveryHairstyle so far.
Most hair, most days, is worn simply: a ponytail, a bun, a plait, or a short cut that needs only a comb. Everyday styles have to be quick, comfortable and practical for work, school and heat, and they last through the day. Across South Asia, an oiled plait or a quick bun; in much of the world, a short barber's cut or a ponytail.
Quick styles
A ponytail takes seconds; a bun only a minute more and keeps hair off the neck in hot weather. A single plait, the choti of South Asia, keeps long hair tidy all day and protects the ends. For short hair, the right cut is the style: a good bob, a crew cut or a regular haircut falls into shape after washing. Many people with coily hair choose protective styles that last for weeks, so daily styling is light.
Everyday care
Everyday hair depends on routine: washing as often as the hair needs, detangling gently, oiling in many South Asian homes, protecting curls with a satin bonnet at night. The quickest styles are also gentle if they are not pulled too tight. A regular trim, every six to eight weeks for short cuts and less often for long hair, keeps an everyday style in shape.
Famous everyday hairstyles
Further reading
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreNatural hair movement
A social and cultural campaign for wearing textured hair without chemical straightening.Natural · Coily and kinky hair · 1960
🇸🇩 Sudan and 4 moreDreadlocks
A hairstyle of rope-like hair strands formed by matting or twisting.Natural · Coily and kinky hair · 1970
🇺🇸 United StatesAfro
A rounded style of combed-out natural hair.Natural · Coily and kinky hair · 1960
🇺🇸 United StatesConk
Chemically straightened hair popular with African-American men mid-20th century.Styled · Coily and kinky hair · 1920
🇺🇸 United StatesHi-top fade
Tall flat top with shaved sides from hip hop cultureCut · Coily and kinky hair · 1984
🇺🇸 United StatesProtective hairstyle
Styles that tuck hair away to reduce breakage and environmental damage.Braid · Coily and kinky hair
🇺🇸 United StatesShape-up
A sharp, straight trim along the natural hairline.Shaved · Coily and kinky hair · 1980
🇺🇸 United StatesSilk press
Heat-straightened style for kinky hair without chemicalsStyled · Coily and kinky hair · 1920
WorldHair straightening
A technique to flatten and smooth hair texture using heat or chemicals.Styled · Curly hair · 1950
WorldWash and go
A low-manipulation style that enhances natural curl patterns without heat or extensions.Styled · Curly hair
🇺🇸 United StatesTwist-out
A protective hairstyle created by unraveling twists to form defined waves.Styled · Curly hair
WorldFinger coils
A natural hair style created by twisting strands around fingers to form defined spirals.Styled · Curly hair
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSenegalese twists
Smooth two-strand protective style using synthetic hair.Locs · Any hair · 1984
🇿🇦 South AfricaBantu knots
Twisted coils of hair worn as a protective style or permanent look.Styled · Curly hair
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Protective hairstyle: Bluenile Photography c/o A. Smith, CC BY 2.0, source
- Shape-up: Stella8358, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dreadlocks: Richard Mortel, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hair straightening: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ponytail: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bun: Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Afro: Jason Melcher, CC BY 2.0, source
- Crew cut: greginhollywood, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hi-top fade: Kct02, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Regular haircut: JParker9, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Natural hair movement: livepict.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Conk: NBC Television, Public domain, source
- Shingle bob: Evolvingthinker, CC BY 2.0, source
- Braids: Unknown author, Public domain, source