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She's a natural beauty

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In case you haven’t noticed, Black women continue to set trends in fashion, art, music and so much more.  But it’s the consistent celebration of our own natural beauty in our style and artistic choices that has been one of the most amazing things to witness in the last few years.

And one of the top ways we are riding the wave of self-love and self-care we’ve started has definitely been the Natural Hair Movement. While I know that it’s an entirely personal decision, I want to make sure that you are armed with all of the information necessary to make your decision and take the plunge, should you decide to. Besides, what better time than Black History Month, and Women’s History Month around the corner, to celebrate your natural beauty?

The big chop is mostly known and used to get rid of relaxed, damaged hair and let your natural hair flourish. Making this drastic change to your hair can be a huge decision.  While some women love taking the leap, others struggle with the effects of the drastic change. Issues surrounding major hair transformation include little to no hair, less styling versatility, and in some women, a struggle with self-confidence due to a lack of hair.

Now, Black women may be the true creators of cool, but I also know that sometimes, you just need a push to give your look a little refresher. More often than not, women fall into a rut because they aren’t aware of the various products, styling tips, and hair accessories that they can utilize after the cut.  Short hair girls: here’s how to embrace your new look and push your hair style to versatile heights! With these tips and tricks I assure you, your new look will be turning heads for all the right reasons.

If At First You Don’t Succeed

Most women doing the big chop are doing it for the first time, so you are probably new to natural hair, the products, and styling options. Just like anything else in life, being new to something will require you to take your time and try many different things to find out what works best for you. Don’t let the Internet get you caught up in the natural hair hype, there is no right way to be natural. This is your personal choice and journey.  While exploring the natural hair community and all it has to offer, it is important to remember that everyone’s hair is different so you have to do what’s best for you and your hair.  I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but I am saying you need to have realistic expectations, do your research, and, if a hair product or hairstyle doesn’t go according to plan, dust yourself off and try again.

Bling Bling

When it comes to accessories I’ve always believed “more is more,” so naturally I love to utilize them in my hair as much as possible. When you have short hair you can pretty much use it as a blank canvas. Bedazzled hair clips, bows, and even your handy-dandy bobby pins can be used to transform your short tresses. Try using gold and/or silver bobby pins to create a small pattern in the front of the head or go big and make a full design with the bobby pins on the side of your hair.

Bands Will Make Her Dance

I Love Headbands! The headband is such a timeless way to take your new look from drab to fab. Elastic headbands, both thick and thin, have made a big come back so you can find them at all your favorite stores. You can wear them the traditional way, in the hair, or give retro hippy vibes by wearing it across the forehead. My personal favorite headband is created using a scarf. I like to go to my local thrift store for some one-of-a-kind scarves or make my own by cutting up old clothes. I love to tie them to the front to create a bow or a knot because a good headband can lift the face and make you look effortlessly chic.

It’s A Wrap

Similar to the headband, headwraps using beautiful print fabrics can add a fierce touch to your new look.  I always tell my clients, don’t be afraid to play with it.  After chopping off all your hair, what else do you have to lose? If you are looking for the perfect headwrap along with tutorials on how to wrap it, look no further than this super dope, black-owned brand The Wrap LifeTake a risk with your look and I guarantee you will find some new go-to styles. I think a headwrap is one of them.

Confidence is everything

Source: Tassii / Getty

Lay It Down

I love to push the envelope when it comes to short styles. But listen to me when I tell you I know the struggles of having short hair are real, especially when you are trying to grow it out.  I shaved my sides down to a low brush cut over a year ago and now that I am growing them back in, I have been using all kinds of tricks to keep my look on fleek.  My two best friends have become hair gel and wrap strips to lay my sides down.  You can use these same products to smooth your natural curls down. Throw in a side part to really give this sleek look some sexiness and you will love how you have transformed your teeny weeny afro.

Throw Some Weave On That

Whether you sew it, braid it, crochet it, or twist it, protecting your hair from any damage is without a doubt an important step in this entire process.  But everybody doesn’t have enough length to obtain most of these styles after cutting their hair. But you know I have you covered because I am going to introduce you to Big Chop Hair. They are revolutionizing this process by offering one of the easiest to use and most versatile extensions for my natural hair girls. Not only do they offer a variety of hair types and lengths to blend with your texture, they also offer them all as Clip-ins.

I was even able to custom color a few of my clip ins to have them match my current hair color. No longer do you have to wait for your hair to grow to a braidable length, you can grab these lifesavers and easily clip them onto the little bit of hair that’s there.

So there you have it, beauties. I hope that these tips and tricks will help you take the plunge or refresh your look. And most importantly, remember that there is no wrong way to be natural, so feel free to experiment like so many of your sisters out there. Black women have been at the forefront of beauty trends throughout history, so remember: you got this!

 

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