Natural hairstyles are ways of wearing curly, coily and kinky hair in its own texture, without chemical straightening. This guide covers the everyday styles you can do at home and the longer-lasting protective styles, with links to full guides.
Everyday natural hairstyles
- Wash and go: apply leave-in conditioner and a curl gel or cream to soaking wet hair, rake or scrunch it through, and let the curls dry without touching them. It defines your natural curl pattern.
- Twist out: put damp hair in two-strand twists, let them dry completely, then unravel and separate for stretched, defined curls.
- Braid out: the same idea with braids, for a wavier, more stretched pattern.
- Finger coils: wrap small sections of wet, product-coated hair around your finger to form uniform coils. Good for short hair and for defining a looser pattern.
- Afro puff: gather the hair at the crown or nape with a soft band or headband and fluff it out. A two-minute style.
- Pineapple updo: gather curls loosely on top of the head; also the classic way to protect curls overnight.
- Flat twists: two-strand twists made flat to the scalp, worn as a style or taken down for a twist out.
- Rod set: set damp hair on flexi rods or perm rods for springy, uniform curls without heat.
Styles with full guides
- Bantu knots: Bantu knots are a hairstyle in which the hair is divided into sections, and each section is twisted and wrapped around itself to form a small coiled knot against the scalp.
- Twist braids: Twist braids, or twists, are a protective style made by twisting two strands of hair around each other instead of plaiting three.
- Silk press: A silk press is a way of straightening natural, curly or coily hair with a blow dryer and a flat iron, without a chemical relaxer, so that it's smooth, shiny and full of movement.
- Starter locs: Starter locs are the first stage of real locs: the small coils, twists or braids your hair is put into so that it can begin to mat and lock over the following months.
- Cornrows: Cornrows are braids plaited flat against the scalp in continuous raised rows.
- Box braids: Box braids are individual braids made by dividing the hair into square, box-shaped sections and plaiting each one, usually with extension hair added for length and thickness.
- Knotless braids: Knotless braids are box braids that begin with your natural hair, with extension hair fed in gradually a little way down, so there is no knot at the scalp.
See all braids, twists and locs in the protective hairstyles guide.
Tips for 4C hair
- Moisture first. Style on damp hair, and layer a leave-in, a cream and a light oil.
- Stretch for length. Twist outs, braid outs and banding show more length than a wash and go.
- Detangle gently, in sections, with conditioner and your fingers or a wide-tooth comb.
- Protect at night with a satin bonnet or pillowcase.
FAQ
What are the easiest natural hairstyles?
An afro puff, a wash and go, and a twist out. All three can be done at home without tools.
What is the difference between a twist out and a braid out?
A twist out is set with two-strand twists and gives rounder, more defined curls. A braid out is set with braids and gives a wavier, more stretched result.
How do I define curls on 4C hair?
Work on soaking wet hair in small sections, with a leave-in and a gel, using finger coils or the shingling method, and let it dry fully before touching it.
How often should natural hair be washed?
Most people with coily hair wash every one to two weeks, and co-wash or rinse in between if needed.
Thinking about a bigger change, like a new cut, bangs or a different color? See it on your own photo first with the AI hairstyle changer and the AI hair color changer.
