On a scale of one to versatile, crochet braids are at the latter end of the spectrum. You can rock any style — from box braids to loose waves — using a crochet hook and a cornrow foundation. The look is also great for relieving tension from your scalp (anyone who’s ever had too-heavy box braids knows the struggle) and gives you the look of a protective style without the hours of sectioning and twisting. Other pros? Crochet styles can last for four to eight weeks and are easy to maintain. Just sleep with a silk or satin scarf or bonnet and keep strands nourished and frizz-free with a lightweight styling spray like Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repair + Protect Multi-Styling Milk. Keep reading for our favorite crochet hairstyles you can do at home.
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Butterfly Locs
Butterfly locs are an effortless-looking style that’s perfect for summer. The style uses water wave braiding hair for a low-maintenance, tousled take on regular locs. It also takes less of a toll on your scalp than regular locs, because the hair is so lightweight. To achieve butterfly locs on your own, follow along with YouTuber Crowned K’s beginner-friendly tutorial below.
Half Crochet, Half Feed-In
If braiding isn’t your strong suit, this tutorial is for you. Starting with self-described “struggle braids,” content creator Jarry The Worst uses her fingers rather than a hook to loop her full, voluminous goddess curls into the back of her hair. She prefers to use feed-in hair on the front of her head for a neater, sleeker look.
Quick Box Braids
Box braids can feel heavy, especially around your edges. That’s why YouTuber Sashie E TV crochets her hair “as close as possible to the box, but not to the box” once she plaits her natural hair. The whole style took her less than an hour to complete, and her super-clean parts make it look like she used individual braids. Bonus: you don’t need to know how to cornrow to recreate this look.
Senegalese Twists
Senegalese twists, also known as rope twists, look gorgeous in any length or thickness and lend themselves perfectly to accessorizing with charms, shells and rings. For the most natural look, hair guru TheChicNatural starts by cornrowing all of her strands back, except for the sides, which she braids upwards. Doing this also makes your twists look more realistic when they’re pulled into an updo.
Ultra-Realistic Natural Hair
We’re not going to lie, Seun Okimi completely had us fooled into thinking she was rocking her natural hair in the first minute of the video. Turns out, she’s just a whiz at installing hyper-realistic crochet hair. To start, she braids her hair straight back and stopped halfway down her head. In the back, she connects two braids and continues plaiting them horizontally. Then, she installs small sections of 4C crochet hair.
Don’t get me wrong: work from home life has been great. Working in my pajamas or sweats, eating all day long, and best of all, no bra! Yes, I’ll throw one on for a Zoom meeting here or there along with a work-approved top, but the outfit isn’t the only thing that has to be camera-ready. Let’s be honest: if I’m not leaving the house, my bonnet usually doesn’t leave my head.Â
Sure, a lot of women just throw their hair up in a ponytail and keep it moving, but for Black women, it’s a whole process that requires proper planning. If my hair is natural, am I going to do a whole wash and go for a 30-minute meeting? Do I need to have my frontal baby hairs laid to the gods every day?Â
One of the most significant benefits of this quarantine is that my hair has grown so much due to the low-maintenance styles I’ve been rocking, and just because I have a Zoom meeting doesn’t mean I’m going to mess that up. Here’s how:
Let’s start with the obvious. The OG protective styles: braids, twists, faux locs, etc. The first few months of quarantine, I kept my hair in knotless box braids because with all the stress of dealing with a pandemic, the last thing I wanted to do was my hair. I loved the ease of being camera-ready in literal seconds with no daily styling needed.
Yes, wigs can be high maintenance, but hear me out. Make or buy a good quality human hair closure or frontal wig that will last. Style it and keep it on a wig head ready to go. Braid or flat twist your natural hair and rock that when bumming it on the couch. Zoom call in 5 minutes? No problem—grab that wig, slap it on, and boom, you’re ready to go.Â
Taking the time to do neat individual twists after washing your hair will pay off in the long run. Twists are no longer a style that is only meant to be taken out. From chunky twists to tiny twists, the style is super cute, protective, and lasts at least a week until wash day. Bonus: consider this a two-in-one style if you choose to wear it as a twist out near the end of the week.Â
Part down the middle for two twists pinned up or do a side part with a couple on each side. The options are endless when it comes to this easy hairstyle. I love that this style is easy and good for your hair while also looking somewhat elegant because it’s an updo. Pair with baby hairs, cute earrings, and Fenty Gloss Bomb lip gloss for the finishing touch.Â
I can’t make a list of easy hairstyles without including the classic go-to: The Puff. I usually like to do this style the day after a lazy wash day where all I did was let my curls air dry without any styling. If your curls are already defined, just grab a spray bottle along with your favorite gel and slick them up (or back, depending on your mood). Don’t forget to tie your edges with a scarf to really slay this look. *chef’s kiss*
StayUniquee. Merry Curly. Maryam Hampton. BeYoutifully Natural. Seun Okimi. Eugenia Kelcy. Natural Academia.Yinka Naturalista. Believe me, I could go on and on, but for the sake of time and space, those are 8 naturalists on YouTube who have some pretty long hair (most of ’em are Type 4 hair too). I thought that shouting them out would be a great way to intro this because, if one of your new year’s desires is to have the longest ponytail ever come Christmas time, those women can inspire you—right along with some tips that I’ve got down below.
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I won’t lie to y’all. Genetics play a valid role in how long our hair gets and how fast it gets there. Yet if you’re someone who thinks that you can’t get longer tresses than you’ve ever had because your hair simply doesn’t grow, that’s a bald-faced lie. It grows. Somewhere around a one-half inch and an inch a month, to be exact. You’ve just got to make sure that you do all that you can to retain your inches. That’s where these tips come in.
If your deepest desire is to keep as much new growth as possible, apply the following 10 suggestions and watch how close to your goal you get by around this time next year.
1. Take the “Less Is More” Approach
When I first began my length retention journey, I would spend hours a week on YouTube, listening to what different naturalists would put in their hair to get the inches that they had. I got so excited that I purchased 4-5 tubs of Blue Magic, right out the gate. Unfortunately, using it more than to seal my ends every once in a while ended up being way too heavy for my hair (although some folks have been thriving with it). Anyway, after spending more money than I ever thought I would on a bunch of other products that are still in both of my bathroom cabinets, the thought crossed my mind to simplify and see if that would be my best bet. It was. Hands down.
I’m not even going to get into the specific products that worked for me vs. the ones that didn’t because it doesn’t matter. All of us are unique, so it is different strokes for different folks. What I will say is clogging up your hair follicles and weighing down your strands with tons of stuff is gonna probably do more harm than good. So, get to know your hair type and texture, try a few things that are branded for those two things specifically and wait at least a month to see how it all turns out. In the long run, you’ll probably come to realize what I did—that less (product) is more when it comes to hair growth.
2. Boost Your Collagen Intake
If you want your hair to thrive, it needs protein. Something that a lot of people don’t realize is collagen is one of the most abundant forms of protein that there is. The reason why it’s so good for your tresses is that, for one thing, your hair is made up of mostly protein (keratin). Also, collagen provides your hair with the amino acids that are necessary to build protein. Also, collagen fights off free radicals at the root (your hair follicles) and, as a bonus, it can slow down hair thinning and greying as well. This is why it’s wise to eat foods that contain a good amount of collagen. Some of those include fish, chicken, berries, citrus fruits, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and bone broth. If you’d like, you can also take a collagen supplement.
3. Stay Hydrated
Our bodies are made up of more than 60 percent water, so of course, we need to consume a lot of it daily. Unfortunately, 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated which can lead to all sorts of health issues. If you’re wondering if you could be among that number, check out “10 Overlooked Signs That You’re Dehydrated“. As far as your hair goes, a sign that it could use some extra hydration from the inside out is if your strands feel dry and brittle, no matter what you do or if your scalp dry.
In the quest to have long hair, a lot of people overlook very simple steps. When it comes to making sure that your hair is moisturized, it’s not going to matter how many moisture-rich products you use if your system is begging for water on the inside. So, make sure that you get no less than eight glasses a day. Your hair will thank you with every sip.
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4. Take a Vitamin B12 Supplement
A vitamin deficiency that is pretty prevalent within the Black community isVitamin B12. What are some signs that you could be low in it? You’re irritable. You have low energy. Your vision is blurry. You have unexplainable shortness of breath. You’re constipated. You sense that your muscles are weak. Your tongue feels “slicker” than usual. There’s a random numbing or tingling feeling throughout your body. You’ve got memory loss. Your hair follicles are dormant.
Since Vitamin B12 is something that helps to keep your iron in good condition, when you don’t have enough of it in your system, it can weaken the blood supply to your hair follicles which can result in weak follicles, hair thinning and even hair loss. This is why it’s also a good idea to take a Vitamin B12 supplement and to also eat foods that are loaded with this particular nutrient. Some of those include fortified cereals, salmon, eggs, Greek yogurt and beef.
5. Wash Your Scalp More than Your Hair
A huge mistake that folks make when it comes to washing day is focusing a ton on their actual hair more than their scalp. The reason why this is a no-no is that your scalp is the foundation of your hair. If you don’t get all of the gunk and build-up off of it, ultimately, your hair isn’t going to thrive. Not only that but I once read an article that said, a part of the reason why it seems that white women have more success with length retention is they shampoo their hair more often which means their scalp gets massaged more in the process.
First up—white women’s hair doesn’t grow faster. Their hair is straighter (so it appears that way), it’s naturally oily (which makes it harder to break) and we experience more shrinkage (by a country mile). Second, I didn’t just say all of that so that you would up your wash day frequency (more than once a week can rob your hair of the little natural oil that it has). However, it is a good idea to detox your scalp once every 4-6 weeks. Massage your scalp at least once a week (all you need is to warm up a carrier oil like jojoba or avocado, put a few drops of lavender in it and then use your fingertips to rub your scalp for 5-10 minutes), and to put more emphasis on washing your scalp than your hair. The key is to get your scalp clean so that your follicles are healthy; your hair doesn’t need that “squeaky feeling”, tho. The cleanser that drips down from your scalp is more than enough.
6. Rinse Hair in Cool Water
It feels divine to let hot water run down your hair and scalp, but it’s not the best thing for your hair’s progress. It’s because hot (or even super warm) water can end up drying out your hair and causing frizz. So, how can you avoid all of this? By actually rinsing your hair in cool water after your deep condition it (because you do that every wash day so that it’s extra moisturized, right?). Cool water is what will help to seal your hair’s cuticles while closing the pores on your scalp too.
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7. Dust More than Trim
Is there anything more annoying thanuneven hair growth? When you want to get your hair down your back, probably not. The thing is, having one side of your hair that is thicker and grows faster is pretty normal, for two reasons. One reason is that the left vs. the right side of our bodies is not identical. This is why one of your feet or breasts may be bigger than the other. The other reason is that we tend to give one side of our hair more stress than the other when it comes to things like constantly sleeping on one side, parting our hair on one side—stuff like that.
While you would think that the remedy may be to constantly cut the “thriving side” so that it will catch up with the “weaker” one, that is actually gonna be more counterproductive than not. Your best bet would be to focus on dusting (lightly trimming) your ends (you can watch videos on how to do that here, here and here) and then keeping your hair in a protective style so that you don’t even have to think about it. Then, once the weaker side has made some real progress, you can get a trim to even things out. Make sense?
8. Remember That Protein Is Essential
Again, your hair is made up of protein, so it needs a lot of it to remain healthy and strong. Aside from what I already shared about getting more collagen into your system, something else that you should do is eat other foods that are high in protein. Meat is an automatic protein booster. If meat’s not your thing, check out “Vegetarian Or Vegan? Check Out These High Protein Foods.” for a list of other options.
Speaking of protein, it’s also really important that you give yourself a protein treatment, about every six weeks. It’s what will help to improve your hair’s elasticity so that it can endure more of the styling and manipulation that you do. A lot of people notice more breakage than they should because they miss this small-yet-impactful step. I hit on this specifically in “10 Things Your Natural Hair Needs In The Winter“.
9. Leave Permanent Dye Alone
There used to be a time when you couldn’t guess what color my hair was going to be on a pretty much weekly basis. Now that I know how detrimental hair dye and chemical relaxers are, especially to our health (“our” meaning Black women), I tend to use hair wax or a semi-permanent alternative (henna is a pretty good one too). Besides, if you are serious about gaining ½-1″ of growth each month, permanent hair color is gonna be your ultimate nemesis. The main reason why is because the ammonia in hair dye strips your tresses of their natural pigment (to deposit the color) which can make your hair brittle as all get out. And if your hair keeps breaking off, you’ll never reach your hair goals.
I know for some of you, it sucks to even think about going without dye. But sometimes we’ve gotta make sacrifices for the greater goal. Bottom line, color, or inches? In 2021, which one is it gonna be?
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10. Use Saw Palmetto Oil
If there’s a new oil that you’d like to try on your hair, my vote is sawed palmetto. It has a great reputation for preventing and even restoring hair loss because it blocks an androgen known as DHT from developing in our bodies. Why does that matter? Because DHT plays a direct role in hair loss. Saw palmetto also has a pretty good reputation for increasing hair density too. Not only that but it’s an oil that can decrease inflammation, treat urinary tract infections, and can regulate your man’s testosterone levels too. For internal health benefits, it’s probably best to consume it as a supplement (like maybe aliquid extract) or intea form. If you want it to be the main oil that you use for those scalp massages that we already talked about, a cool place to purchase some is righthere.
11. Apply Extreme TLC to Your Ends
One more time for those in the back. Again, a myth that you need to make sure to debunk for the rest of your life is your hair doesn’t grow. That is a damn lie. If you are living, your hair is growing. The reason why a lot of us don’t see proof of this is that our ends break off as fast as our roots grow. The way to prevent this from (further) happening to you is to treat the ends of your hair like you would a newborn baby in the sense that you choose to treat them oh so very gently. Seal them on wash day. Try and keep your hair in a protective style (even if that’s a wig) most days of the week. Wrap your hair up in a silk or satin scarf (or bonnet) at night (friction is your hair’s enemy too). Let straggly ends go. When your hair is out, keep your hands out of it. Simple things like this will keep your ends about as fresh as your roots.
12. Stick with What Works
Out of all of what I said, the main thing to remember when it comes to achieving hair growth is you’ve got to be as patient with the process as possible. The reality is, growing out your hair is a lot like baking some cookies—if you keep watching the oven or your roots, it’s going to seem like nothing is happening. However, if you cultivate a routine, stick with it and try and leave your hair alone as much as possible ( that doesn’t mean to stop moisturizing and washing your hair), by June you could have 4-6 inches, and by December…at least double that!
Alright. Let me get off of here and nurture these braids I’ve got so that I can walk the talk, chile. Let’s all check back in around the holidays to see how things have been going. Can’t wait to see you flipping your hair back. Whew, girl. #wink
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Wigs have been around since the late 17th century. As a black woman that has beautiful kinky coily curly hair, I can say that wigs serve many purposes. I for one do like to switch up my hairstyles whenever I’m in the mood and wigs are a great essential for that. Just don’t forget to take care of your beautiful natural hair under the cap. Over the last 2-3 years, my wig collection has grown expeditiously.
If it were up to me and not my bank account, I would have a room full of wigs named after my favorite celebrities. From Cardi B to Viola Davis, wigs have become a mainstay for boss women not only because of their convenience but also for their undeniable flair. If you want to try a new style or color, you can always rock a wig to try it out before making a permanent decision.
In the past few years, the negative connotation with wigs has been replaced with that of opulence and class. Back in the day, wearing a wig was seen as a way to go undercover or as a hair loss solution. While you can keep those on the list of pros of rocking a wig, they offer so much more in this day and age.
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Before even jumping into the wigs I bought from HerGivenHair.com, let us talk about how it is important to start with a good quality wig. As far as human hair wigs go, they do tend to look extremely natural however, they can also run you a few hundred dollars (at least). If money is tight, some synthetic ones are much cheaper and are pretty impressive on the appearance tip too. If you opt for a monofilament wig, they do look like the hair from your wig is growing from your scalp while a hand-tied is less dense and also looks more natural than machine-wefted or stitched wigs. Just make sure to keep in mind that the less money you spend on a synthetic wig, the less likely you’ll be able to use heat styling tools (because they will melt the hair). Also, please avoid wigs that have that crescent moon type of hairline; the more natural the hairline the better.
If you opt to go to an actual beauty supply store, the customer service agents there should be able to assist you with finding a wig that best fits your hair and personal style. But if you’d prefer to order a wig online, there are plenty of naturalista pros out in the YouTube world who can totally help you out. Some videos worth checking out are locatedhere,here,here andhere.
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I understand that finding the right wig for you can sometimes be a challenge. Not every hair brand is trustworthy and not every Instagram Influencer/model is trustworthy. Sometimes they only care about the quick money they can make. BeautyLeeBar for one isn’t going to mention a product if the quality and quantity are not up to par. I have been wearing braids for a couple of months now and I am itching to rock a wig again.
I say all of this because I am admitting to being influenced by the beautiful Afro Latina Amara La Negra. Around July, Amara La Negra announced she was a partner with hergivenhair.com. That is when I decided to make a purchase. Amara is known for her honesty, and I truly believe she wouldn’t work with just any hair brand. When her pictures came out, I couldn’t help but be in awe.
FYI, the wigs are expensive but I have bought way more expensive wigs that the quality of the hair didn’t match. I am not saying just blow your money away though, still, be smart.
(Oh, and if you’re looking for some real-looking affordable wigs, check out these videoshere,here andhere.)
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Back to hergivenhair, even though the wigs are on the pricey side I can confess the hair texture is perfect and the hair itself is full and bouncy. I purchased the wigs already bleached and plucked which made applying the wig on top of my hair easier. You can not tell that it is a wig which I am living for. Honestly, it is hergivenhair.com for me.
– Beginner Friendly – Full Protective Style With No Leave Out – Protect Your Edges Well – Super Natural and Convenient With No Lace And No Glue – Different Styles According To Your Mood
Your bad hair days are finally over! Come get this long full look with an amazing dome shaped curls in our 20 inches Curly Lace Closure wig. This voluminous hair is the way to go! It’s impossible not to look fearless with this look! Your friends will scream, “this is everything and I need this ASAP!” The hair is very defined and curly and great for the summer. The special cut layer of this unit is designed to achieve a full textured look, it’s a girl’s amazing curly dream. Our customers think so and you can see that many people are ranking this look at number one for their favorite post!
The “Something about Mary” unit was inspired by Msnaturallymary as her signature wig. With fusions of her favorite natural hair elements, this unit was created to enhance the protective styling experience. It does not require any leave out and looks super natural, making it the most ideal protective style. It is shaped and customized in a manner to mimic a diva cut/ heart shape design; both of which are a natural girls dream. You’ll be sure to turn heads in this wig.
Texture:Coily Length:14″,16″ and 18″ were used to custom make this unit. Volume Of Style A: Before Styling 275g After Styling 270g Volume Of Style B: Before Styling 355g After Styling 350g
Getting the Most out of Your Unit Directions: Step 1: Co wash -Aussie moist 7 in 1 conditioner Or -As I am co wash Step 2: Apply Styling products -Aloe Vera Juice -Dark n lovely Aue Naturale Curl Defining Glaze -Curls Blueberry Bliss Curl Control Jelly Step 3: Use Denman brush (Felicia Leatherwood) to define curls Step 4: Allow the hair to air dry or use a diffuser to dry the hair Step 5: Be fabulous
– Beginner Friendly – Full Protective Style With No Leave Out – Protect Your Edges Well – Super Natural and Convenient With No Lace And No Glue – Different Styles According To Your Mood
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If you’re planning to get a protective style or simply want to experiment with natural looking hair extensions, I totally recommend HerGivenHair. Feel free to check out their website by clicking here and subscribe to their YouTube channelfor awesome content. Hopefully one day you’ll see me on their page! 🤍
