Do you have fun with your hair? Have you tried recent hair trends lately or switched up your style? Tightly textured hair is versatile and incredible, but most naturals consider it hard work. That hard work can include a wash day that lasts several hours, painful detangling, and being unable to create consistent results. Naturals often find a hairstyle that works for them and stick to it. There is nothing wrong with routine and having a staple hairstyle, but we encourage every Black woman to explore their hair! It can lead to discovering new hairstyles that are flattering while tapping into your self-expression. Having the freedom to play with your appearance and find styles that you truly love and resonate with is incredibly empowering.
Black Women Deserve to Enjoy Their Hair
Women with tightly textured hair are expected to go along with societal standards, regardless if they wear their natural or extension styles. Curls are often styled to appear looser as women get older, they’re more expected to ditch colorful extension styles. The days should be gone when women feel like they’ve aged out of trying new, fun styles. There shouldn’t be an age limit on self-expression and joy! We’re allowed to explore and have fun with different styles and let our hair evolve and grow with us.
By the way, we don’t mean you have to dye your hair or do a dramatic cut to play with your appearance. You can always make modifications to styles to work with your hair in its current state or start adding fun accessories to your look. We typically encourage non-permanent options that are done safely and prioritize your hair health. You should always discuss with your stylist if you want to cut your hair or make an otherwise permanent decision. You want to have a thorough understanding of what to expect, how to take care of your hair, and have peace of mind knowing that your hair has been done correctly and safely.
New Year and Social Media Hair Trends
Hair trends are constantly coming out and being recycled. Trying trends often gets labeled a young person’s game, but that shouldn’t be the reality. Trying new trends isn’t inherently immature or something that should be stopped once you hit a certain age. If a woman sees a popular trend that she likes, why not try it for herself? Life comes with enough strife and struggle, were allowed to find joy in trying something new. It also creates a space for women to find new flattering styles that can be incorporated into their lives.
Brown Skin Women believes that anyone and everyone should have the freedom to try something new. Our caveat is that this exploration is done safely. That means avoiding certain trends or styles that are more likely to cause damage to the hair than help it maintain its health. You can always make modifications to the style that will increase its safety. So this new year or the next time you see a style that you like, give it a go!
Unleashing Your Inner Child
Hair jewelry is getting more popular among Black women and we’re thrilled about it. Accessories add to your hairstyle and allow you to tap into your creative side by choosing the colors, shapes, and placements of your jewelry. You can tap into your creative style with accessories. The colors, shapes, and even placement of your jewelry are all up to you! We’ve also noticed that more women are showing interest in wearing beads and styles that they loved to wear as children (or always wanted to wear as a child.) Wearing these styles or accessories can help heal or unleash their inner child, bringing joy and color into their lives.
Identifying with your inner child is so important as a Black woman. We are often perceived as “more mature” by society or given far too much responsibility at young ages. This forces us to grow up faster and abandon childhood to survive in this world. Adding to that, Black girls are frequently accused of acting “grown” when they’re innocently exploring their self-expression and identity. The result is countless Black women who are no longer connected with their inner child because they weren’t allowed to enjoy childhood.
While this isn’t every Black woman’s experience, many Black women have lived through these experiences or know women who have. It’s normal to have a few mental barriers when initially connecting with your inner child. You resist trying new styles or accessories because it isn’t “age-appropriate.” We say it is! You may have been denied certain hairstyles or didn’t have access to them. That doesn’t mean you have to give up on them.
Learn How to Achieve Hair Trends and Nostalgic Styles
Within our Home Hair Care Academy, we have a style library. Our founder, Carmen, will teach you step-by-step how to successfully achieve popular styles that either our team has found or our community members requested. The best part is that hair health is still prioritized. With the styles, you’ll learn how to achieve cute hair trends with hair safety in mind.
Our community also has a dedicated Kids Corner for both your children and your inner child. We understand that not everyone’s caretaker taught them how to do their hair or use accessories—you may have had a caretaker who didn’t know how to do it themselves. We’re here as a non-judgemental, educational resource for everyone. Whether this is a refresher course or your first time learning, this library will teach you everything you must know. This includes how to apply and remove these accessories safely.
We love being able to answer real questions and provide answers that make natural hair feel more accessible and easy. Join Tight Curlfriends to connect with fellow naturals who are learning and practicing healthy hair habits.