Creating on-the-go curly hairstyles is literally like painting a piece of art and hoping the result is a masterpiece. Curly haired women, men, and children deal with pattern, texture, weather, length, and moisture that all play a role in your hairstyle. Making it look easy and effortless is not a gift, it’s hard work that comes from labor in front of the mirror before the day starts. For me, it’s been a long result of trial and error figuring out how to style my hair and what is easy and convenient. I’m a lady who gets ready in 20 minutes or less and the last thing I want to do is wrestle with my hair. Here a few of my one-step hairstyles that get me out the door with a smile on my face.
1. The slicked back bun
I have been a woman who opposes the middle part, except for this hairstyle. Middle parts don’t do much for my face, but make all the difference when creating this slick bun. I part my hair down the middle and pull it tight behind my ears. I then place my index finger in the middle of my head and wrap the curls around my finger until I have a little ball. I use my left hand to hold the ball while my right hand wraps a hair band to keep it secure. If I have too many loose strands, I’ll start over or tuck them in with bobby pins. Afterwards, I use styling gel to slick down my baby hairs around my forehead and hairline leading towards my ears. It’s very quick, efficient and especially helpful between wash days when I don’t have the extra time to work through my curls.
2. Messy up-do
Creating an up-do is especially hard for me because I cannot braid my hair to save my life. I’ve had to figure out alternate ways to make a cute topknot or bun with hairbands that won’t tear my hair out or cost me time. Remember, I’m all about saving time and I’ve been rocking variations of this hairstyle since high school. What I like about it is that regardless of how textured or loose my curls are, I still get a unique look. I pull my hair up like I would a high ponytail while using coconut oil, gel, or crème to hold it together. I then use a hair band to trick my hair into thinking I’m making a ponytail, but instead of the ponytail, I tuck the hair into the band. You can make the bun as big or small as you want by pulling the ends of your bun. I like to leave my baby hairs out around my forehead, neck, and hairline because it adds some flair to the style instead of me slicking them into my curls.
3. Letting it loose
Wearing my curls down like any other women takes time depending on wash day, weather, curl pattern etc. Like most of you know nothing says va-va-voom with your hair like wearing it down after a wash day and getting the volume and curls you prefer. I have grown to love letting my hair down and fly in the wind and sometimes it comes out exactly how I’d like it to, and other days I flip it and scrunch it up to bring it back to life. I think the biggest key to wearing it down is making sure it’s moisturized and nourished so my curls look the best. We all know that water can give life back to flat, dull, curls so I also will run them through the sink on a bad hair day.
Overall creating the perfect look that’s manageable and easy takes a lot of practice and it’s a series of trial and error. I gain my inspiration from Instagram accounts that are centered on curly hair or news articles with celebrities like Zendaya who proudly rock their curls. Curls are beautiful no matter how you dress them up or dress them down, just be confident in how you wear them.
