I love looking through Google Images at all the fly photos of black female figures wearing their hair in such an eclectic array of styles. Going against the grain, their jet-setting looks and fierce-ness opened up a lot of doors for the sistas of today to do just about anything to their hair. From Blaxploitation stars to famous singers and models, these iconic women gave us hair envy, as well as lots of innovative idea for things to do with our own strands. Check these hot mommas out.

Billie Holiday

If Billie taught us something about hair, it’s that a gal always has to have her signature style. Reinvention is for the birds! Billie’s head full of gardenias started off as an accident with a curling iron (isn’t that always how it starts??). After burning a section of her hair, a fellow jazz singer went and bought some gardenias for her to use temporarily to cover up that section. But Billie loved the gardenias so much, she decided to keep wearing them for every performance. What a smart move. It’s the accessories ya’ll! They matter…

Turban alert!

Coming in at nearly six feet (mostly legs) with skin the color of mahogany and distinctive facial features and expressions that would put Nicki Minaj to shame, Grace Jones was, is and will always be a style phenomenon. Before chicks like Lady Gaga were wearing provocative outfits to the airport, Grace Jones was rocking damn-near outlandish ensembles just about everywhere. From her actual clothing, which was so iconic thanks in part to the help of stylist Jean-Paul Goude (the father of her son Paulo by the way), to her hair and sheer presence, Jones made every arrival at every event a party. While most starlets are going for Hollywood classic glamor and want to look as normal as possible, I miss the crazy, androgynous style Ms. Jones ushered in. So here’s an ode to the “Pull Up to the Bumper” Jamaican-American singer in all her eclectic glory over the years, along with a few timeless things I learned from her.

Just a few months ago, it was Summer and you made the big chop, natural or just plain ‘ol short, that you had been thinking about for months on end. Everyone was excited, surprised, and inspired, including yourself. But now it’s Winter, and that short cut has been working your last nerves. It’s growing back irregularly or too fast, and now you don’t know what direction to go in. Should you let your hair grow back or keep cutting? Should you put braids in to avoid the harsh Winter wind? Why is your hair so boring all of a sudden? These thoughts are prevalent around this time of year when a fluffy hat is your best friend and your hair is dryer than a cactus. So to help alleviate the stress, here are a few options for styles short haired ladies can try for the rest of this season. Some you’ll like, some you’ll hate, but whatevs, at least you now have options.