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.
Feeling Kinky? Opt for Two Strands or Kinky Twists
Two strands are a great option for women in the blue about what they want to do with their hair. Thinking about starting locs? Two strands are a great way to get an idea about whether they’ll work for you or not. However, if you’re just looking to give your hair a break from the heat of irons or a lot of tug and pull, they’re good for that too. If you’ve got permed hair, you can fluff up the spirals to get a curly or nicely kinked style. Either way you rock them, they’re a very cute style for women with shorter strands that haven’t grown out much yet and for those with hair that is currently growing at a fast pace. If you don’t want two strands using your own hair, I’d also recommend Kinky twist extensions to help relieve stress on your hair during Winter months. You can get them in a variety of colors, light browns, reds and even blonde strands.
*Can be removed at any time
*Can be curled or worn down long, opened up to help make hair somewhat spiraled
*Don’t unravel very easily
*Pretty easy to do yourself, so you can skip the trip to the salon
*Great for holding shine
Put Some Color in That Head!
I went through one of those phases where I cut my hair short, loved it and then got bored with it. Why? Not because I hated the style, but because there was no pop in it. A new color adds some spice to an unconventional do and can also bring out your God-given features. Whether you want that attention is up to you. But consult with your stylist if you’re option is for permanent color, as it usually contains ammonia and peroxide that can make your hair very dry. Which is a negative since the harsh Winter months make your hair dry enough. If you decide to go ahead with it anyway, make sure you keep your hair fully moisturized. Not necessarily by greasing your scalp, but by conditioning your hair, trying hot oil treatments or just keeping your hair wrapped and covered at night, away from cotton pillows that dry hair or can pull at your hair. But there are many options for color:
*Rinses are healthier for your hair at this time of the year, but they do more coating then penetrating strands
*Get a hair cut beforehand to get rid of split ends that can make color treatments appear uneven
*Semi-permanents and rinses are good for women opting for color after relaxers
*Demi-permanent (yes this is real), is a permanent wash, doable at home and can last up to eight washes
*If you want permanent color, but are worried, look for permanent colors that don’t have ammonia and peroxide
Bring Back Braids
And I’m not really recommending the old school Brandy dookie braids that have made a comeback. They’re cute, but just not in style anymore–plain and simple. Neither are dull, straight back cornrows. Try some braids in the front of your hair and let your hair fluff out in the back, or braid up the side and try a fun and easily manageable mohawk. Play with designs, just nothing too over the top that it can’t be professional if necessary. They’re said to help hair grow, and if your scalp stays moisturized, your braids can have a nice sheen. Braids are great ways to protect your strands, so you won’t have to fuss with them too much. And we all know a good set of braids can last a few good weeks.
*Good for promoting hair growth
*Don’t forget to moisturize your scalp
*Great for the woman who loves to workout consistently — lack of drama
*Sleep with a satin pillowcase or head wrap of some sort to protect braids and keep moisture
*If played with, design wise and not straight back, this look can still be fun and functional
Fall in Love with the Fade or Meet the Caesar
If you’re brave and like to rock exotic looks, the Caesar and the bald fade are definitely becoming big hits on the streets. Think Grace Jones or the lovely hued head of Ms. Chrisette Michele. A look like this exudes a mass amount of confidence. If you can wear a crop this short, you’ll have the courage to wear anything. It’s also good for putting attention on your eyes, the facial structure and dope accessories. Try big, not gaudy, earrings with feathers, color and length that can help keep you ultra-feminine. If you want to grease it up and get others sea sick by your waves (see above), that look works perfectly fine as well. Just remember to keep you hair lined. As short as it is, it can be a difficult do when it comes to the time it starts growing, but it’s definitely a fresh start for a woman who’s gradually been creeping along, cutting her hair shorter and shorter. How low can you go?
*Try a fade with waves or color for extra umph
*A literal wake up and go style, but some brushing could help
*Nice option for daredevils who shaved a side of their head this summer
*Great for those with soft and bold features
*Keep clean with shape ups and linings
Bob-It, Bang-It
Hopefully you’re not too bored with the bob look, but it’s definitely one of those styles that just knows how to stay around and evolve with the times. Whether the bob gets longer in the front and shorter in the back, or is choppy with sharp bangs and layers, it’s a definite do. The bob is a nice transitional look for women who had the short side and long top look by Rihanna look this past summer. It’s Hot and mysterious when paired with bangs. But it can also be fun and flirty with streaks of color or an asymmetrical version. Keep the nape shaved down if you want your bob high in the back, and play with your eye makeup when you have those bangs.
*An effortless look if kept wrapped at night
*A bob with some bangs is a sharp look; very retro Supremes yet futuristic
*Bob with bangs also good for when those eyebrows haven’t been done, cause who has time for that anymore?
*Frames and accentuates your face
*Blunt, voluminous edges at the bottom are a must
Your Curly Que: Curls & Straw Sets
This is a great style for women with permed and natural hair. My sister, who was in the process of growing out her perm and had been at it for over a year, swore by straw sets and they looked gorgeous and bountiful on her head. For the short haired woman who’s strands are in that awkward between lengths stage or growing rapidly, the straw curls are a nice alternative that can be done at home, as opposed to leaving the salon broke. They can be done using straws or rods, setting lotion and a few hours of free time. In the end, with a hint of spray, you have some well-sheened straw curls that can last weeks. If you don’t want your curls so tight, you can opt for braiding or french rolling the back of your hair and piling soft curls on top. Soft rollers are great for this look.
*Need some drinking straws (or rods if you have them, since they do have their own closures), bobby pins, setting lotion and spray to give it body
*Fun way to play with your hairs texture without using chemicals
*Good for Winter and Summer, but you don’t have to worry about heat causing frizz during the Winter
*A nice break from combing and brushing out your hair and causing damage to it
*Last long with reasonable amount of maintenance
Sistah, Try Sisterlocks
Still a fairly new concept for styling your hair, Sisterlocks are a great replacement for dreadlocks if you aren’t looking to have to wait an extended amount of time for length, as you would for regular dreads. Created by certified technicians that you should probably do your research on, Sisterlocks are a three step process. It consists of a consultation, the actual first locking session, and then re-tightening. Lucky for everyone, Sisterlocks can be donned by those with natural and relaxed hair, according to the official Sisterlocks website. Those with relaxers will just need 1 1/2 inches of new growth, but the relaxer should be trimmed off as the Sisterlocks grow. Patience is necessary whether you opt for dreads or Sisterlocks, as well as good care, but with a skinnier appearance that is reminiscent of simple curled micro braids, Sisterlocks might be just the style you’ve been looking for.
*Take less time to go through the process; a good length of locs can take over a year to develop, Sisterlocks created by technicians at the salon don’t need those different stages of locking
*However, the installation of Sisterlocks does take a great amount of hours the first time around and during re-tightening
*Most Sisterlock sessions are three stages: Initial consultation, locking session and a re-tightening session
*Hair, just as in dreads, can grow to amazing length
*Will have to find a certified Sisterlock stylist
Pixie Cut
While Ms. Halle Berry and Nia Long have been known to rock this style beautifully over the years, it can look good on many women looking to cut their hair back to a shorter length, or who have recently made the chop. But do know, as the above photo shows, a pixie can be a shorter choppy cut, not just an all around short cut. It’s an easy yet very elegant look. Very feminine and a great way to put attention on your cheekbones and other facial blessings, the long lengths at the top can be flipped up, laid flat, or colored to stand out. To curl the top, opt for small rollers instead of continuously putting heat on your strands, and keep tapered sides or backs down using non-sticky and non-greasy pomade.
*Easier maintenance, the less hair to worry about the better
*Angular cut frames your face and puts attention on your features
*Allows you to play with the longer strands on the top of your head, flip them, smooth them down, curl them elegantly
*Hot flirty, but still feminine even without hanging down
*Keep those edges clean!
Example on longer hair, but works for short hair as well
Bone Straight: Brazilian Keratin Treatment
There’s been a lot of fuss about this treatment, but a lot of the results have prompted many a positive review, even by black women. If your hair is growing and once again in that awkward length stage after a cut, and you want your hair straightened without using relaxers, this is a great way to go. It’s indeed a little bit more expensive, but the results are worth the price, as a Brazilian Keratin treatment can keep your hair straight for about three months, before going back to the regular state of your hair. The Keratin is something that curly hair is lacking and you can get it through the treatment. However, as opposed to perms, there is not a change in the structure of your strands, nor are there any unhealthy chemicals involved, that is if you get the treatment sans formaldehyde, of course (don’t ask). Afterwards, be content with whipping that hair back and forth, because for the first few days you can’t wash it, put it in a ponytail or curl it. Because the treatment lasts so long, these distortions early on can leave dents and kinks in your hair that could stay as long as the Keratin lasts in your locks.
*Straightening process is said to last up to 12 weeks
*Allows hair to go back to its natural state without breaking because it doesn’t physically alter the strands the way a relaxer does
*Shouldn’t get Keratin treatment and then a relaxer soon after because the relaxer reacts negatively to it and strips away the Keratin
*Said to be healthy for natural and permed hair; Pregnant or nursing women shouldn’t try
*Once first few days pass, very low maintenance and Keratin protein gives it shine
Ain’t No Shame in Yo Wig Game
Hey, if you just really don’t know what to do with your head, there’s nothing wrong with throwing on a wig and experimenting with a few different cuts, colors and textures. The great thing about wigs is that there is no commitment at all, and your own hair still lies beneath. To keep your wig from looking overly shiny and obviously artificial, go for human hair wigs, as opposed to synthetics. If you’re bold, experiment with some bold colors for a night out on the town. Whenever, wherever, wigs can work. Lace front wigs are a popular option too, as shown by Tyra Banks and Beyonce, but the use of double stick tape and/or glue needed to hold these wigs down might not be the best look for the front of your scalp. A regular wig is one of the best protectants for your hair. Wear a satin cap or wrap underneath that will keep friction between the wig and your hair from happening, and after that, hit the streets.
*Try the styles you’ve been dying to see on your own head or loved on someone else’s
*Allows you to experiment with new colors, a la Nicki Minaj
*Protects your hair from being whipped by the cold wind
*Try human hair wigs instead of synthetic; while they cost more, they tend to look better and last longer
*Lace fronts, a staple for Beyonce and Tyra Banks are also a wig option, but can require glue or double stick tape which could be uncomfortable. Plus they’re a lot more expensive wig wise. But they do give a seamless hairline
