45 Natural Hairstyle Ideas You'll Want To Save Immediately

Whether you’re rocking knee-length hair or a pixie cut, loose 3A curls or a rich head of 4B coils, the choice to go natural comes with infinite possibilities. “Healthy, natural hair can be styled in countless ways and still keep its integrity,” says Dominique LyVar, Senior Stylist at Devachan Salon.

Natural hair expert and stylist Sabrina Yamani Yamga from SPACE by Alex Brown in Chicago also recommends styling natural to her clients over alternatives, not just for hair health, but to take a stance against decisions like the 2016 Supreme Court rule to ban locs during the hiring process. For Yamga, it goes deeper than a beauty choice. “Kinky curly hair defies gravity and grows towards the sun,” she says. “For decades, we’ve been told to straighten our hair towards the Earth to fit into the Western corporate narrative, but our natural texture was literally made to stand up and stand out. In our community, it represents freedom.”

When considering your hair type and the style you want to try, Yamga stresses the importance of knowing your wave or curl type, especially if you’re doing the styling yourself. “Type four is the easiest type to maintain braids, Zulu knots, and dreadlocks, because of the kinks and coils,” she says. “People with kinky, coily curls most definitely aren’t the only ones who can pull these off, but they will have the easiest time maintaining them.” She recommends that people with Type two and three hair maintain a quick wash-and-go routine with a co-wash at least once a week to maintain moisture that traditional shampoo can strip away.

Once you’ve actually chosen a style, maintaining it with the right products is key. For wavy or loose curls, Yamga recommends beach-y salt sprays, sugar sprays, and mousses like Ouai’s Wave Spray or IGK Rich Kid Coconut Oil Air-Dry Styling Cream to get natural texture to the hair. For curly to kinky texture, LyVyar stress the importance of hydration and deep conditioning to protect the integrity of the curls. Yamga recommends using Olaplex’s Number 0 or Amika’s Soul Food Nourishing Mask at least once a week. But it’s not just about adding moisture—it’s about removing drying ingredients from your routine. Both Yamga and LyVyar stress the importance of avoiding drying ingredients like alcohol, sulfate, silicone, and salt in your hair products if you have type 4 hair.

And now, time to style! See below for a variety of sun-reaching natural hair inspiration from Instagram.