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It’s easy to get stuck in a style rut, wearing the same tried-and-true looks you’ve relied on for years.
If you feel like you’ve become synonymous with the same styles day after day, it might be time to shake things up with some new cute black hairstyles!
Tap into a source of style inspiration with our list of 15 cute hairstyles that perfectly suit a naturally coarse, coily, or kinky hair texture below.
What Are Some Cute Black Hairstyles?
- Try protective styles that look cute while preventing damage
- Opt for natural styles to give your hair a break
- Find pretty ways to secure natural hair for quick styles
Searching for cute black hairstyles can be overwhelming because there’s just so much out there to consider. You can simplify the process and make things easier by narrowing it down to protective, natural, and quick daily styles.
Protective hairstyles are great for preventing damage to your hair from heat, manipulation, and products. You’ve got so many options here, from trendy goddess locs and butterfly locs to mainstay box braids and spring twists.
Protective styles have a lot going for them. They insulate your strands from environmental damage and help keep frizz, breakage, and dryness to a minimum. They also last for weeks!
The downside for protective hairstyles is that they take a while to install, sometimes require the use of braiding hair (which can make the style heavy), and don’t provide the option to change your look much from day to day.
Natural styles are great for giving your hair a break if you’ve been rocking protective styles, extensions, or wigs back to back. You can go for a tapered afro look, relaxed strands for easy styling, or longer coily looks.
It’s great to wear natural styles, but it can be more time-consuming on a daily basis. You’ll need to add more products, spend more time styling and arranging your hair, and be careful to avoid over-manipulation.
Quick and easy styles for natural hair are also good to have on-hand when you don’t want to spend a lot of time on your hair.
From puffy ponytails and buns to big braids, you’ll want to have some cute styles in your repertoire that can done in less than 10 minutes.
We’ll show you 15 of our favorite hairstyles for black hair below. You’ll see options for different lengths, style types, and maintenance levels!
15 Cute Black Hairstyles You Need for Everyday
Take a look at some of the internet’s favorite cute black hairstyles for everyday looks. These styles suit hair types from 3C to 4C, covering curly and coily/kinky hair types.
Whether you prefer protective styles with braiding hair, natural styles, or quick looks that are easy to pull together in the morning, we’ve got you covered with the list below!
1. Thick Cornrows With Low Braided Bun
A chic chignon bun created from the ends of your braids is one of the easiest ways to dress up protective cornrows. Straight-back braids on the thicker side are a style staple that never looks dated or falls out of style.
Wrap your ends in a tight, coiled bun and secure with hair pins for a quick, polished look.
2. Chunky Box Braids With Caramel Accents
Thick, chunky box braids have a chic vibe that really frames an oval or heart face shape nicely. Section your hair the way you prefer to make your braids fall in a flattering way in front.
We like the soft caramel accents that pop up here and there through the front braids. Try it with a different color to change the look!
3. High Bun With Feed Ins and Face-Framing Pieces
A braided bun looks so full and voluminous, it’s an instant focal point and looks great on round or square faces that need volume on top. Leave out two braids in front to use as your face-framing pieces to make this look trendy.
4. Burgundy Highlight Spring Twists
Spring twists get an instant boost with a pop of color like the burgundy tones shown here. Mix and match your favorite colors to make this look your own!
You can use pre-twisted hair or curly braiding hair to create your twists. This is a great protective style that’s very trendy right now.
5. Natural Puffy Pony
Going all natural with your coils doesn’t have to mean spending a ton of time on curl definition and control. Try a cute puffy ponytail to secure your strands and show off the texture without the hassle!
Smooth your hair into a ponytail at the crown before securing tightly. Use your favorite hair gel or curling cream to add definition and hold to perfect the look.
6. Half Up Feed In Braids With Curls
Curly braiding hair elevates the look of feed in braids for a formal or day to day style that keeps natural hair protected. Tiny partial cornrows take care of the front of the look with tumbling curls through the rest of the length.
7. Relaxed With Trendy Baby Braids
If you like relaxing your hair for easier styling and management, you’ve got to try baby braids in the front. You can leave the back straight or add texture with waves or curls.
Braid two small sections from both sides in front using a middle part to guide you. Secure with clear or dark elastics for a seamless look.
8. Micro Braids With Curly Ends
Tiny micro braids take longer to install, but they look so good and take care of styling for the next several weeks! This protective style uses curly braiding hair to give you textured, voluminous ends that act like a built-in style.
9. Loosely Defined With Balayage and Bangs
Larger, more defined coils are great to rock in their full glory with plenty of curl cream and gel to boost the definition. Shine serum adds a gorgeous sheen and balayage dark blonde color near the ends really illuminates this style.
10. Half Up Faux Locs Top Knot
Slender faux locs add a lot of sheen and a smooth, uniform texture while protecting your natural hair from damage and manipulation. Try a half up top knot to create a new style with this look and finish it off with a cute scrunchy.
11. Protective Bantu Knots
Winding your hair into tight Bantu knots can help gently stretch your hair to reach its full length while protecting it from environmental and styling damage. Bantu knots are simple to install and don’t take very long.
You can make your knots bigger or smaller, depending on the length of your hair and the look you want. Create clean, even sections with a rattail comb for a neater style.
12. Messy Relaxed Side-Swept Pixie
Short hair that’s been relaxed looks amazing styled in a side-swept, messy look. If you’re one of those women who just looks better with a side part, you’ll love how softly curved side bangs elevate a basic pixie cut on relaxed hair.
13. Long Senegalese Twists
Senegalese twists are almost hypnotic with their smooth, curving twists and turns. This style looks great on different lengths, but there’s something special about going for a super-long look.
Try installing them along a side part for an easy everyday look!
14. Relaxed Ballerina Bun
Relaxed hair can feel a little boring if you’re wearing it the same way day in and day out. Try a high, sleek bun that resembles a ballerina bun to do something different!
You want the bun as sleek and tangle-free as possible, so use a firm hold gel and shine or anti-frizz serum to smooth everything down.
15. Natural Texture With Hair Wrap
If your hair type is 4B or 4C, definition is a little tougher to coax, even with the right products. You can still rock pretty styles with your natural texture by showcasing it through an expertly-wrapped hair scarf.
Tie and position your scarf so it leaves some of your natural hair peeping through the top. This is a quick and easy everyday style to work into your routine!
Things to Consider
With so many cute black hairstyles to choose from, how can you possibly narrow down your choices? Take a look at the things you should consider to make your style selection a little simpler below.
- Looking for low-maintenance? Protective styles are the ultimate choice for low-maintenance haircare and styling for black women. There are so many different types of braids, locs, and twists to choose from if you go this route. Check out more style options with these guides: 30 Tribal Braids We’re Obsessed With and 60+ Trendy Black Hairstyles to Wear in 2023!
- Want to give your hair a break? Foregoing tight braids and high-manipulation styles is a great way to give your mane a breather when you feel it’s time. Go for more natural looks that showcase your coily or kinky texture to give your hair a break from stretching, tension, and heat.
- Thinking about relaxing your hair? Relaxers can damage natural hair, especially if they’re done too often or in combination with other chemical processes. But relaxing your hair with a no-lye formula every now and then will really broaden your style options! You won’t have to worry about much frizz, perfecting curl definition, or tight styles when you rock a relaxed look.
- Want the freedom to switch up styles? Protective styles won’t give you as much freedom to change up your look on a day to day basis, though you can still try half up styles, simple updos, and other looks with them. Opt for natural styles like puff ponytails, hair wraps, and afro looks to show off your hair texture in different ways every day.
- Having trouble making styles look polished? You might not be using the right products. You need a good moisturizer, leave-in conditioner, gel, curl cream, and hair oil to pull off more defined hairstyles. Anti-frizz serum can help you tame frizzes and flyaways for tight, precise styles.
Which Cute Black Hairstyles Made It Into Your Routine?
You’ve seen 15 different options for cute black hairstyles to suit all the different curly, coily, kinky, and relaxed hair textures. Which ones did you like enough to work into your style repertoire?
You might like the low-maintenance ease and built-in styles of protective options like braids, twists, knots, and locs. Just be sure you’re willing to commit for a few weeks first!
Natural hairstyles that make the most of your hair’s density and curly texture are great options when you don’t want to fool with the long installation times and style rigidity of protective styles.
Keep a few basic day-to-day styles in your pocket, like puff ponytails and hair wrap ideas, to make mornings easier when you don’t have time to go through the full styling routine.
There’s definitely no shortage of cute hairstyles for black women. With so many different ways to wear and style your strands, you’ll gain a whole new appreciation for your hair’s versatility and texture!