Looking in the mirror, you know full well what you no longer want, and much less what you would like. The same bun has been coming back for three years because it holds. Here are seven looks to break free from it.
What separates a look that holds from one that sags almost never comes down to sleight of hand. It is decided beforehand, based on the condition of the hair: a supple fiber holds the shape you give it, while dry fiber falls apart within the hour. Here are seven looks, from the quickest to the most elaborate, with for each the styling, what makes it last, and the point of caution. Our step-by-step tutorial details the Rituel Texture®, which serves as their common foundation.
As a little girl in Guadeloupe, my mother adorned my hairstyles with beads, never the same ones twice, and I loved the sound they made when I turned my head. Later, in France, these unique hairstyles attracted questions, and I made that a strength. That is where this idea comes from: a hairstyle is not maintenance, it is a fashion accessory.
Ghana Elin, founderLook 1The high puff
Hair gathered in a puff at the top of the head, the face clear, the neck free. It is the quickest of the seven and the most forgiving: it works very well on third- or fourth-day hair. Warm up a little of La Crème Coiffante between your hands so it melts, apply it to the lengths, smooth the sides with your palm rather than a brush, then tie it with a silk scrunchie.
The temptation at this point is to pull tight to achieve perfectly clean sides. That is exactly what you should not do: the temples and the hairline carry the finest hairs of the head, and they are the ones that pay the price of repeated tension. A slightly irregular puff is better than a flawless puff that thins out the contour of the face.
Look 2The low bun
The most discreet of the selection, and one of the most protective since it tucks the ends away instead of letting them rub against the collar of a coat or a wool scarf. This constant friction is a very underestimated cause of breakage.
Gather the hair at the nape of the neck without pulling on the temples, twist the mass on itself, wrap it, and secure it with a silk scrunchie, which slides instead of snagging. The point of caution lies in repetition: worn every day in the same place, this bun always stresses the same roots. Move the attachment point from one day to the next.
Look 3The afro
The freest shape, and the one that carries an entire history: ancestral hairstyles are sculptures, and the afro is their most direct version. It is also the most demanding of the seven, because a successful afro is almost never an afro combed in the morning.
Everything comes down to a one-evening lead time. The volume is built the day before, with twists or braids made on prepared hair and undone upon waking: the shape is then even, without the flattened areas of a mass simply lifted with a comb. The next day, the root is revealed with the fingertips or the Peigne de Man Dol', and can be touched up during the day without re-wetting anything. All our tips for a more voluminous afro.
The downside is real: worn down, an afro tangles quickly, and knots form at the ends without you seeing them coming. In the evening, gather it into a pineapple.
Look 4Mini twists
Fine twists distributed throughout the hair, worn as they are or gathered into a ponytail. It is the look for those who want to relax: no more daily styling for a good while. They are done on clean, detangled hair coated with La Crème Coiffante, section by section, which takes up a good part of an afternoon.
Maintenance is then limited to a clean scalp and a little cream on the ends once a week. There is no need to spray water every day: this habit makes the fiber porous without hydrating it.
As for how long it lasts, it is not written on a calendar. What matters is the weight of the extensions, the tension at the root, and the condition of the scalp. Learn instead to read the signal of removal: roots that begin to felt together, knots at the base of each twist. Waiting any longer turns the removal into a breakage session.
Look 5The braid out
The softest wave, obtained without any heat. The size is decided at the time of braiding: the larger the starting braids, the wider the wave. Braid sections on damp hair coated with La Crème Coiffante, then let dry in the open air, between two routines. Then, it all comes down to patience. Undone on hair that is still slightly damp, the braid out gives a blurry wave and volume that sags in two hours. Wait for complete drying, then undo with the fingertips, never with a comb. See also wash and go, twist out or braid out.
Look 6The slicked-back bun with two parts
Two clean parts starting from the forehead, the sides slicked back, a low bun or two buns at the back: the most graphic line of the selection, and the one that photographs the best.
To slick back without damaging, a natural flax or aloe vera gel is enough, applied to lengths that are already supple. Two habits cost dearly here: the hard brush passed over and over on the temples, and the gel placed on a dry fiber, which stiffens it instead of laying it down. This look is worn for a few days in a row, not permanently. See slicking back your hair without gel and our natural gels.
Look 7Creative cornrows
Geometric patterns, curved lines, cornrows that converge into a bun: the broadest and most durable family, the one that connects most directly to ancestral hairstyles. A complex pattern is entrusted to a professional trained in curly and coily textures; simple lines can be learned at home, starting with four or six straight cornrows. See our hairstyles without extensions and our tutorial for making twists.
The criterion is non-negotiable: a cornrow must not hurt on the day of styling, nor the next, and this is not a comfort precaution. Repeated tension on the hairline is the recognized mechanism of traction alopecia, documented in women and young girls who regularly wear braids, cornrows, and weaves (Khumalo et al., Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008). Caught early, it is reversible; once established, it leaves a thinning line that does not always grow back.
The signs that a look is damaging your hair
- Pain, tingling, or headaches in the hours following styling.
- Small pimples around the roots, especially on the contours.
- Temples or a hairline that thins out from month to month.
- A lot of broken hair upon removal, far beyond normal shedding.
All the details in our article on protective hairstyles that damage.
Choosing yours
The grids that assign a hairstyle to a face shape have been circulating for decades without ever helping anyone recognize themselves in a mirror. In the salon, we work differently: we look at the overall look, the way you carry your head, and we propose a hairstyle according to the woman you want to embody. It is a question of projection, not geometry.
Three markers are enough: the time you have in the morning, which holds back or rules out the high puff and the low bun; the pace of your week, which separates a look redone every day from cornrows styled for several weeks; and the desired effect, height with the afro, clean lines with the slicked-back bun, softness with the braid out. For a wedding, our wedding hairstyles add a longer preparation calendar than one might imagine.
Making a look last
The hold for the next day is decided the evening before, and it is the step that almost everyone skips. The gesture does not change from one look to another: undo the hairstyle of the day, put a little La Crème Coiffante back on, focusing on the ends, use a comb only if the hair has tangled, then make six tight twists on themselves, never at the root. They lock in the hydration and retain the shape of the day before.
Then comes protection, and that is what separates a two-day braid out from a one-week braid out. At night, tie the twists with a silk scrunchie or tie a silk scarf, and sleep on a silk pillowcase. The bonnet keeps its usefulness in reserve, but it is no longer the first piece of advice: the role of each material is detailed in our article on accessories suitable for curly hair.
Frequently asked questions
What quick hairstyle for curly hair?
How long to keep mini twists?
Do these looks work on short hair?
How to choose a hairstyle according to your face shape?
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Sources
- Khumalo N. P. et al., « Determinants of marginal traction alopecia in African girls and women », Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008.
