World over, it is no news that the working woman is the queen of multi-tasking from work to home. Taking care of herself is one of the things she has to worry about too as she knows that Image is everything. More so when she has natural hair.
Having been there, my job here is to help out with whatever info I can, based on my almost a decade-old experience with natural hair.
Over the years, I've rocked different hairstyles to work. As a result of the different environments, I've worked in - from core creative spaces to semi-formal to full corporate organisations - there are some hairstyles that are acceptable and feature more prominently from one place to the other.
(keep in mind these styles range between the TWA and long hair phases)
1. The Afro
Best for a TWA aka. teeny-weeny afro or shrunken hair, the afro is an easy fit into the corporate environment and can be worn to the office any day. I particularly like it at this length because it needs less maintenance and can be worn for 2-3 days at a stretch with just a spritz of water and finger fluffing to refresh it.
A popular favourite of naturalistas the world over, this style is very welcome to the office and doesn't even get a second glance from that Manager or Boss who thinks otherwise of your coily mane. While a small afro puff is acceptable with short hair lengths, you'll need to learn to tuck in the rest of your hair up top, as your hair grows longer. This is to avoid it being a distraction to many thereby swiftly becoming an unwelcome style in the workplace.
3. The Afro Braidout
This is a hardcore TWA hairstyle and a bit like the afro but with texture and a side-part...or not. It's really easy and can be done with flat twists, french braids or normal braids. The idea is to weave your hair in sections keeping in mind where you want the parting to be, let the hair dry and loosen it. After fluffing a bit with your fingers and a comb, it falls into the way the hair was weaved. You can weave your hair in the evening and loosen it in the morning all set to head to the office. This is a cute natural hairstyle to wear to work that shows off your natural hair texture while still being professional.
Now, we move to the big leagues
This is not for short hair or a TWA. A tuck n roll only works on medium to long lengths. One of the reasons why I like the tuck n roll is because it works as well on natural hair as it does on relaxed hair. Above all, it has a vintage vibe to it and you guys know I can't resist anything vintage-y. This style is easier on stretched hair from single plaits and shows off texture and curls beautifully. A tuck n roll will get you compliments in and out of the office for sure.
The updo comes in a variety of ways and styles. It can be super neat or messy and is also versatile enough for relaxed and natural hair. It is mostly worn out and sometimes people add extensions but for work, the simpler the better. It doesn't have to be neat, just stylish and with enough bobby pins you can create anything really.
Which of these 5 corporate styles are you going to be rocking?
Social Icons