Tips for the Perfect Afro for RELAXED(faux afro) and of course NATURALS**

The perfect afro may look easy to make, but in reality the hairstyle takes patience and skill to perfect. The afro is an easy way to style hair that is naturally curly, but will take quite a bit more work if your hair is normally flat. Whether you want to shape your afro into a perfect dome or make it a less conventional shape, these tips are a good place to start. After using these tips, set style with hairspray if you had straight hair to begin with. If you have curly hair you probably won’t need anything to hold your afro in place.



Starting with Straight Hair:

1. Wash and dry your hair.

2. Try a mousse or volumizing cream made for heat if you want to add more texture to your hair.

3. Use a curling iron or curlers to curl your hair. The smaller the curl the better, so use the smallest curling iron you have or the tiniest curlers for the best results.

4. Once your hair is curled, flip your head upside down and spray it with hairspray. Let the hairspray dry before proceeding to styling.



Starting with Curly Hair:

1. Wash and dry your hair.

2. Apply a little almond, jojoba, or other oil or cream to your hair for texture and shine.

3. Comb hair a bit with a wide toothed comb and let it air dry.



Turning Curls into an Afro with Heat:

1. Blow dry hair on the coolest setting to blow out the waves and curls.

2. Gently comb with a wide toothed comb.

3. Focus on the ends of the hair to shape the afro. If you have straight hair, tease the ends a bit to get them to hold the shape of the afro.

4. Run your fingers through your hair to finish styling, and pat your hair into place with your hands.



Turning Curls into an Afro without Heat:

1. Comb curls and waves out with a wide toothed comb. Use a comb one size smaller for further curl separation.

2. When the hair is mostly dry comb it with fingers and pat it into an afro.

3. Set with hairspray if you have straight hair.



Afro Styling Tips:

1. Consider using a pick to shape your afro. Instead of shaping it into a dome, pick it out on the sides and make it look like a retro a 50’s style pompadour.

2. Use oil in your hair to help increase the shine of your afro, but do not use creams that will flake once they are dry. Your afro and your clothes will be covered in white if you choose to put the wrong styling product on your hair before styling an afro.

3. Braid a piece of hair when you style your hair in an afro to show how long your hair is. The afro is a hair style that can fool the eye and make you look like you have much shorter hair than usual.