Your alarm just went off. You groggily pull yourself off of your mattress. Open textbooks and biology notes are scattered across your tiny twin-sized bed. A quick glance toward your beside mirror reveals that, yes, you have indeed done it again – fallen asleep in the midst of studying without prepping your hair for the following day.
With only 40 minutes to get ready for class, you frantically leap out of bed, hands grasping at your wayward strands in an attempt to figure out what you’re going to do about the atrocity on your head. To make matters worse, your crush will be in class, and you desperately want to catch his attention (the intense studying you’ve been doing revealed statistics that show 74% of men notice women because of their hair). You briefly consider canceling all public appearances to stay in the safety of your dorm and binge-watch reruns of Bad Girls Club – anything to keep from being seen with lingering remnants of bedhead.
We’ve all been there in some form or fashion, but the good news is, we don’t ever have to be there again. Here are three quick hairstyles that anyone can complete in about 15 minutes, and that are absolutely fabulous to boot!
But first things first – before you style your hair, you must moisturize. For an entire night, your hair has gone without moisture, so you must replenish it. A moisturizer like Uncle Funky’s Daughter Thirsty Curls Leave-In Curl Revitalizer is a true gem in a situation such as this one. Thirsty Curls specializes in taming curls gone wild while hydrating and conditioning.
Likewise, you might find your hair has a little odor from a party you turnt up at the night before or from a workout earlier in the week. You’ll want to neutralize those odors with a light hair refresher. I love UFD’s Defunk Hair Refresher Tonic. This herbal hair-and-scalp cleanser is filled with plant extracts that counteracts funky odors and soothes itchy scalps.
With our hair properly moisturized, now we can get to stylin’.
Style #1: Nubian Top Knot
This look is pretty easy to achieve. Simply create a rectangular section on the crown of your head, and stop the section where your bun will be made, then braid that section. You can make a French braid, a flat twist, or a Dutch braid like I did. Then, use a hair tie to make a ponytail and tightly wrap your loose hair around itself creating a topknot. It’s a great way to jazz up your basic everyday bun.
Style #2: Sade-Inspired Protective Style
To create this style, part your hair in a square at the top of your head and make a braid down the left or right side of your face. Then gather all of your hair (including the braid) in a low ponytail to the opposite side and secure it with a hair tie. You can make a low bun, puff or braid. I chose to add braid hair. It’s a sleek, yet casual look; perfect for both class and grabbing a bite with friends afterwards.
Style #3: ‘Yonce Braid
This style is a lot easier to achieve than it may look. One thing I’ve learned – ALWAYS keep braid hair on deck. When your hair has no definition, you can always throw it up into a ponytail and wear a long braid or bun. To make this look work, simply gather all of your in a high ponytail and add braid hair to your ponytail. It’s almost as simple as braiding your own hair. YouTube has tons of tutorials that break it down, step by step. This look is definitely for edgier natural students.
Maintaining your hair while in college can be stressful, especially when you’re forced to juggle class, organizational duties and your social life. The best advice I can offer is to create a simple routine that you know you can stick with. When I was in school, I would wash my hair on weekends. That way, I could deep condition and study in my room simultaneously.
You can also give your scalp a hot oil treatment, if needed. Then, simply set your hair in twists, pin curls, Bantu knots or whatever style you choose. You can even leave those sets in throughout the weekend, and sport a well-defined look to class on Monday morning. You should always find time to care for your hair. It’s just as important as taking care of your body. Just like in life, it’s all about balance.
