There are numerous and beautiful hairstyles to choose from, as a Nigerian lady with African hair. And thankfully, there are both simple and more detailed hairdos, enough for you to look gorgeous all the same. We will present to you some tips on how to style your hair for a special occasion in Nigeria. With the vast range of choices, your hairdo should rightly complement your beautiful African look nonetheless.
It might be a bit challenging trying to choose the right hairstyle to wear for that special occasion. But whether for a wedding, evening outing, ladies night, big party or festivities – you can still look good whichever choice you make. It could take something from a few minutes to a bit longer to arrange your hair decently and look glamorous.
General Categories of Hairstyles in Nigeria
To begin with, note that some Nigerian ladies choose to wear their NATURAL HAIR, without any attachments or cosmetic straighteners. If you are in the natural hair gang for personal reasons, there are now cosmetics that cater for your kind of hair. There are also loads of traditional and modern hairdos that can easily bring out your hair’s glory. You might even choose to straighten your hair with a hot iron or comb (this is not limited to natural hair lovers alone).
You might also prefer your hair PERMED (straightened with relaxers and styled). Permed hair was the rave a few decades ago; when relaxers and other chemical hair straighteners were highly popular. But Nigerian women pay much less attention to permed hair in contemporary times, because of the damaging effects of chemicals on the hair. For ladies with stubborn and resilient African hair, it would probably not be much of a headache. But hair types are different; there are also black ladies with sensitive scalp that gets damaged easily.
And that’s why PROTECTIVE HAIRSTYLES have become increasingly popular. From braids to weavons to wigs of all manner of exciting styles, protective hairstyles got you covered from excessive chemical treatment of your hair. Plus – there are endless protective styles and hair extensions you can choose from while preserving your precious scalp and hair. You can feel and look beautiful with just the right kind of protective hairstyle that fits the shape of your head. Also look out for hair extensions and weavons with colors that match your skin complexion – take note of this simple tip.
However, we insist that you should not abandon your natural hair completely. It is good hygiene to take good care of the hair underneath your protective style. Regular washing and treatments can really make you feel and look good, with or without protective styling. That said, let’s check out some interesting tips you can follow on how to style your hair for a special occasion in Nigeria.
Ponytails
Ponytails remain popular with ladies any day, and they particularly look neat. You can simply slick your hair backwards with gel and pack it into a ponytail. It looks really sleek with relaxed hair. Add some straight or curly hair extension to give it more volume and appeal. It could be a ponytail packed atop the head (at the crown), ponytail slicked to the back of the head, or a low ponytail that falls down the back. You may braid the tip as well, and/or wrap it in an appealing way. Apply pretty hair clips here and there to keep the hair in place.
Ponytails are simple and sleek, and they don’t take time to put together.
The Bun
Packing your hair into a bun is another cool, simple and sweet hairstyle good for any occasion. If you have long hair, you can have it slicked up (preferably with gel), rolled outwards and tucked in; or twisted neatly by a stylist. You might be able to handle that yourself. For best results, your hair should be relaxed before doing this style. You can also use a flat iron or hair straightener to apply smoothness (especially on the hair extension). For ladies with shorter hair, add suitably long hair extension just underneath the frontal hair. Slick back, roll and tuck in the hair at the ends to perfect the magic.
Bun
A variation of this style is the curly bun. The hair extension is curled at the ends with a flat iron or electric curler/straightener. The ends are then neatly packed or tucked away. For natural hair lovers, you may choose to weave or cornrow your hair to the middle or side of your head. Then the ends will be rolled into a bun.
Whichever the case, you can wear your bun in different ways. At the crown (top of the head), as a side bun, behind the head, or a double bun (left-right or top-bottom arrangement). Finish off the hair style with attractive clips, chain or beads to keep the hair in place.
Twisted Mohawk
This hairstyle looks matured and stylish at the same time. The sides of the hair are either slicked up with gel, or weaved/cornrowed towards the middle. The middle portion of the hair is then interwoven with braids or crochet, then finally twisted or wrapped into an attractive style. You may apply colorful pins to look even more queenly.
Braids
Twisted, woven or plaited hair extension, otherwise called braids, are an all-time favorite of women of African origin. You can wear them for weeks, even months, and it will appear neat if you maintain it well. There are also several exciting and modern ways you can style your hair for a special occasion with braids, and look absolutely gorgeous. Modern braids come in different colours, lengths and types as well.
Some beautiful styles you can apply to your hair with braids include:
- Woven/Cornrowed braids (often called ‘Ghana weave’) in innumerable beautiful patterns, too many to count. Finish it off with the ends curled or twisted, straightened, knotted, wavy or rolled into a bun.
- Box braids; single-plaited and long pieces left to fall freely around the shoulders. You can pack them in any style you want – at the crown/top of your head, sideways, lower, or in groups.
- Boho braids (a mixture of box braids and unplaited, wavy or curled extensions)
- Twisted braids (that appear like ropes twisted together)
- Bantu knots (small and numerous ‘buns’ all over the head)
- Curly half-braids; not fully plaited pieces of extension with much of its length styled into waves or locks
These are just the commonest styles of braids. Whichever you choose, be rest assured you will come out wearing your braids with confidence and looking chic.
The Side-Swept Hair Style
This beautiful yet simple hairstyle requires you pulling (or weaving/cornrowing) your hair sideways. You may smoothen and tuck it in like a bob; or curl it at the ends. It works exceptionally well with relaxed hair and rollers. You may even weave the ends together towards the back to give it a definite shape. And quite often, we see ladies attaching weavons or hair extensions to their hair to form this unique hair style. It is classy, beautiful, and gives your hair the appearance of volume.
Don’t Forget To Add Cute Hair Accessories
Hair accessories have their pride of place on your hair. They can turn any hairstyle to a stunning one, if well arranged.
Those lovely hair clips, cute beads, chains, hair bands, bonds, headdresses, claws and fancy combs are worth having. Ensure you have a collection of them to hold your hair in place after styling, and make your hair look even lovelier.
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