The Afro

An afro is a hairstyle with the hair extending from the head to form a ball like or halo like appearance. An afro requires tight curls and often, but not always, coarse hair, which typically only people of indigenous African descent naturally has, hence its name. However, those with straight hair can form their hair into an afro style but with some help of hairspray and some teasing of the hair.

The Afro cannot be beaten for all out style. It came into its prime in the 60s as soul music rocked across America – the likes of Sly and the Family Stone bringing the afro into the mainstream. The bigger the better. Famous afros throughout history are Michael Jackson, John Shaft, and that guy off The Bill.

The afro hairstyle was initially seen in early Egyptians, who were mostly using wigs to have this style. The afro hairstyles were more popular during the rise of the Black Pride and Black Power movements which were strong during the late 60s and early 70s. Occasionally, some Afro-American artists would wear an afro hairstyle for a particular concert or show. And this is right for those promoting Afro-American culture and heritage around the world. Natural afro hair needs proper maintenance, since the afro hairstyle does not come naturally to some people. Those who wish to adopt afro hairstyle they must realize that they have to let their hair grow long and not get a haircut in order to achieve a bigger afro hairdo. The hair is usually curled or braided before it is arranged or styled into the afro hairstyle to make it frizzier and more susceptible to the afro style. The texture of the hair is too important to make your afro hairstyle a hit. The curlier your hair and the tighter the curls, the more springy and big your afro can get.

There are many afro wigs available in the market for those who wish to get an instant afro and these can get as big as you want them to be. The choices would depend on what effect you wish to have since the really large afro hairstyles can look ridiculous and are usually used to portray comic roles in movies and TV shows. Some shows bring to mind some retro characters that wore afros or characters that are stuck as trends and fashion in the 70s.

Maintaining your afro hair is not possible without the help of professional stylists or other people since the hair needs to be frizzed allover to achieve the look. An afro hair pick is needed to bring your afro hair style into full glory and to arrange it to your preference. The afro pick is an adaptation of a traditional African grooming instrument, which is essentially a narrow comb with long, widely spaced teeth.

Some afro hair styles are longer than others and therefore more bulbous and harder to maintain. If you want to maintain your afro hairstyle, you will also have to decline baths or redo your hairstyle after every bath. A haircut will also affect your afro hair style since the enormity and density will lessen whenever you cut your hair. Some afro hair styles are short and have locks twirled instead of teased upright.