Afro-textured hair can take a long time to grow, so many Black women and young girls choose to have a weave fitted. However, there are plenty of amazing short natural haircuts and hairstyles for Black women. Rather than damaging your hair and your scalp with harsh chemicals or tight weaves, learn to love your natural hair.
Natural afro hair is normally curly, kinky or wavy, and can take a little more taming than other hair types. Nonetheless, afro-textured hair looks amazing and many of today’s popular styles have a proud heritage behind them.
Tips for Choosing a Short Natural Hairstyle
- Refresh short natural styles on the schedule the method needs: wash-and-gos and twist-outs may last days, while protective styles can last several weeks.
- Choose a hairstyle you will be comfortable maintaining. Don’t want to spend more than 15 minutes styling each morning? Keep that in mind!
- Keep your face shape in mind when looking at hairstyles: for heart-shaped faces, add layers; oval and round faces can both pull off braided short styles beautifully, etc.
- The more detailed the hairstyle is that you choose, the longer you’ll spend having it styled in the salon
- Short natural hairstyles look their best when styled with the best products. Use leave-in conditioners and moisture-rich hair oils to smooth frizz and add shine.
- If you like texture but want an easily controlled style, there are looks that combine natural hair’s waves with microbraids
- If your job requires a certain professionalism, choose a hairstyle that is reflective of that (ex. no crazy hair colors)
- Some short natural hairstyles have a ton of volume, while others such as braids, do not. If you wear your curls naturally, it will be easy to embrace texture. For low maintenance minus texture, braids are the best choice.
Short Natural Hairstyle Ideas for Black Women
The following list will show you a range of styles that look amazing with short natural hair. None of the styles should require chemical straightening or for you to have a weave put in, so your hair should stay in much better condition.
Check out these wonderful short length natural haircuts and hairstyles perfect for black girls and women.
1. Teeny Weeny Afro
Embrace your curls with the chic TWA. If you have newly big-chopped hair or prefer low-maintenance styles, this look is for you. Keep your hair moisturized and let your natural curls shine proudly. The same short shape can also be worn with blonde, caramel, pink or purple colour accents.
2. Tapered Side Part
Opt for a tapered cut with a side part to create a sleek, polished appearance. This style flatters all face shapes and works for any occasion. Maintain the shape with regular trims and keep your curls moisturized.
3. Defined Finger Coils
Give your short hair a boost with finger coils. Ideal for tighter curl patterns, this technique adds texture and definition. Apply a light gel or curling cream to create beautiful, well-defined coils.
4. Voluminous Flat Twist Out
Achieve a textured look with a twist out, starting from short two-strand twists like the ones pictured here. After your twists have dried, carefully unravel them.
5. Bantu Knots
Showcase your heritage with intricate Bantu knots. Ideal for short hair and all curl types, this protective style makes a statement. Divide your hair into sections, twist, and secure each knot for a stunning look.
6. Frohawk with Loose Curls
Make a statement with a frohawk. Perfect for those looking to stand out, this edgy style complements various curl patterns. Pin the sides up and let the top curls flourish for a bold, confident look.
7. Side-Parted Finger Waves
Style your short natural hair in sleek finger waves. Part the hair to one side and smooth it into S-shaped waves with curved ends at the temples.
8. Red-Tipped Short Twists
Opt for short twists as a protective style that’s both stylish and easy to maintain. Suitable for all curl patterns, this versatile look can be accessorized with headbands or scarves to suit your personal style.
9. Teal Buzz Cut
Dare to go bold with an ultra-short buzz cut. This low-maintenance look suits all face shapes and curl patterns. Keep your scalp moisturized and enjoy the freedom and empowerment this hairstyle brings.
10. Curly Bangs
Add charm to your short hair with curly bangs. Ideal for looser curl patterns, this face-framing style adds a fun twist to your look. Trim your bangs to your desired length and shape, letting them frame your face beautifully.
11. Low Double Puffs with Front Twists
Embrace your natural texture with a short afro puff. Perfect for all curl types, this carefree style keeps it cute and simple. Use a hairband to secure the puff, and let your curls shine.
12. Space Buns
Create a playful look with space buns. Ideal for short hair, this double-bun hairstyle suits all curl patterns. Divide your hair into two sections and secure each bun with an elastic for a fun, quirky hairstyle.
13. Curled Loc Bob with Highlights
For a temporary version of this curled loc bob, consider faux locs made with extensions. They let you try different lengths and thicknesses without committing to permanent locs.
14. Retro High-Top Fade
Pay homage to the ’80s and ’90s with a high top fade. Perfect for tighter curl patterns, this iconic style flatters all face shapes. Maintain the shape with regular trims, and rock this retro look with confidence.
15. Short Box Braids
Choose short box braids for a low-maintenance protective style. Suitable for all curl patterns, this versatile look is perfect for those who want to change their style without too much effort. Add beads or hair cuffs to customize your braids to your liking.
16. Rounded Curly Bob with Wispy Bangs
Showcase your natural curls with a textured bob. This classic style is perfect for those who want a chic, polished look that works with their natural hair texture. Use curl-enhancing products to define your curls and maintain their shape with regular trims.
17. Pineapple Updo
Create a fun and flirty look with a pineapple updo. This trendy style is perfect for those with short, curly hair who want to add some volume and playfulness to their everyday look. Gather your curls at the top of your head and secure them with an elastic or a stylish hairband. A bow or scarf around the base offers another way to finish the puff.
18. Chin-Length Bob with Loose Spirals
Spiral curls look fantastic on African textured hair. Many people can achieve this look using over-the-counter curling products which are designed for coarse hair, rather than having to use harsh chemicals.
19. Straightened Bob
This is a beautiful black natural hairstyle. For those who are growing their hair, a straightened bob is a great choice. Change the look a little bit with a diagonal side parting.
20. Close Crop with Defined Coils
The TWA (or teeny weeny afro) is now one of the most popular short hairstyles for afro-American women. It is a gateway style to a bigger afro and it requires very little maintenance at this stage.
21. Bouffant
Natural hairstyles for black Afro-American women can be pushed back into a classic bouffant style using a simple headband. Choose a plain band to allow your style to do the talking.
22. Two-Tone Mohawk
This fabulous mohawk has a caramel quiff to make it even more eye-catching. Shaven sides help to create a high-fashion look.
23. Upswept Corkscrew Pixie
Short corkscrew curls are not as tight as an afro and can require more maintenance. When you style your hair, you may need to apply anti-frizz products to keep each curl defined.
24. Forward Curly Quiff
This hairstyle is commonly seen among African American women. Draw attention to your face and eyes by styling in a downwards quiff. Draw hair from the back and sides to create a voluminous quiff at the front of your hair.
25. Evenly Cropped Afro
Black short haircut like this looks fantastic and it is great for people who want a style which requires very little maintenance. Short natural styles like this are perfect for people with strong facial features.
26. Lopsided Bangs
Lopsided floppy bangs look great on a natural hairstyle. They look even more effective as part of a style with short shorn sides.
27. Caramel Curly Quiff
This caramel boyish cut looks absolutely striking on black girls who are bold enough to wear it. Keep the back and sides short but not shaven to add a soft touch to your style. Team up with big earrings to show off your feminine side.
28. Gray Afro
Silver or gray produces a fantastic contrast from your natural shade. Either let your hair age gracefully or dye it for effect. Color all of your hair or leave some black to produce a two-tone style.
29. Swept-Back Coily Crop
Even if you only have very short hair, you can start to tease your hair into very simple rows. Once it grows a bit longer, you will be able to create more defined rows.
30. Bob with Corkscrew Curls
Corkscrew curls look amazing when styled as a bob. To give your bob a rounded shape, you will need to add layers into your hair and part from the crown.
31. Hairlines
If you want to add a funky twist to any short hairstyle for black women, ask your stylist to shave in a line or two. These lines add an amazing, modern twist to classic styles.
32. Salt-and-Pepper Coily Afro
The bigger that your afro gets, the more maintenance that it will need. Use special afro care products and shampoos to help to keep your style looking and feeling soft.
33. Side-Swept Ringlet Pixie
Enhance a short curly crop by putting in asymmetric sweeping bangs. Bring in hair from all across your head to add volume. This type of bangs will allow your facial features to shine.
34. Cornrows with Shaven Sides
Braids and cornrows have been a popular choice for natural hairstyles for black women for centuries. This high fashion look provides a modern twist on traditional cornrows by having only a small number of statement braids. The shaven sides will help to enhance high cheekbones.
35. Asymmetrical Short Style
Make your short style asymmetrical by cutting your hair shorter at one side than at the other. Choose from subtle asymmetry, right through to extreme asymmetry with one side completely shaven.
36. Tapered Crop with Chunky Curls
Mid-tightness curls look amazing in a short style. Keep your hair shorter at the sides and the back to create an amazing androgynous look which will make your cheekbones stand out.
37. Coily Mohawk with Closely Cropped Sides
This nappy style is the essence of natural short hairstyles for black women. Let your hair do whatever it wants, or lightly style it. The amazing natural kinks will speak for themselves.
38. Traditional Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks have been widely appropriated as a hippy hairstyle, although they are actually natural hairstyles for black women and men. Reclaim dreadlocks by choosing them as your natural style. Short locks are now a popular fashionable choice.
39. Asymmetric Bob
Straight natural hair looks fantastic as an asymmetric bob. Straighten your hair and then comb the majority of it to one side of your hair. Make the look even more dramatic by including sweeping bangs.
40. Short cut with super tight curls
Many women with afro-textured hair have natural super tight curls. If you want to keep your hair short and manageable, then this style may be perfect for your needs.
41. Close Crop with a Diagonal Shaved Part
Close cuts look fantastic on people who have a strong bone structure. Make a statement with your style by having a line cut into your hair which starts from your forehead.
42. Full Curly Afro with Long Bangs
Another gorgeous example of natural black hairstyle. Go against the grain and work with the frizz, rather than fighting it. The frizziness of this style helps the afro to look amazingly thick and voluminous. This style just screams big, bold and natural.
43. Angular Mohawk with a Shaved Part
Add an extra fashionable twist to your short Mohawk by shaving clear lines into your hair at either side of the peak. This helps to enhance the Mohawk without meaning that you need to completely shave the sides of your head.
44. Rounded Pixie with Feathered Bangs
Pixie cuts are classic hairstyles for black women with straighter hair. Add a few tapered layers to the top of your hair to add texture and volume.
45. Curly Undercut with Swirl Designs
If your stylist is competent with a razor, then you can ask them to shave amazing patterns into your hair. Either cover your whole head or just style a small area. The only real limits are the artistic skills of your stylist!
46. Asymmetric Side-Swept Afro
This side swept bob style is a brilliant new take on a soft Afro. If you have coarse hair then you may need to relax it a little bit to give it enough flexibility to be swept over from one side to the other.
47. Highlighted Ringlets with Full Bangs
Despite the fact that this style has been nicknamed a “serious” Afro, the hairstyle is all about being fun, funky and enjoying your natural hair. Although the style seems short because it doesn’t flow, your hair will actually have to be quite long to get an afro this big. Growing a serious Afro can take a long time, but it is worth it!
48. Bun with Bangs
Leave a section of your hair loose in natural corkscrew curls and then pull this hair forward to create beautiful bangs. Pull the rest of your hair taut to straighten out the kinks and then wrap it around and up into a tight bun on the back of your head.
49. Stylish Mullet
A mullet is usually defined as short hair at the front with much longer hair at the back. This is a stylish take on the mullet style. Put the side sections in cornrows, leave shorter curly bangs at the front, and then allow the longer rear sections to hang down in gorgeous corkscrew curls.
50. Mid-Afro in Caramel
A mid-length Afro looks amazing if you have a longer face shape or higher cheekbones. Use an afro comb to help to keep everything looking perfect. Color the very tips of your hair a delicious caramel color, but leave the roots black to make your hair look deeper and thicker.
51. Thick French Braids
These thick French Braids really stand out because they do not sit flush with the head. Weave the braids only part of the way back down your head and then pull the rest of your hair up into a high pony. Twist your hair and clip it up.
52. Red Hair
A subtle hint of red is a great choice if you want to stand out in a crowd without making a scene. Dark red dye can easily be laid over dark browns and blacks to give a gorgeous subtle tint.
53. High Textured Pompadour
Although a pompadour is a retro look, this Afro pompadour is a totally modern look. Use styling gel to tease your hair up into a Fohawk with a pompadour quiff.
54. Sleek Side-Parted Pixie
A perfect look for a fierce and ambitious woman’s day of work. Very professional and classy, it’s easy to achieve this look by taming down your soft curls with styling gel. It will give it a wonderful finish, and your hair will stay in place all day too.
55. Short Tight Afro with a Shaved Side
This is one of the most natural hairstyles for black women with short length hair. All my fierce girls should try out this edgy but short hairstyle. With the sides shaved neatly, the remaining hair is given a great structure according to the face. If you have naturally tighter and smaller curls, this hairstyle could be the one for you.
56. Curly Afro with Gold Side Clips
This amazing hairstyle is not only feminine but also fierce in its own large way. It’s a bold statement-making hairstyle that looks messy at first glance, but when you look at the small side braids, the detail blows you away. You can also accessorize it in the same way with some cute clips.
57. Wide Fluffy Afro
Small tight curls are lovely. A light coat of natural coconut oil a few nights a week helps keep them nice and shiny. When it comes to short natural hairstyles for black women, growing out these tight natural curls into a big bold afro is a great idea. However, don’t forget to keep this hairstyle well maintained as well.
58. Side Part Natural Perm
Tightly permed curls are a wonderful hairstyle that makes them look neat and stylish. This is a cute look for young girls. It’s also a very charming look to have on a professional day-to-day basis. Its side part gives it a fresh young look.
59. Side-Swept Barrel Curls
This is a wonderful look for whoever wants a side shave but doesn’t want to compromise on their lovely growing afro. You can pin most of your hair to one side and shave off the other side. It’s a much more natural look.
60. Pompadour Hairstyle for Black Women
Pompadour is a vintage hairstyle popularized because of the volume and elegant finish. Today it would be edgy and cool to have a look like this. To achieve it you must take help from professionals or someone who’s done it before.
61. Coily Bob with a Pearl Side Clip
We are all for letting our natural hair down. That’s why if you have naturally permed hair like this, then by using a little bit of styling gel you can tone it down and give it a finish like this. The end result is this amazing uneven spiral perm look.
62. Puff Updo with a Scarf and Coily Bangs
Regardless of the myth, 4C hair is easy and fun to style. This lovely type of hair can try many short natural hairstyles for black women. A lovely scarf tying up the hair and bangs front of the face is a great way to style 4C hair.
63. Mohawk with Liberty Spikes
This fierce haircut gives you a bold and confident look. To carry off a mohawk and side shaves you must have that face structure and features. Good dark and funky makeup can always help elaborate this look a little.
64. Side-Swept Wavy Bangs
Side swept curls are cute and girly even when kept short like this. If you’ve always wanted to try a side shave, this could be the perfect hairstyle. The curls are kept long and gentle near the forehead, and a sharp side shave gives it a fierce look.
65. Half-Up Topknot with Front Braids
Letting your hair breathe is fine. But you can always add a touch of elegance and charm to this short hairstyle. Give yourself a top braided knot and leave the rest of your hair in its natural African beauty.
Embrace what your parents gave you and learn to love your natural hair. There are plenty of short natural hairstyles for both black young girls and adult women to choose from, so it won’t take long to find one that looks great on you.
If You Prefer a Longer Curly Cut
A shoulder-length bob with large ringlets or a side-swept lob with loose curls offers more length than the short styles above. Keep these longer alternatives in mind if you want your curls to fall around the shoulders.
