The Bob Haircut: Beautiful On Black Women
Despite its coarse and tough appearance, African-American hair is one of the most fragile hair textures. Because it can dry out easily, it is extremely prone to breakage and knotting. Also, some black women have a tendency towards chemical straightening treatments and using harsh treatments and styling it too much can also weaken the hair and cause further breakage. Weekly conditioning treatments and using products that are specially designed for African-American hair will protect from as much damage as possible. Avoiding the excessive use of picks or brushes on the coarse curls will help protect from breakage.
There are many styles that look exceptionally beautiful on black women, and some hairstyles that only their coarsely textured hair can pull off (afro, for one). Even the afro has evolved from the perfect circle of the seventies into a modern, textured, asymmetrical style.
With other hairstyles that are commonly worn straight, the more modern twist has made them adaptable enough for all types of hair.
The classic bob haircut, a cut that was usually styled with one uniform length and worn very straight, is now multi-layered and looks equally great either straight or curly. When dealing with coarse, curly hair, it’s recommended to keep hair a bit longer when choosing a style like the bob haircut. In this case, you may want to ask your stylist for a longer type of bob haircut, also known as the pageboy. The cuts are similar, with the pageboy bob closer to chin or shoulder length instead of the cheekbone grazing traditional bob. Adding length will give a softer and more feminine look than a very cropped bob, as well as keep it more manageable. To keep the hair smooth and frizz-free, be sure to use smoothing crèmes or serums and avoid brushing it too much.
Needless to say, black women of all ages have been wearing the bobbed look for years. Famous black supermodel Naomi Campbell effortlessly and gracefully sported a short and sleek bob haircut for most of the year 2007. And of course, the most famous bob haircut of all: Oprah Winfrey’s sleek, flipped out pageboy, always the picture of elegance and grace.
