By stufflovely
One of the silver linings of this year was the addition of many of our favorite Black sitcoms that we remember from our youth to streaming platforms such as Netflix and Hulu. The fabulous thing about these shows wasn’t just their power to uplift and bring us together, but their first-class display of Black protective hairstyles.
Shows like Moesha, Girlfriends and Sister, Sister reignited our love for 90s hairstyles that were unique and highlighted our creativity and beauty. Hype Hair sat down with Natural Hairstylist and professional hair braider EveShuDawn Mitchell to discuss some of our beloved styles and how to keep our natural tresses popping!
Mitchell is all for the recent nostalgia that’s been bringing us back to our roots. “I love that we’re rediscovering our love for styles that were so integrated into the young, Black culture in the 90s,” Mitchell weighs in. Since she was a child, Mitchell has been doing hair but found her passion for braiding about five or six years ago. “I love that braids are coming back! I think braids are an amazing style that not only allows us to keep our hair protected, but also allows us to style our hair freely as if our hair was out.”
Likely because of these shows coming back on the scene, we’ve seen a resurgence in natural and protective styles like knots, twists, and afro puffs, but possibly no other style has made as big of a comeback as braids. Mitchell chalks this up to the multifaceted aspect of the style. “I believe versatility plays a big part in why braids are so popular,” Mitchell said. “We can add length and color to our hair as ways of experimenting, without harming our natural hair! Braids come in so many sizes and styles that it’s hard to get bored with them! They also offer us so much freedom when it comes to our daily routines! One 4-8 hour appointment can free up so much time for the next 4-8 weeks.”
Often, when we think of styles from days gone past, we feel like we lack some sort of innate knowledge on how to recreate them. Fortunately, one of the many beautiful aspects of these natural and protective styles is that they aren’t challenging for today’s women to achieve.
Mitchell offers a few words of advice so you can rock your inner 90’s, braided goddess.
