5 Ways to Style Your Child's Short Natural Hair (TWA)

(Last Updated On: October 19, 2014)

Whenever I talk to parents or caretakers of children about natural hair, I get asked this question, “How do I style my child’s short hair?… I can’t do anything with it“. This line of questioning usually comes from parents with kids that are just starting off their natural hair journey.

Caring for short natural hair can be challenging. For kids with longer hair, it is easy to put the hair into a style and keep it protected for the week or longer. However, with shorter hair, there is a tendency for continuous manipulation.

Here are some styles that you can do if your child’s hair is shorter, and even for longer haired kids, these styles will also work. It is important with each style to make sure that the hair is always kept moisturized in order to prevent breakage.

1. Afro Puff

This is a simple style that only requires 2 things; an elastic headband or a black knee high and an hair accessory of your choice. The video below, shows how I do this on my own hair.

2. Finger Coils
Although this style takes a long time to perfect, when done right, it creates some cute coils and gives a different look to the ordinary TWA (teeny weeny afro) look.

3. Wash N Go
This is the simplest of all styles. You simply wash the hair, moisturize it, and fluff it. If you want more hold, use a little non-alcoholic gel such as Eco Stylyer gel or flax seed gel.

4. Cornrow or Flat Twist
If you are able to hold onto some of the hair, without straining the hair, you can create cornrows or flat twist in the hair. The key thing when doing this type of style on shorter hair is NOT to put too much tension on the hair. Here are some other tips on cornrowing your child’s hair: