These Are The Hair Trends Bringing The Heat This Summer & Beyond
One of my favorite aspects of being a Black woman is the dedication to our ever-changing hair. Forever testing the bounds, we love staying a step ahead while placing no limits on what we can do with a lot of texture and a little imagination. Our hair is a lifestyle and the art of being a Black woman includes our diverse range of looks we can pull off from one week to the next. Whether a sleek pony or beachy body waves, we can literally pull off anything we set our mind to.
During the summer, there are quite a few looks I try to squeeze in before the warm weather starts to cool off. It's hard to resist the temptation of a blunt cut or long bob to keep hair off our neck and shoulders for a super chic and easy look. If not a drastic cut then maybe extra length and volume with soft beachy waves that I can easily maintain for an effortless style. If I’m not experimenting with cuts or lengths of my hair, then I’m experimenting with brighter hair tones and colors that come alive with the light of the brighter beaming sun. Whichever hairstyle I’m wearing for the moment, there always seems to be certain styles that I tend to gravitate towards at certain times of the year.
Like everything else within the beauty world, hair has trends and this season is all about blunt bold cuts and effortless hair. To get a better idea of what women are asking for, I reached out to the California-based owners of DreamGirls Fine Hair Imports & Salon for hair tips and inspiration on the top hair trends of summer.
Meet the Experts
DreamGirls co-founders, Tonya Thompson and Sharie Wilson.
Sisters, Entrepreneurs, Healthy Hair Experts
1. Beach Waves
"We highly recommend wearing a protective weave style to promote healthy hair growth, and to give your hair a break from everyday wear and tear. The summer is a great time to wear protective styles like weaves, especially since we are outdoors exposing our hair to the sun and elements like chlorine and salt water," Tonya and Sharie explain. "Beach waves are great if you wish to have a longer style, which can easily be done with no heat, twisting your hair back and securing it with a bonnet before you go to bed at night, and then letting it loose in the morning to reveal loose waves.”
2. Classic Curls
You can never go wrong wearing big bold curls. One of my all-time favorite looks for summer, this is one of my go-to looks especially when during high temperatures. I love that curls are hassle-free and able to withstand the elements without the use of heating tools. Using a moisturizing spray, a long tooth comb/pick and a banana bun at night wrapped with a silk scarf can uphold your curls for weeks. “Simple classic curls are one of the top three styles requested by clients during the summer,” states the styling duo Tonya and Sharie.
3. Lob
Lob is short for “long bob.” A bob, but longer, hitting somewhere between your ear level and chin, the lob can land as far as your shoulders or somewhere in between. I love this edgy style, especially when adding brown or blonde highlights for an even bolder eye-catching look. Tonya and Sharie add, “Classic cuts that re-emerge every summer are textured lobs and choppy bobs. These looks allow you to quickly style, in addition to being classic looks that never make you look dated.”
4. Blunt Cut
The classic bob is still a go-to look however this year they’ve gotten even shorter, giving even more of a summer appeal. Tonya and Sharie state, “We recommend short [hair] cuts that are off your back and easy to quickly style.”
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Featured image courtesy of Dime Jones/xoNecole
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images