Unleash Your Inner Goddess With These 16 Bubble Braid Looks
Ever since I found the joy that is twisting up my hair with added hair in an effortless protective style that can be achieved in four hours or less (and in the comfort of my own home), I've been obsessed with simple hairstyles that are easy to do and not a pain to maintain.
Throwing some simple albeit a little messy twists into my hair whenever I want to tuck my natural hair away for a bit or have the ease or a break from daily manipulation is a welcomed change, especially when you are a lazy natural who never quite got the hang of doing her own hair beyond rocking an afro.
Another style that has been luring me into trying more hairstyles in my own at home? The much-talked-about bubble braids, or "poodle puffs," that have been trending around the web for a minute. The fun and playful style got its name from the small "bubbles" or "puffs" of the rubberbanded sections that make up each ponytail/braid. Bubble braids can be created with your own hair or with added length through extensions and can vary in length depending on whether you're opting for a short, medium, or long length.
Another variation of the style, sometimes called "bubble ponytails," can be achieved using a single ponytail that would then use elastics to rubberband large sections into an added pony. This one feels like more of a cross between that and classic twist styles.
I first came across them on my FYP when a creator named Ava shared a TikTok of herself in different stages of styling and installing bubble braids into her hair.
Bubble braids for da WINN
@ava_tocloo Bubble braids for da WINN
Tell me that didn't just inspire you to go cop some packs of Afro Kinky Twist hair and get to work! In a separate TikTok, the creator also showed her audience an in-depth tutorial on how to achieve the style at home. Check that out here.
For its versatility, personality, and simplicity, bubble braids should most definitely be on your radar in 2024 if the protective style isn't already. Need more motivation? Keep reading for some bubble braid styles we are currently loving.
16 Best Bubble Braids Styles
@ava.tocloo
@isasnovaes
@brianna.who
@curlielexi
@curlielexi #stitch with @â Ava â I was inspired to do poodle puffs... bubble braids.. however you call it𼰠#poodlepuffs #bubblebraids #protectivestyles
@satur.nine
@kayratheodore
@queen_esie
@plus_237
@saturnbaby__
@saturnbaby__ Underated protective style đ #naturalhair #naturalhairstyles #poodlepuffs
Underrated protective style đ #naturalhair #naturalhairstyles #poodlepuffs
@the.priscilla.in.me
@gjdallas
@nextawe_pturals
@claireateku
@raerays
@lokebadt
@lokebadt I forgot how much I liked this songđĽ #poodlepuffs #blackgirltiktok #gingerhair #copperhair #4chair #backtoschoolhairstyles #fyp #puffbraids #bubblebraids #marleytwist
@ohsolovelyrae
Letâs make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image via @ava_tocloo/Instagram
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. Thatâs why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who arenât 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, theyâre ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LISTÂ HERE.
Donât 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.
Letâs make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
You're Catching Feelings For Your Guy Friend. Now What?
Let me just start this all off by saying that I will never be the kind of person who thinks that men and women canât be friends (or that single people and married people canât be friends). Choosing friends is about looking into someoneâs character and how they complement your life; it should never be about their gender or relational status. Donât get it twisted, though â in order to properly navigate the dynamic between a man and a woman, there are some things that should be pondered and then discussed.
For instance, is the relationship truly platonic? Even though our culture has reduced that word to simply mean that two people are friends and nothing more, the actual definition is that BOTH individuals do not have any type of sexual interest or attraction at all; that only a spiritual kind of love exists. Is that possible? I have a few male friends where that word applies. I wonât lie, though â most of my (unmarried) male friends are more in the lane of, âYou could get it. We just value the friendship too much to explore itââŚand no, it hasnât been âgameâ whenever theyâve brought it up.
Contrary to the notoriously toxic belief of so many folks out here, not every man has coochie on the brain 24/7 and/or lacks self-control and/or is willing to risk it all in order to get some. In fact, not one man in my life is even remotely that shallow.
Now, that doesnât mean that I donât get that the line between just friends and possibly more isnât a tightrope for some friendships from time to time. Like, what happens if the person who ends up âwith a little extra,â as far as emotions go for a friend, ends up being you? Even further, what if that question isnât even close to being rhetorical because itâs something that youâre experiencing right at this very moment, and youâre not exactly sure what you should do about it?
If thatâs the case, have no fear. I think I might be able to offer up a bit of insight that can get you through the (potential) internal stress of what happens when you look up one day and it really does seem like, out of nowhere, you suddenly want your guy friend to become somethingâŚmore.
What Kind of Friendship Is It?
GiphySo before we talk about anything else, the first thing that you should get clear on is the type of friendship that youâre in. What I mean by that is, although we tend to use âfriendâ to cover all of the bases of someone who weâre not romantically involved with (or isnât a relative or we canât stand â and chile,donât even get me started on frenemies), the reality is that friendships definitely have levels to them (check out âAlways Remember That Friendships Have 'Levels' To Themâ).
Like,is he a work friend? Is he a church friend? Is he someone youâve recently gotten to know over the past couple of months? Is he an online friend? Or is it deeper, like a guy who youâve been friends with for a couple of years now or someone who you used to have in the friend zone (check out âBefore You 'Friend Zone' Someone, Read This.â)? Or â and lawd have mercy, if so â is he your best friend, and youâre starting to see him in a completely different light?
Do you see how, just breaking down some of these friendship dynamics, the situations are quite different? For instance, if you have feelings for a co-worker friend, youâve got to take into consideration what your work environment will be like if the two of you date and it ultimately doesnât work out. If heâs an online friend (especially if heâs in another city, state, or country), the risk of potential rejection probably wonât be as impactful as if you have to see him every weekend at church.
If heâs someone you already put into the friend zone, Iâm gonna tell you right now that if he has any sort of self-esteem, youâre gonna have to eat a few slices of humble pie to get him to entertain being more than friends (because guys tend to move on once they find out that they fall into that space). And if heâs your best friend? Well, while it probably wonât cost you your friendship, it could make things awkward for a while at best or shift the relationship a bit at worst.
Thatâs why I definitely think that getting real about the kind of friendship you have with the guy is what you should get mentally cleared up first. Then, we can move on to the next thing.
What Do You Want to Come from the Matter?
GiphyAnyway, because I do have a nice circle of male friends, many of whom are single or divorced, I get asked often if itâs hard to be just friends with them. Itâs not because I really like what we have as being friends only. There is a type of intimacy and balance of energies that come from a male-female friendship that you can never get from same-sex ones. I value it all too much to risk it. What I want from my male friends â a certain level of protection (because Iâm single), insight from a male perspective, doing things that my female friends may not want to do, etc. â I getâŚand thatâs worth more than seeing if the sex would be bomb or if we should try something more and it end up being a bad decision that we canât come back from.
Thatâs me, though. That doesnât have to be you and your guy friend. For example, what if what you want is to explore a sexual relationship (check out â5 Things You Should Ask Yourself Before Having Sex with A Friendâ) because you canât seem to get sex with him out of your head? For better or for worse, chile, back when I was out in these sex streets, that was pretty much my pattern: sex with close friends (check out â14 Lessons I've Learned From 14 Sex Partnersâ), and itâs not an impossible feat.
Youâve just got to be real with yourself about whether thatâs truly all that you want and if you can handle it gracefully if things donât go as planned (check out âHow To Preserve Your Friendship After BAD Casual Sexâ) or the sex is so good that now you canât decide if youâre into him or just intoâŚit. Oh, and donât even get me started on if heâs seeing other people (because all you wanted was sexâŚright?). Yeah, a movie that I like calledSleeping with Other People has a scene where a woman is mad that her casual sex partner is sleeping around. His response was on-point: âKeeping our arrangement doesnât make me an as-hole, but it does make you a liar.â #checkmate
Thatâs just one example to emphasize the point that, yes, you need to figure out what you want to come from your more-than-just-friends feelings. Do you just want to get it off of your chest and youâre not sure if you want or need to do anything more than that? Do you want just sex? Would you like to go on a few dates to see ifthe chemistry is mutual? Are you âdeeply inâ and youâre hoping that he feels the same way so that you two can have a full-blown relationship?
Listen, I have watched enough relationships in my lifetime to know that when it comes to something that needs to be as thoughtfully approached as this, itâs not fair to share your feelings with someone and then expect them to know what you want to come from doing so. You need to knowâŚfirst. So before bringing it to him, figure it out on your own.
Tell Him the Deal. No Hinting Around.
GiphyAlthough timing and delivery matter, I donât know one man who isnât a âstraight no-chaserâ type of individual. This means no hinting around. No guessing games. No 50 million questions to try and see if he likes you first. I promise you that all of these approaches are off-putting to guys and will get them to mentally and emotionally tap out before you get around to making your point. Besides, if heâs a FRIEND friend, you should be able to express your genuine feelings â and honestly, this is a huge plus to telling him: you will be able to see how mature he is when it comes to handling matters of the heart.
Can there be a reason to not tell your guy friend how you feel? I mean, honestly, if youâre avoiding it, Iâm assuming that itâs mostly due to fear, and trying to maintain anything with fear as your âfuel,â ultimately, isnât going to get you anywhere. Plus, the more that you suppress what is going on inside of you, the more itâs going to alter the energy between the two of you, and that could cause unnecessary stress and strain to where either you start unnecessarily projecting things onto him, or he wants to spend less time around you because youâre making him feel as uncomfortable as you are.
Are there any exceptions to this? Eh. If youâre more like good acquaintances than actual friends, perhaps. Personally, though, I think that solid friendships are rooted in honesty â and how can you claim that youâve got a healthy friendship with someone if youâre holding something as big back as having feelings for them away from them? Logically, it just doesnât make much sense.
Prepare Yourself for His Response. And Donât Penalize the Friendship If He Doesnât Feel the Same Way.
GiphyOnce you tell him, for the most part, there are three ways that telling him can go: he can like you back, he can want some time and space to consider the possibilities, or he can not be interested. Letâs briefly unpack all three.
Liking you back...
So, what if you tell him how you feel, and he feels the same way (or something close)? My two cents would be for the two of you to still go slowly. Where Iâve seen many mess up is they think that they can go from friend to more-than-friends in two days or less, and thatâs super unrealistic. Meaning, someone having feelings for you, too doesn't mean that they can, should, or will automatically stop seeing other people or that you two can or should immediately start becoming intimate.
Take some time to really discuss each otherâs feelings, thoughts, and expectations â and what you guys should do trying to move into a different relational space ultimately proves to not be the best thing for one or both of you. If anything should take the âounce of prevention is worth a pound of cureâ approach, itâs friends who are transitioning into something more â or else.
Wanting time and space...
Going from friends to potentially something different is a lot like shifting gears in a car â and if you move too fast, you can strip them. That said, just because youâve been sitting with your feelings for a while, itâs not fair to want to rush him after he finds out. Whether he wants time and space to figure out how he feels about your feelings or time and space from you altogether â both are warranted.
Should it be for weeks with no contact? Not if heâs a good friend. On the other hand, should you pressure him into making you feel at ease about what heâs just now learning? Eh. You might want to go to another friend to help you out with that. I mean, how would you feel if the shoe was on the other foot? RightâŚexactly.
He's not interested...
No one likes rejection; thatâs real. At the same time, though, itâs not fair to penalize him if he doesnât feel the same way that you do. Clearly, if heâs your friend (especially a close friend), he adores and values you on some level. However, if thatâs not romantically, try and be emotionally mature enough to know and then accept that not wanting all of what you desire from the relationship doesnât mean that he doesnât want you in his life at all.
At the end of the day, if itâs too hard to be his friend when you want something else, youâve got to do whatâs best for you. Just make sure that youâre not going to lose a great person in your life because your ego got bruised or your pride couldnât handle him not reciprocating what you were offering. Itâs not fair, and it could end up costing youâŚA LOT. Take the kind of space you need to redirect your focus. If he loves you, heâll be there when you getâŚback.
___
Iâve developed feelings for a friend before; more than once. Was it always easy to work through? Not always. My friendships always survived it, though â whether the feelings were reciprocated or not. And it was because we valued the friendship too much to lose it.
And honestly, I think that is one of the best things to come out of having feelings for a friend: you end up finding out just how solid the bond actually is. And in a world where really good friends are hard to come byâŚthat can never not be a good thing.
Letâs make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by FG Trade/Getty Images