If you’re preparing for your next hairstyle, this is for you. The fall season commences on September 22, and while many of us are ready to order that first pumpkin spice latte, the real question is: What is our next hairstyle? Because Black women are the true purveyors of hair trends.
To understand how we can fully show up this season, we consulted Marjorie Lightford because of her versatile skill set, creative vision, and amazing ability to transform hair. “Trends have a unique way of connecting people and creating a historical timeline for popular culture. For that reason and so many more, trends are necessary,” says Marjorie, master stylist and Redken Certified colorist.
Her motto is “Look good. Feel good. Do well,” and she believes she has a responsibility as a hairstylist to cultivate the internal beauty of her clients into a beautiful outward display. Her upbeat and open-minded personality coupled with her dedication to her clients and her craft sets her apart from most and continues to make her a well-sought-after hairstylist.
The stylist told xoNecole, “Trends are not one size fits all. I recommend finding your own aesthetic and uniquely incorporating trends into your personal style. This provides you with a customized look suited just for you that is still current and trendy.”
Ahead, Marjorie provides the fall hair inspiration sure to bring you joy!
Protective Style Trends for Fall 2022
Courtesy of Marjorie Lightford
1. Knotless braids with tousled, loose hair incorporated throughout the braids.
"There is a beautiful merge happening between braids and loose hair that provides protection, low tension, and volume. Knotless braids became popular because, essentially, they "saved our edges." On the contrary, the style did not maintain its freshness for as long as traditional box braids, micro braids, etc. Additionally, knotless braids lacked volume.
"The introduction of weaving loose hairs throughout random braids has not only eliminated that problem but also created a new era. This new look ages beautifully has volume, creates lots of dimension, and is point blank...sexy."
2. Feed-in cornrows with unique designs.
"Cornrows have and will always be great protection for our hair. The goal is to do it in a way that does not provide tension around the edges. Feed-in cornrows are great for that. Cornrows with unique designs are definitely making a comeback."
3. Sew-ins.
"While there are all kinds of new, loose hair extension techniques when it comes to protection, sew-ins are the only option. Other techniques leave the natural hair exposed while sew-ins braid the natural hair and attach wefts using the sewing technique. The beautiful thing about sew-ins is that these can be worn significantly longer than other protective styles before the look has to be redone."
Tip: Use nylon thread with your sew-ins. Traditional wool thread can create breakage at the root.
Favorite Hair Products for Fall 2022
Courtesy of Marjorie Lightford
1. Shu Uemura Essence Absolue Overnight Hair Serum
"This is an anti-frizz, overnight serum for dry hair. Hair is typically the driest between midnight and 6 a.m.; as we move into the fall, the temperatures outside will begin to drop. Hair will naturally become even drier as we crank up the heat in our residences." Marjorie adds that "using an overnight hair serum will soften and nourish the hair from mid-length to end and improve manageability for advanced night care."
2. Kérastase Sérum Thérapiste Hair Serum
"I love this product. It is an absolute must-have for all my clients. This serum repairs hair fibers and is also a heat protectant for up to 450°F. I have my clients use this every morning and night. It's essentially a cuticle sealer and helps to retain the length of your hair."
3. The Felicia Leatherwood Detangling Brush
"This Black-owned brush is the brush that every curly head of hair needs, not just for the fall but year-round. Detangling hair with this brush is easier and more efficient. Its firm, yet flexible technology allows you to detangle from root to ends truly. It is nearly indestructible."
The Best Hair Colors for Black Women in Fall 2022
Courtesy of Marjorie Lightford
1. Diffused blondes
"The hair color industry has been shifting for several years. People are wanting to come into the salon less and have a more blended grow-out. Within the melanated community, I find that we are choosing colors that blend better with our natural hair color or are choosing colors that are multi-dimensional.
"I truly believe anybody can wear blonde and when diffused throughout as opposed to applied all over. It really softens the entire look and is less of a contrast. It photographs beautifully and looks great in person too."
2. Warm browns
"I love a golden brown moment on melanated skin. It's our version of 'nude'. Golden Brooks wore it well on Girlfriends years ago, and it has definitely made a comeback. I hope it's here to stay."
3. Mauve and rose gold
"These colors typically look great on melanated skin because they compliment the gold and olive often found in our undertones. And while they are a little high maintenance because they fade fast, if you cannot get a touch-up often, they do fade to a beautiful medium to dark blonde. Essentially, you get two looks for the price of one."
The Trending Haircuts to Try for Fall 2022
Courtesy of Marjorie Lightford
1. Bob
"Always try a bob. It's like adding high heels to the hair and can be dressed up or down."
2. Curtain bangs
"They're versatile; long enough to be side swept or pulled back but also add softness around the face. I love pairing curtain bangs with a top knot."
3. Mullet
Marjorie notes that the mullet is "definitely an acquired taste and not for every head shape," but adds, "if you are edgy, consider letting the hair grow out in the back to give your hair a unique shape."
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Featured image by Jena Ardell/Getty Images
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Sooner than later, you may feel drained, depleted, and resentful due to unmet needs and boundary violations.
When your needs aren’t met, you will serve someone else's standards while neglecting your own. This is why it is so vital that we take inventory of our relationships and assess if they are relationships that honor our needs, our boundaries, and our truth.
1. You allow yourself to build more intimacy in your relationships.
Im Free Stephen Colbert GIF by The Late Show With Stephen ColbertGiphyIntimacy is the heart of a healthy relationship. When we understand our partners, we build intimacy with them. Vulnerability is a conduit for emotional intimacy in safe relationships. Our relationships thrive when we feel emotionally connected and supported by our loved ones.
Nevertheless, a healthy relationship does not mean a perfect relationship, and sometimes we need to assess and address what's working in our relationships and what may need some fine-tuning. When we are open to learning, growing, and developing deeper bonds with our loved ones, we invite them to preserve our relationship through open dialogue centered around honesty, love, respect, and safety.
2. You are choosing yourself and are being honest with yourself.
When you consider spring cleaning your relationships, you offer yourself a token of love. You are communicating that YOU matter, and your feelings, energy, and the overall health of your relationships matter. Spring cleaning your relationships allows you to be there for yourself.
When we choose ourselves, we advocate for ourselves.
So many of us are starting to realize that we have every right to advocate for ourselves, even if the environment we grew up in did not support our emotional or physical well-being.
Now that we can advocate for ourselves as adults, we get to choose our relationships, not from a place of obligation or fear but from a place of reciprocity, love, and respect.
3. It can help you to get clear on things you may have suppressed.
Michelle GIF by The BacheloretteGiphySuppression happens when we actively push uncomfortable thoughts and feelings out of our minds. When something painful happens, and we are left with no resolve, we can suppress how we truly feel as an act of self-preservation for the relationship.
Nevertheless, with honesty also comes vulnerability with yourself. Maybe you have been unhappy in certain relationships for a while, but it was too painful to address, or maybe you have been suppressing how you feel because that is what is expected of you in your relationships.
Although concealing your feelings may protect you from experiencing them, keep in mind that the body stores all of our emotions. There can be serious long-term side effects of emotional suppression, such as physical ailments linked to autoimmune disease.
Our mind, body, and heart are all interconnected, so assessing your relationships through spring cleaning not only improves your overall wellness but can also prevent anxiety, depression, and other chronic illnesses.
4. You can reflect on how you’re showing up in your relationships.
This one is my favorite! Spring cleaning your relationships gives you an opportunity to see yourself more clearly. If you are going through an imaginary checklist of what everyone in your life is doing wrong, you may be a part of the problem. Spring cleaning your relationships is not about what everyone else is doing wrong; it’s about accountability.
Take this time to reflect on how you show up in your relationships.
Are you kind and respectful to your loved ones? Do you honor their boundaries? What can you do to improve? How can you become a better listener? A better communicator?
Use this time to put a flashlight on your heart and take inventory of the places you love people from. Relationships are co-created, meaning both people play a role in the dynamic. Assess your role in your relationships and be the change you want to see.
5. Setting boundaries will reveal the health of your relationships.
Family Vacation Fox GIF by GrandfatheredGiphyNedra Tawwab, the author of Setting Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself, defines boundaries as a "verbal or an action that you communicate to someone to feel safe, secure, and supported in a relationship." As we are spring-cleaning our relationships, it’s imperative that we check in with our boundaries.
As humans, we are forever evolving, growing, and changing. As we grow, the boundaries that worked for us ten years ago may no longer serve us today. This is why it is important that we communicate our boundaries as they change. People cannot read our minds, and it is unfair to expect them to, no matter how much you think they should just “know” you.
All relationships need boundaries because people need to know how we want to be treated. In healthy relationships, boundaries are honored, and differences are respected. In unhealthy relationships, boundaries are constantly violated and not taken seriously.
When you learn to set healthy boundaries and you start communicating them through your season of spring cleaning, allow your boundaries to reveal the health of your relationships. This may come with a sigh of relief, or this may come with immense grief, but I once heard someone say, “Struggling with the truth is much better than being comforted by a lie.”
Let your relationships reveal themselves to you so you can form healthier bonds, repair broken bonds, or release connections that no longer serve you.
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Originally published on March 24, 2023