There's a lot to appreciate about the winter like hot chocolate, cozy blankets, holiday bliss, and a lot of nights cuddling with bae. One thing I don't appreciate about it is the harsh effects it has on our hair.
While it's somewhat of a chill season, it literally sucks the life and moisture out of our hair. The dryness in the air tends to cause the most breakage and split ends leaving us with no choice but to either opt into two-hour wash days (because our hair needs some extraaa conditioning) or protective styles so we don't have to deal with it as much. Regardless of your winter survival tactic of choice, spring is literally around the corner and our curls are about to bounce all the way back.
Here are a few jaw-dropping hairstyles you can slay this spring.
Pops Of Color
You can never really go wrong with a pop of color, whether it's permanent or just for a couple of weeks. It's a cute and fun way to switch things up a bit (hair wax is calling our name). Plus, the spring time is actually the best time to add color because it's not dying of dehydration and you don't get all the humidity of the summer negatively impacting yet.
Jumbo Knotless Braids
If you're not quite ready to give up the protective styles yet, this is for you sis. Knotless braids are a fun low-maintenance flirty style that you can switch up so many different ways. Wear it up or down or get really stylish and add flowers or other accessories to really add to the look.
Two Puffs
Don't sleep on this look, for most of us the puff is a go-to because it's simple and easy. It's also very versatile, it can either be really simple or super chic. Either way, it's an easy effortless style.
Flat Twisted Styles
Flat twist styles are super low-maintenance and require very little manipulation, not to mention it's cute af. You can go for a full twisted style or leave out the back. Add a couple accessories and you are good to go.
Cornrows
Cornrows are always a dope style for any season, but you can really do it up like Cici did and add jewelry, flowers, or even beads. It's a simple and low-tension protective style that's good for your hair growth and edges.
A Fire Updo
Updos are a good style for having your hair out but not too much on your skin. For some of us, the weather really starts to heat up in the spring and this is a fun style to have your hair up and out of the way while still showing off your curls. It's also a style you can easily do on an old braid out or twist out.
Spiral Curls
Switch up your curl style with a bouncy spiral curl using flexi or perm rods. It's an easy way to get guaranteed long-lasting voluminous curls without heat and with less shrinkage.
Braided Ponytails
Braided ponytails are a fun alternative to a regular ponytail. You can rock it long or short and the best thing is, you can get multiple styles out of this one look. Whenever you get tired of the braids, you can either make two braided buns or just unbraid it all together and rock a wavy ponytail.
Passion Twists
Passion twists are another fun and flirty hairstyle that is perfect for spring. Something about it just gives off good weather-blooming vibes. You can go long or short and it's very easy to install either with the rubberband method or just cornrowing your hair and using the crochet method.
Just Wearing Your Fro’
Girl, I know your hair has been tucked away in a protective style for most of the winter, let your curls loose and show your natural curl pattern. You can never go wrong with just embracing your fro'.
Fauxhawks
The fauxhawk is an easy way to get an edgy hairstyle without having to fully commit to shaving the side of your head. Instead you can braid it, slick it down, or pin up all of your hair to the center of your head and still look like a badass. The fauxhawk with crochet hair is not only a style that will last but it's a fun and creative spin to the OG version of the hairstyle.
Pin Curls
Pin curls are a very popular hairstyle among straightened or blown out hair, but it still slays with your natural texture too. So if you're looking to switch up your twist out routine but you haven't quite figured out your flow with flexi rods, you can just keep it simple and pin it up.
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Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
Want more real talk from xoMAN? Catch the full audio episodes every Tuesday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and don’t miss the full video drops every Wednesday on YouTube. Hit follow, subscribe, and stay tapped in.
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Self-Validation, No Meals After 5 P.M. & The Wellness Rituals That Helped Lizzo Take Her Power Back
Don't let the "weight release" fool you, Lizzo's transformation wasn't just physical. It was spiritual, emotional, and deeply personal. In her Women's Health cover story, the "Good As Hell" artist opened up about the low point that became the catalyst for radical change in her life, inside and out.
In the summer of 2023, Lizzo found herself at the center of what she calls painful allegations when some of her former dancers filed a lawsuit against her. The 37-year-old singer has denied their claims, and though she has experienced "backlash my entire career," going through such legal woes coupled with public scrutiny proved to be detrimental to her mental health, leading her to one of the darkest periods of her life.
She told Women's Health, "I got very paranoid and isolated. I wasn’t even talking to my therapist. I wasn’t present. I wasn’t open. I wasn’t myself anymore."
After spending months in isolation, Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, decided to go to a tour stop on the Renaissance World Tour. She was nervous that the public would shun her, boo her, or reject her, but instead, she was embraced. It shifted something in her and after feeling so in the dark, she saw the light again. "It made me feel like, wow, maybe I don’t want to die," she shared with Women's Health.
"That was the kick-starter to me being like, ‘Okay, Melissa, get your ass in gear and take your f*cking life back.’"
Her first step in Operation Get Your Life Back? Cutting out the external noise. She gave her team total control of her social media and stopped looking at comments. "My validation was from external sources, people telling me they loved me, or that I look good, and accepting me," she explained. "But if that’s all I’m getting my validation from, when it changes—and it will, because people are not always going to like you—what happens? Where are you going to get your love from?"
Lizzo continued, "I can convince myself that I’m beautiful, my body fine, no matter how big or small. But reminding myself that you can’t let others tell you who you are—that was hard work."
Lizzo started going to therapy again, she started practicing quigong meditation, reading books, journaling, and doing sound baths. She released unhealthy relationships, drank echinacea tea, and began incorporating Pilates as a means to "feel sacred" and "be gentle" with herself.
But what many have interpreted as a "weight loss transformation" after she popped out sharing she met her "weight release" goal earlier this year, Lizzo has clarified that it has been something deeper for her than the aesthetic of a smaller body. "I wanted to be big-girl skinny," she told the mag. "Every big girl knows what I’m talking about. Big-girl skinny is 250 pounds." According to her, it was her back issues that inspired her to take the physical part of her wellness journey seriously.
I DID IT! #weightrelease
@lizzo I DID IT! #weightrelease
Through her friend Kelly Rowland, she linked up with her now-trainer Marvin Telp and developed a fitness regimen that prioritized strength and intention. Her weekly schedule now includes moves like single-leg deadlifts, reverse flies, and lateral lunges, along with infrared sauna sessions and cardio. Add to that a change in eating habits after realizing her vegan diet no longer served her (to be fair, she wasn't doing the vegan thing the "healthiest" way).
All the meat substitutes, bread, cashew cheese, and soy left her bloated and lightheaded, so now she's switched things up a bit to fill the nutritional gaps. When it comes to diet, it's heavy on the protein and vegetables for Lizzo. A typical day eating looks like scrambled eggs and cauliflower hash browns for breakfast, Thai chicken salad or lettuce wraps for lunch, and turkey meatloaf with greens for dinner.
She also has a strict cutoff of no meals after 5 p.m. to support her GERD and give her body the time it needs before bed to digest her food sans the acid reflux. Of her relationship with food and wellness, she told Women's Health, "There's a balance. I think that's what true health is."
Read Lizzo's full cover story with Women's Health here.
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