African American hair textures are, in general, dense and rough. It is undeniable that they are also strong and beautiful. So, African Americans can try a wide variety of complex hairstyles that other hair textures won’t be able to withstand.
From intriguing braids and dreads to captivating knots and waves, there are plenty of hairstyles black boys can try. If you are a black parent who came to the internet’s aid for finding the right style to groom your kid, then this article is everything you need.
Through this article, you will learn what type of hair your child has and explore some of the great styles that are currently in trend. We will also explain in detail how to fix those styles on your kid by yourself.
Kinds of African American Hair:
Before getting into the styles to groom, it is vital to understand the types of hair. All African American hairs are classified into four types. Check out what they are.
Kinky Hair
This is probably the hardest type of hair to maintain. This is because they form naturally tight coils and are very frizzy to look at. Generally, this type of hair is kept short or groomed into waves. You have to keep the hair strong and healthy by conditioning and moisturizing regularly.
Curly Hair
Curly hair is rather easier to maintain as its coils are very loose by nature. The hair is generally bouncier. Braiding and styling dreads are easier with this hair type. Adults usually embrace their curly hair by growing it longer.
Wavy Hair
Though wavy hair is loose by nature they are actually denser than curly hair by comparison. Usually, men keep their wavy hair short as the hair rests very well close to the scalp. You don’t have to go through too much effort to style and maintain this style.
Straight Hair
Straight hair on black men can be considered the most versatile of all four. The look with this hair type ranges from fine to coarse and is generally resistant to curling. That is unless you like to perm the straight hair into temporary curls.
Now that we have covered the types of hair. Let us look into prominent hairstyles that are most loved. Explore the 20 best African American young boys hairstyles in the list below.
Top 20 African-American Boy Hairstyles
1. Fade With Top Waves
The hair type and its nature play a vital role in grooming this style. Wavy hair type naturally tends to rest over the scalp quite often. First, get rid of any tangles by combing the hair with a wide-toothed comb. Give a standard fade cut on the sides and back, starting with thick hair closer to the temples and thin (down to the scalp) at the bottom. Reduce the hair volume using a trimmer if it is too dense or with a scissor. Comb your hair to the front using a wave brush. Keep the hairline on the forehead and temples sharp and complementing each other.
2. Top Knot With Blonde Hair
Though blonde hair is rarely seen naturally on black men, with the right amount of dyeing it can be a great decorative addition. Let the focus be mainly on the top by reducing the hair volume in all other areas. First, give a medium or low fade to the sides and back. Select a portion of the top and add decent contrast of blonde hair to the length of your choice. Give it some time until the color is dry and well settled. Pull all the hair to the top and make a ponytail out of it with one or two elastic bands.
3. Undercut With a Pop of Colour
It is alright to enable your kid to style with unique looks every once in a while. After soaking the hair with water sprinklers, give a formal undercut to the sides and the back of your head. Use the trimmed area on the sides for being creative with unique designs. Use a razor to give hard parts or something sharp. Trim the hair down to the scalp below the design of your choice. Give a lineup to the temples and forehead hairline for a well-groomed look. Coming to the top, use a healthy styling product and neatly comb the hair while blow-drying. Style a neat flat top and give textured lines from all sides directed to the top. Use good quality hair color and apply it to the selected area on the top.
4. Buzz Cut with Hair Tattoo
Buzz cut is a style where the hair length is uniformly short all over the head. It is a safe bet if you are not sure what kind of hairstyle you are looking for. Trim down the hair to one or two inches in all areas. Give an edge-up cut to the sideburns, temples, and forehead hairline and make a neat three sides of a square in the front. If you want to make the hair look more trendy, go with a low fade right above your ears. Finally, use a razor and give a sharp design of your choice or something your barber suggests or just like the one in the picture.
5. Mohawak With Blonde Hair
Mohawk trend is on and off but it is quite remarkable nonetheless. The style works great with all kinds of hair textures. First, highlight the hair on top by giving a classic tapering to the sides and back of your head. Shape the hair on top thicker to the center using scissors and extend it down to the nape. Color the hair on the top with blonde color create a perfect contrast between the newly added color and natural dark color.
6. Braids with Top Knot
The hair texture of African Americans elevates braids as no other hair texture does. You can go for braids on all over your head but to keep it trendy and compelling, limit the braid to the hair on the top. Give a classic tapering followed by standard low fade. Before low fade, go for some creative designs or a simple hard part using a razor starting at the temples and extending to the back of your head. Give a lineup between the forehead, temples, and sideburns to keep them neat and sharp. Divide the hair on the top into small portions and braid them. Gather the braids together and pull them back to the crown. Make a ponytail there with an elastic band. Twist the ponytail to make the final top knot. Decorate the braids with beads to make the hair more captivating.
7. Mohawak With Undercut
There are several variations of Mohawk that you can try. For the one you are looking at, give a deep undercut from above the temples to the bottom and around the ears. Keep a downward arch extending down on the back. Keep the forehead hairline, temples, and sideburns sharp and straight for a classic edge up. Coming to the mohawk, give a wider area on the top reaching down to the nape to make it more exclusive. If your kid has natural curls, let the hair be the way it is or you can go for dreads as well.
8. Short Tapered Fade
This is another safest and versatile option to go with. This style is very easy to attain and maintain. All you got to do is keep the hair short on the top from the forehead to the crown. Use scissors to cut the dampened hair short. On the sides, beginning at the temples, give a high tapering with bottoms reduced to the scalp. Make this style more compelling by giving a lineup between the forehead, temples, and sideburns.
9. Buzz Cut
As we mentioned earlier, a buzz cut is the safest option if you are not sure what to go with. Reduce the hair volume all over the head to a short and uniform length. Give variations where necessary to better elevate the shape of the skull. Groom an edge up to between the forehead, temples, and the sideburns to make it look well-groomed. Finally, if you still want to make it more attractive, then go with a low fade around your ears.
10. High Fade with Spikes
A high fade is a tapering that starts above the temples by which you are fixating the focus on the top. It gives you a decent platform to add different prominent styles on top including spikes. First, give a subtle variation in the hair length using clippers between the temples and bottom. Then, give a lineup to the temples, forehead hairline, and sideburns. Coming to the top, apply the best quality styling product and smoothly comb the hair upward. Finally, give the hair spikes with hands and use hairspray to keep the style intact.
11. Short Dreads with a Fade
Dreads are the true heritage of African Americans as no other hair texture can embrace this style really well. First, you have to divide the hair into small sections. The number of sections depends on how many dreads you like to style. Starting at the base, start making dreads with a dreadlock needle. You can make dreads with all of your hair or only at the top by giving a fade or undercut on the sides.
12. Fat Braids with a FadeAT
Braidings can be styled in many ways. We have already established that by reducing the hair volume on the sides you are elevating the top. Give a standard fade on the sides and back. Keep the forehead hairline and temples sharp and straight. Divide the hair on the top into sections to attain the design of your choice. Make thick braids by pulling more strands of hair together or by combining various small braids.
13. Short Hair With a Fade
You can opt for this style if you are looking for a really simple hairstyle for your kid. You go with short hair on the top and shorter on the sides. Give a fade cut to the sides and back of your head with forehead hairline, temples, and sideburns left sharp and straight. Soak the hair on top for extra comfort while styling. Use scissors and hands to neatly groom your hair to a shorter and uniform length.
14. The Curl Afro
The main goal of this style is to make the curls more elegant than ever. Add funky to your champ’s look by tapering down the sides with a downward arch going to the back of your ears. Give an edge up to the forehead hairline, temples, and sideburns. Use a round brush and comb your hair upward to keep those curls neat but still not orderly. Make sure that the area on the top is wide unless you want to go with a curly mohawk.
15. 360 Waves
Several pop stars embraced their wavy hair making it possible for the wavy hair to become a fashion statement. First, untangle your hair and reduce the hair in terms of layers. Use a bristle brush and neatly comb your hair forward. Dip a washcloth in warm water and squeeze excess water out of it. Lay the cloth on the hair for a few minutes. Repeat this procedure until the waves are formed. Use a hairspray or hair gel to keep the style intact.
16. Pompadour
Pompadour is the most common and easily attainable style. First, make a rough parting above the temple of one side dividing the hair on top and that particular style. Give a high fade on the side starting right from the part to the bottom with hair reducing down to the scalp. Make the parting a hard one using a razor and support it with sharp edges, sharp temples, and a straight forehead hairline. For the hair on the top, comb your hair sideways away from the part. Keep the edges neat by casual grooming with the front portion still long and thick. Apply good quality styling product comb the hair in the front backward making decent pomp in the front.
17. The Retro High Top Fade
This has to be the most classic African American look that has been in style for decades now. Give a high fade starting above the temples and tapering the down to the bottom. Give a lineup between the temples, and hairline forehead forming three sides of a square. For the hair on top, use a pick toothed comb and push it upward. To style more conveniently, apply hair mousse and comb the hair in the desired direction along with blow drying. Use clippers and scissors to make a flat top and sides.
18. The Dreadlock Bun
African Americans with long hair can style more intriguing look with thick dreadlocks. Apply best quality styling product to fix your hair more conveniently. Divide your hair into small portions all over your head. Use a dreadlock needle and style your long hair into dreads. Pull all or a few dreads together to make a bun. Allow a few dreads to rest freely on all sides for a more wild look.
19. Mohawk
We have already discussed the prominence of mohawk. Style a short mohawk by scissoring down the hair on top. Before that, give a standard tapering going deep around your ears. Style an edge up between forehead hairline, temples, and sideburns. Let the sideburns be sharp and extremely thin. Leave subtle portion on the top center extending down to the nape and keep the hair thick in the particular area.
20. Blurry Fade With Defined Part
A defined part is a particular design you create using a razor. Use clippers and give a standard tapering between the temples and around your ears. Make a definitive part between the temple and forehead hairline carefully with razor. At the back, keep the edges straight and well-defined. Use scissors and hands to uniformly reduce the hair on the top.
Conclusion:
Almost all prominent styles are pretty easy to get done at the comfort of your home. All you need is right tools and patience. Introduce your kid to a wide variety of styles ranging from complex braiding to simple buzz cuts so that they are familiar with the numerous looks their hair texture has to offer them. Use the above list as a reference for your kid’s next grooming session.