SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Watch
  • 2024 Event
    • General Info
    • Presenters & Speakers
    • Tickets
    • Get in Touch
    • FAQ
  • Shop
Home • Hairstyles • Trends

How to Grow Out Your Shaved Sides

Share this Article
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
How to Grow Out Your Shaved Sides
By Sabrina Perkins · Updated September 12, 2014
PHOTO COURTESY OF ASKPROY
Shaved sides was sooo last year…Ok, it was just a tad longer than that, but when it came out it was hot, cute, and funky. It was different and daring but now…it is getting old. The boldness of trying this sexy cut is wearing off and now all the daring divas are looking around like what to do now? Whether you have one side, both sides, or even an underside shaved, we understand that you can get bored with it. Kind of stuck? Well, you do not have to be.

Sexy, trendy, super cute styles are always great for a new season or year, and although they take off with a quickness, we become captivated with the style and must have it. For curly, coily, and wavy girls, it is a trickier style to manage as it grows out. Want to grow it out without losing your cool and chopping it all off? Here are a few styles that will make the transition simpler.

Fake it ’til you make it

Style it up or gel it down. Basically, just work with what you have. If you really do not worry about hiding it, you can make it more pronounced by adding color to the shaved side or the other hair to give a great contrast as well as bring more attention to it. Who truly cares and if you have that daring personality, the contrast of color is right up your alley.

Weave it

Yes, you heard right. Weave it up! You can add extensions for length and can usually get away with just creating a middle part so the hair falls either on one side or both sides if need be. No need to allow the world to see what is going on underneath unless you want them too.

Crochet braids

Crochet braids are sort of like weaving it up but without the messy glues, adhesives, or thread. Just cornrow the rest of the hair to the back and allow for the right length to cover your shaved side that is growing out. Crochet hair is still big so have fun with this super protective and fun style.

Protective styling

Michelle Howard-Smith has mid length hair, so hiding is a great option for her, but when her hair is not in big curly hair mode she shares this super cute style that pretty much just camouflages the shaved side while it grows out.

Updos & pins

Article continues after video.

BeautyCutright shows us two charming looks for growing out your shaved side that are easy and quick to do. The video is for rocking the shaved side, but we pulled out two looks that would be great for camouflaging it during the growing out stage. The first look is creating two-strand twists on the longer side with a beanie that is slightly tilted more on the shaved side. The second style is actually her third style in the video, but she’s rocking a multi-colored scarf around the base and only allowing her longer side to showcase up top.

Quick updo with scarf

Emmy Vargas shares a unique and simple style with a headband scarf that I wish I would have thought of years ago! Her hair is in a ponytail with bangs that are slightly off-kilter but perfect for a shaved side. She places her headband scarf in between the two-strand twisted bangs that she untwists for definition. All you would have to do is leave more of the headband scarf over the shaved side to have most of the focus on the bangs. It is a great way to hide that growing-out shaved side while rocking a ponytail with bangs.

3 Ways to wear a headscarf

LHDC-TV shares three styles with scarves that will hide an undercut or one shaved side if you have medium length hair and bangs. With one scarf and three unique looks you can camouflage the shaved side with either your hair or the scarf. All are easy, quick, and would look great with your tresses straightened or left au naturel.

How are you growing out your shaved sides?

Read More

How Donni Davy Built Half Magic By Following Her Intuition
Beauty
How Donni Davy Built Half Magic By Following Her Intuition
Our Favorite Beauty Looks From The 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
Beauty
Our Favorite Beauty Looks From The 2025 ESSENCE Black Women ...
Ask A Stylist: Color Combos To Try During Your Winter Arc
Curly
Ask A Stylist: Color Combos To Try During Your Winter Arc
How Growing Up as a Black Man Shaped My Relationship with My Curls
Curly
How Growing Up as a Black Man Shaped My Relationship with My...
How To Achieve A Flawless Silk Press With Raw Hair
Shop
How To Achieve A Flawless Silk Press With Raw Hair
Home • NaturallyCurly

How My Silk Press Ritual Helped Me Appreciate My Natural Hair

One writer discusses getting silk presses has been an important part of her natural hair journey.
Share this Article
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
How My Silk Press Ritual Helped Me Appreciate My Natural Hair
Catherine McQueen/Getty Images
By Jessica Fields · Updated December 24, 2024

We’re deep into the cooler months and, for naturals, that means just one thing: Silk press season. Like clockwork, social media is a buzz with viral videos toting tips, tricks, and hair flips, among other enticing smoothed styles. Whether it’s a sleek middle part style or bouncy waves, there’s no denying the main character energy ignited with each look. 

I can attest firsthand to the freeing feeling that soaping away buildup to emerge with a sleek look brings. My curls are tight and plentiful, but you’d never know as I always wear my hair straight. I’ve gotten my silk press routine down to a T and often opt for a siny bone-straight look. But come wash day, it’s my curls, kinks, and coils that make me smile the most. My silk presses aren’t just a process to straighten my hair. Instead, it’s a reminder of how appreciative I am for my crown full of curls.

Like most Black girls, I grew up wearing ponytails and twists weighted down with bobos and barrets. I have countless memories of sitting between my mom’s knees as she raked through my curls and saturated them with globs of Luster’s Pink Moisturizer, never forgetting to tell me how fast my hair “drinks this stuff up.” At that age, straight hairstyles were reserved for special occasions, like church or school picture day, and were done with a hot comb and thick layers of grease. But as I got older my desire for longer-lasting straight styles increased and I begged her relentlessly for a relaxer. 

The answer was always the same flat no so my hair was kept in braids and twists. Her decision to keep my hair natural stemmed from two main issues. First, there were the dangers of perming virgin hair and how doing so too early in the growth process can alter the texture and growth rate drastically. Second, was the financial obligation bi-weekly relaxers came with. But in my senior year of high school, she finally gave in and during my college years, I was devoted to relaxers. It was a weird victory— sure my hair was pin-straight but I couldn’t help but notice it never looked as good nor full as my natural hair roller wraps. I knew I didn’t love the look the perms delivered but I continued to use them for management’s sake. Relaxers meant I could easily style my hair and most importantly, that I didn’t have to worry about it frizzing up. 

However, a turning point came when I moved to New York. I didn’t always have the money to get my hair done and had to quickly learn how to do it on my own. This resulted in the ultimate happy accident. I began growing out the years of permed hair. The process was trying, but through it, I gained so much more than a healthy head of hair. I began experimenting with ingredients to help my hair retain moisture and learning different techniques to straighten it. As the months went by, I watched the ragged permed hair slowly grow out, leaving behind loose curls. I’ll admit those first few years were a struggle, seeing just how much my curl pattern had changed. But it also helped me remember what my hair could be. In the years that followed, I learned how to wash, condition, treat, and nourish my hair— and in turn, watched my curls transform from loose and stringy into tight ringletts and coils.

Article continues after video.

This tale isn’t a new one and has remained a double-edged sword within the natural hair community. Many Black women have experienced vitality after ditching their relaxers but have also felt the sting of natural hairstyling— be it lengthy wash days or product formula inconsistencies. After some time, the fantasy of the big chop and twist-out faze that caused the natural haircare industry boom began to wear off, and women slowly began going back to relaxers. The decision typically led to a familiar crossroads, having to choose between what made sense for your hair and what “looked good.”

Going natural isn’t for everyone, and, at the time, I didn’t think it was for me, either. Despite perming my hair late into my teenage years, straightening my hair was the only style I knew how to do. Before my first relaxer, I’d spent years using electric hot combs, curling irons, and heavy products like curl wax and hair polisher to tame my curls. The result lasted no more than two days and turned my hair into a greasy mess—meaning I’d have to wash and redo my hair sooner rather than later. It ultimately led to heat damage and manipulating my curls. 

But getting a perm for the first or 70th time didn’t give me the results I longed for either. After leaving the salon, my hair looked incredibly thin due to how straight it was. I’ve always had very thick hair, so seeing it look flat was disheartening. Even when I settled on curls or a roller set, they never provided the voluminous look I preferred. My new growth was always nice and thick and when I started growing out my perm, I noticed it stayed that way. The fullness I tried so desperately to hide as a child was back and I wasn’t about to make the same mistake. 

Over the years, I’ve honed my skills and can easily transform my hair from springy coils to smooth, shiny strands— so much so that most people, including stylists, believe my hair is relaxed. My process involves a lot of conditioning products, clarifying ingredients, and heat protectants. Each layer ensures my curls are deeply moisturized and heavily protected before I begin heat styling. Through it all, I’ve learned to embrace my texture and to lean into the frizzy days. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when my silk press is on point, but I’ve learned to love the days it fades just the same. Seeing my curls revert is the epitome of bliss.

Read More

How Donni Davy Built Half Magic By Following Her Intuition
Beauty
How Donni Davy Built Half Magic By Following Her Intuition
Our Favorite Beauty Looks From The 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
Beauty
Our Favorite Beauty Looks From The 2025 ESSENCE Black Women ...
Ask A Stylist: Color Combos To Try During Your Winter Arc
Curly
Ask A Stylist: Color Combos To Try During Your Winter Arc
How Growing Up as a Black Man Shaped My Relationship with My Curls
Curly
How Growing Up as a Black Man Shaped My Relationship with My...
Why Deep Conditioning is A Must This Winter
Shop
Why Deep Conditioning is A Must This Winter
Company Information
  • Customer Service
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
Subscribe
  • Newsletters
FOLLOW US
  • Home
  • Watch
  • 2024 Event
    • General Info
    • Presenters & Speakers
    • Tickets
    • Get in Touch
    • FAQ
  • Shop