Trending: The Tapered TWA

So you went natural three years ago and you’re stressed out about detangling, split ends and dry hair. Here’s an idea: why not big chop again? But this time with a slight twist.

Introducing: the tapered teeny weeny afro (TWA), a hairstyle that has exploded onto the natural hair scene recently and may cause you to fall in love with your hair all over again. The look is a play on the high-top fade but curls soften the look and add a little spunk to it. It’s achieved by simply shaving or trimming the sides of your ‘fro. Singer Chrisette Michele has most famously rocked this style and plenty of Instagramers and Tumblr-ers are wearing it too.

Singer Alicia Keyes has also sported the look with a little bit of a pompadour-esque bang. Photo via Pinterest

But the style also looks great with tighter curls. Throw in some highlights for fun. Photo via Pinterest

This look is perfect for playing with the shape/silhouette of your hair.

Many naturals with loose curls wear the tapered look. Photo via Pinterest

Photo via Tumblr

Chrisette Michele is known for her tapered short ‘do. Here it seems picked out and parted. Photo via Soompi.com.

Chrisette Michele plays with color and shape with a more boxy version of her signature look. Photo via Singersroom.com.

Braid out with shave sides. As your hair grows, you can cut even more of your sides to get closer to a mow-hawk. Photo via Merely Marie

The more you cut the sides the closer you get to an edgy high-top look. Photo via Pinterest

Piqued your interest? Here are a few more ways you can rock this look.

Wash & Go

A wash-and-go is normally the go-to style for naturals with looser curl patterns, but with a low haircut and the right products, this style can be applied to any curl type.  Hair vlogger Paville (pronounced AH-vee-L) rocks a wash-and-go on her 4C hair. Check out how she does it below.

Coil Out

The coil out is an answer to the twist-out for naturalistas with a TWA. Instead of two-strand twisting the hair in small sections, you coil your hair with your fingers. This method works best when the hair has been freshly washed and is coiled with gel or any other styling product used to hold the hair. Look to GirlwithKinks for a fabulous finger coiling tutorial. Watch the video below.

Coil outs are also a way to fake the tapered look by just finger coiling the sides of your afro.

Deep Parts and Blow Outs

Blowing out your TWA will give you plenty of volume and length and creates more of a high-top look. Adding a deep part makes the look even edgier. Actress Lupita Nyong’o mastered edgy elegance at the 2014 Golden Globes, pairing her blown out tapered TWA with diamond studs and a caped Ralph Lauren dress.

(Check out just how much you can do with a TWA in “Hair Story: Lupita Nyong’o.”)

Photo via LA Times

Headbands

Headbands with any hairstyle add flair and detail to an outfit. This also goes for TWAs. Just because your hair is short, it doesn’t mean you can’t sport a headband. We’re loving this flower headband worn by Carmen from MyNaturalSistas; it’s perfect for spring!

Photos via My Natural Sistas