Curly Hair: Professional Styles for the Workplace!

There is a false, negative myth that curly hair is unprofessional. Too many women have reported that they were encouraged to straighten or fix their hair in order to avoid losing their jobs or being skipped for promotions. These situations happen much too frequently, and we're here to emphasize that if women are professionals, then their natural hair must also be professional. For naturally curly, coily, or wavy hair, here are some professional hairstyles for your formal workplace.

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The high bun

Since you’re tying your hair in a high bun for at least 8 hours, you want to keep your bun loose rather than super slick and tight. To achieve this, follow these tips:

- Start with dry hair rather than damp hair. In this method, your hair won't be stretched out or dented when you take it down.

- Spray a thin layer of flexible hairspray along your hairline.

- Turn your head upside down and carefully gather your hair at the crown of your head. It looks better when the topknot is not pulled tightly or precisely.

- Use long bobby pins to fasten your knotted hair instead of a hair tie. Your hair's ends should be tucked into the knot and pinned.

- Once the top knot is in place, you can comb any sticking-out hairs into the knot and tuck them in.

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The low bun

Use the exact same technique as the high bun, but don’t turn your head upside down. Simply, gather your hair at the bottom of your head and repeat the above steps using bobby pins to secure the hair.

The Pam Beesly

If you’ve watched The Office or at least know who Pam Beesly is, you pretty much know how her hair looks. To achieve this look, you need to gather hair sections from the sides of your hair and clip them using a barrette. This is a very minimal, easy hairstyle for curly heads, yet it still looks amazing and professional at the same time.

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The side bun

We wanted to give everyone a few more options because women with long hair frequently put it up in a ponytail.

- Make a loose ponytail by sweeping all of the right side hair to the left.

- Make a big twist by dividing the ponytail into two portions and wrapping them around one another.

- In order to give it a more unique shape than a standard bun, once you've reached the bottom of the twist, wrap it around into an S shape. 

- Use bobby pins to secure it in place.

High ponytail with a twist

This hairstyle will require a comb and a spray bottle that contains water and conditioner (or any moisturizing hair product like hair cream or leave-in conditioner). Watch this video so you can understand and see how you can achieve this cute hairstyle.

Half up with a bun

Instead of doing a simple half-up, try this hairstyle with a bun. It will look nice and cute, especially if you have long hair. Don’t pay too much attention to making the bun look perfect. The final result will blow you away. Watch this video for the tutorial.

French braids

Although many women consider French braids difficult and time-consuming, we’d like to respectfully disagree! This tutorial will show you how to achieve awesome-looking French braids before heading to work. Moreover, if you don’t want to have two side French braids, just do one in the back using the same technique.

Half up with a twist

Now, this half-up hairstyle can take your whole look to a whole new level. Exactly like the Pam Beesly hairstyle, gather your hair from both sides and twist each side separately at the back of your head securing it with a sectioning clip at your eye level. Use a barrette to tie both sides together. This hairstyle works perfectly for short curly hair or if you have bangs that you need to tuck back.

One twist and a claw clip

As the name of this hairstyle suggests, all you need to do is twist your hair up and use a clip to secure it. We’re pretty sure you used to go for this hairstyle a lot when you were at school because it’s effortless and cute.

Upside-down French twist

We won’t say much about this hairstyle other than it’s fabulous and classy. Watch this tutorial to learn how to achieve it.

Although we’re suggesting several professional hairstyles for curly heads, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t wear your hair down or however you want. There’s nothing wrong with embracing your natural hair and showing it off at work or wherever you go. We’re just trying to help you figure out other nice and easy hairstyles for your curly hair that will be appropriate for the workplace.

Main image credit: @lynnkatee