Although this year’s ESSENCE Festival of Culture has come to a close, protective style season is still in full swing. And, what better place to find Black hair inspiration than at Essence Festival’s Beautycon stage? From twists with cowrie shells to braided bantu knots, ESSENCE’s senior beauty editor Akili King chatted with a handful of the festival’s braided beauties (which weren’t hard to find) for the story behind their hair looks.
“I have twists and cowerie shells and a few gold rings,” one festival goer told King. “Cowrie shells used to be used as currency in Africa.” With African references at a head, another goer honored the Bantu people, specifically from the Zulu group, with braided bantu knots. “We love our plats, and we love a good bantu,” she said.
Meanwhile, hair beads are one of the most preserved hair decals in the African diaspora, connecting us to our ancestors while preserving the communal culture of braiding. Wearing her daughter’s black beads in an updo braided by her sister, Raquel, “I just added a few beads to kind of make it ‘ching-ching’,” another woman said.
Beyoncé’s butterfly cut, a layered cut with tousled, effortless waves, has been trending. And, one goer turned the look into straight back butterfly braids. “I wear a lot of ponytails in my hair,” she said. “I wanted to do something different for Essence Fest, something cultural.”
Other popular styles, like knotless Boho braids, mermaid braids, and bob-length twists were spotted at Beautycon. But, one goer went full freeform. “It’s been about 15 years,” he said, with growing out his locs being the only thing he’s known throughout his hair journey. “Other cultures do the single strand, but we just let it freeform. Let it do what it do.”