Natural Hair Offers More Styling Options Than You Think

If you thought embracing your natural hair meant marrying yourself to just a handful of styling options, think again.

In the November issue of Essence magazine, hairstylist Derrick Scurry outlines 14 different looks that most women don't realize are possible with natural hair. HuffPost Live's Nancy Redd got a preview on Tuesday, when she spoke with Scurry and Essence editor-in-chief Vanessa K. De Luca about the new frontier of natural styles.

"You shouldn't get caught in just one look. There's about 67 different textures of natural hair. Each one works differently, so you should find out what is the best style for your curl pattern," Scurry said.

The key is thinking about shape rather than focusing only on curl texture. Whether it's stretching them, loosening them or blowing them out, natural curls are versatile today in a way they were not in years past, De Luca added.

"There's so many more products, there's so many more techniques, there's so many different ways you can experiment and try different things with your hair that just weren't available when I was little," she said.

Get some of Essence's best natural hair styling tips in the video above, and click here for the full HuffPost Live conversation about what's coming up in the magazine's November issue.

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