Sierra Armstrong | Contributing Writer
When it comes to hair in college, things can get tricky. You aren’t sure if you should wear your real hair, get a weave, or rock braids. The thought of doing your own hair every day seems tiring, trying to find a new hairstylist in college is terrifying, and weaves and braids might break your bank account. So what do you do? Paris Stallworth and Deneara Worthy, student hairstylists, are here to solve some of your hair troubles with a few styling tips.
Paris Stallworth is a sophomore pre-law criminal justice major from Los Angeles, California. She specializes in braids, weaves, wigs, and natural hair. “With my mom being a professional stylist, I was born in the hair salon. My experience is what makes me special,” says Stallworth.
Deneara Worthy is a junior education major, biology minor from Durham, North Carolina. She specializes in sewing weaves, doing natural hair, and braiding. Worthy says, “What makes me special as a hairstylist is [that] I’m versatile and a fast learner. You can come to me with a style I have never done and I will pick up on it and do it for you.”
Protective styling is crucial in college. A protective style is any style where your hair is completely covered or tucked away to reduce daily damage of manipulating your hair. These styles include box braids, feed-in braids, weaves, and wigs.
When it comes to protective styling, Paris and Deneara recommend braids for college students. “When wearing braids your hair is fully protected. This allows it to grow and keeps it from breaking off,” says Stallworth. The best part about a protective style is being able to freely experiment with weaves and braids without damaging your own hair.
Now, what happens when you wake up and don’t have any clue of how to style your protective style or your natural hair? For weave-wearers, Deneara suggested trying a slick ponytail or bun because they are sleek and stylish, yet simple.
For natural hair, a quick puff is always an easy style; but if you want a different look, Paris says to give flexi rods a try. For box braids, Deneara’s go-to style is a half up bun, half down look.
Those days when your hair just will not cooperate and it turns into a complete bad hair day, what do you do? Paris recommends to stock up on head wraps. Head wraps can be worn in a low bun, high bun, or wrapped however you want while completely covering your bad hair day and creating a cute style.
Another tip from Paris is to try two braids. “Two braids are my go-to. You can pull them back, pull them into a bun, braid down the front and leave the back out. You can never go wrong with two braids,” says Stallworth.
Girls may not know where to start when it comes to buying hair products for these styles. Stores have thousands of hair products, but which ones are the best? For the weave-wearers, Deneara’s preferred list of products are edge control, a flat iron, a toothbrush for your edges, and a comb. Paris suggests the brand “Chi” for girls who put heat on their hair.
For natural hair, Deneara and Paris both love Mielle Organics. Worthy also says, “Cantu has a really good product line for natural hair. Eco-styler gel is also a necessity for natural hair.”
To contact Deneara Worthy, her hair Instagram is @worthy_looks, and her personal Instagram is @denearaeshon. If you want to reach Paris Stallworth, her hair Instagram is @lahandz and her personal Instagram is @parisjimmera.
The Hampton Script 