Classic Afro Style

An afro, sometimes called a "natural" or shortened to "fro", is a hairstyle in which the hair extends out from the head like a halo, cloud or ball. This may or may not include wearing such afros long, to several times the diameter of the head.

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Afro hair Style

A woman with an afro at the Tribeca Film Festival

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An afro requires very curly hair. For many people of African descent, an afro is the way the hair grows naturally. Anyone of any ethnic background is capable of growing an afro if they have very curly hair.
For people of African descent, the spiraling, tightly coiled curls can be straightened out somewhat, giving the hair added volume and length, by first braiding the hair, then separating the coils using an "afro pick".
The afro pick is an adaptation of a traditional African grooming instrument,which is essentially a narrow comb with long, widely spaced teeth. Similarly, added volume can be achieved using an afro pick in combination with the heat from a hand-held hair dryer. The effect is called a blowout afro.

Here are some afro hairstyle pictures:


Branford Marsalis with a classic afro.

A Jewish-American youth sports a Jewfro at his high school.

Afros were originally used as a cultural statement to counter western influences on natural African hairstyles and ways of life

Ms. Hill performing in Prague, Summer 2007