22 Formal Hairstyles for Black Women That Last Past the Event

A formal style on Black hair is judged at the hairline first.

Laid edges and a clean part make a bun or a press look finished before anyone sees the rest, and the hair itself gives more options than any other texture.

It can be pressed into waves or pinned up in its own curls, and braids installed weeks ahead leave the night needing nothing.

Pick by how much time you want on the day and how long it should last after. The sleek low bun with laid edges is the one most women reach for first.

Jump to:

Sleek Low Bun With Laid Edges

Hair brushed back flat with gel into a tight bun at the nape, with the edges laid in small waves along the hairline and nothing loose anywhere.

It is the formal style that shows off earrings and a neckline, and it stays put all night. Work gel through damp hair and pull it into a low ponytail, then twist the length around the base and pin it.

Lay the edges with edge control and a toothbrush, then set them under a silk scarf.

Silk Press With Hollywood Waves

Nothing looks more like an occasion on pressed hair than a deep side part and waves rippling in one sheet to the ends.

The press gives the hair the shine, and the waves give it the movement. Have the press done the day before so it settles, then curl each section the same direction with a large barrel and pin the curls while they cool before brushing them out with a paddle brush. Wrap at night and keep the hair away from steam.

Braided Updo From Knotless Braids

Knotless braids already installed are gathered up and pinned into a full sculpted updo at the crown, two braids left down at the front.

The braids do the work weeks ahead, so the night needs only pins, and the updo takes the weight off the neck.

Gather the braids high and twist them around the base, then pin the ends under and leave two down.

Edge control along the hairline and a gold cuff on one braid finish it.

Sleek High Ponytail With Curled Ends

There is a swing to a high ponytail on pressed hair that no updo matches, with the base slicked tight to the crown and the length falling in soft curls.

The gelled base and laid edges keep the front formal, and the curls keep the tail from looking like a work style. Brush the hair up with gel and tie it high, then wrap a strand around the band.

Curl the tail in sections and shake the curls out. A ponytail extension adds length.

Flat Twist Updo

Flat twists running in neat rows from the hairline back into a twisted bun at the crown look sculpted in a way loose hair never does. The twists suit natural hair at any length past a few inches, and the updo holds for days after the event with a scarf at night. Twist each section flat against the scalp with a cream, then gather the ends into a bun and pin.

Smooth the hairline with edge control and set it under a scarf.

Finger Waves

Old Hollywood on short hair, with S-shaped waves molded flat to the head and set hard until they shine like glass.

Finger waves suit a pixie or a short relaxed cut, and they turn a simple dress into an event. A stylist combs the waves in with gel and clips each one in place to dry under a hood dryer.

Tie a scarf over them at night and the set lasts about a week with no restyling, which covers the event and the brunch after.

Sleek High Puff With Swooped Edges

Women who want their natural texture at a formal event and still want it to look done gather it into a high puff with the edges swooped.

The puff sits high and round at the crown with the sides smoothed flat, and the swoops along the hairline are what make it formal.

Gather the hair with a stretchy band and fluff the puff with a pick, then lay the edges with edge control and a toothbrush and set them under a silk scarf.

Pinned Curly Updo

It is the updo that uses the curls instead of hiding them.

Defined curls are gathered up loose and pinned at the back and crown so they spill out of the top, with a few left out at the temples. The texture gives the updo volume that straight hair needs teasing to fake, and it suits a wash and go or a twist-out that is a day old.

Pin in sections with bobby pins and mist with water to refresh the curls.

Half-Up Half-Down With Curls

The top half pinned back and the curls left down and full around the shoulders keeps the hair off the face without hiding the texture.

It works on natural curls or a curly sew-in, and it keeps the length showing in photos.

Section the top half and twist it back, then pin it at the crown and smooth the sides with gel.

Refresh the curls below with water and mousse. A jeweled pin over the twist dresses it up.

Flexi Rod Curls Worn Down

Uniform spiral curls from the roots to the ends, bigger and smoother than a twist-out, make natural hair look longer and more finished for an evening. The rod set holds longer than a wand curl and needs no heat, which suits women who do not want to press for one night. Set damp stretched hair on flexi rods with mousse the night before and sit under a dryer.

Take the rods out and separate the curls with oiled fingers, then fluff the roots.

Deep Side Part Swoop With Pin Curls

A heavy swoop bang curving across the forehead from a deep side part, with the rest of the pressed hair set in soft pin curls, is as classic as formal Black hair gets.

The swoop covers the forehead in one bold line and the pin curls give the length a soft vintage shape. Press the hair, then set it in pin curls and let them cool before brushing them out.

Pin the swoop flat at night so it holds for the day after.

Loc Updo

Locs twisted and wrapped into a thick crown bun have a weight and a shape that no other updo has.

The updo suits a wedding or a gala and keeps long locs off the shoulders, and it works on shoulder-length locs or longer.

Gather the locs high and twist them into a rope, then wrap the rope around its base and pin it with large hairpins.

Leave two locs down at the front, and add a gold cuff or two.

Feed-In Cornrows Into a Bun

Cornrows fed in from the hairline and braided up into a braided bun at the crown keep every end tucked away and the hairline sharp. The braided base stays neat for weeks, so a formal night needs nothing but a touch of edge control. Ask for the cornrows fed in so the front starts thin, meeting at the crown, with the bun wrapped from added braiding hair.

Oil the scalp between the rows and tie a scarf over the bun at night.

Halo Braid With Added Hair

One thick braid wrapped around the head like a crown, bulked out with braiding hair, with every end tucked underneath.

The halo keeps the hair up and off the neck in a single braid, and it looks as right at a wedding as at a graduation. Ask for the braid built from a cornrow base so it stays put, and pinned with hairpins rather than elastics.

Loosen the braid a little for softness and smooth the hairline with gel.

Bantu Knot Updo

Rows of coiled knots across the head, each one sitting up like a spiral, look like you planned the whole night around them.

Bantu knots are formal when the parts are clean and the knots are even, and they double as a curl set for the next day.

Section the hair and twist each piece tight with gel, then wrap it around itself and tuck the end. Smooth the parts with gel and add a small pin between a few knots.

Fulani Braids With Gold Cuffs

Thin cornrows braided toward the face and down the sides with a center braid running back, finished with gold cuffs and beads at the ends.

The pattern has been worn for generations across West Africa, and the gold turns it into something made for an occasion. Ask for the traditional pattern with the sides braided forward and the cuffs placed along the loose braids.

A satin scarf at night keeps the cornrows smooth for weeks after the event.

Sleek Side-Parted Pressed Bob

A chin-length bob pressed bone straight with a deep side part, the heavy side swinging forward and the ends tucked under.

The pressed bob looks expensive with no accessories at all, and it suits women who want their hair sleek and out of the way for a dinner. Press the hair, then flat iron the ends under and set the part with a comb and serum. Wrap the hair at night and bump the ends in the morning.

Tapered Cut With Finger Coils

Short natural hair cut close at the sides with the top set in tight glossy finger coils has a confidence that longer hair does not.

The taper keeps the shape sharp and the coils give the top texture and shine, which is all a short cut needs for a formal night. Get the taper lined up the day before, then coil the top with gel in small sections.

A little oil on the coils adds shine, and a bonnet at night keeps them.

Faux Locs Half-Up

Long faux locs with the top half gathered into a knot high on the head and the rest hanging down the back.

The half-up takes the weight of the locs off the neck while keeping the length on show, and the install does the formal work weeks before the night.

Gather the top half from the temples back and twist it into a knot, then pin it.

Leave two locs down at the front and add a cuff.

Low Ponytail With a Satin Bow

A smooth low ponytail on pressed hair with a long satin ribbon tied in a bow over the elastic, the tails hanging down the length.

The bow is the easiest formal upgrade there is, and on dark sleek hair a black or deep red ribbon shows.

Gel at the sides and laid edges keep the ponytail smooth, so the bow is the only soft thing in the look. Tie the ponytail low with a thin elastic, then tie the ribbon over it.

Afro With a Jeweled Headband

A full round afro with a thin jeweled band pushed into the front of it is formal without a single pin.

The afro picked out to its full size fills every photo, and the band gives it a front and holds the shape at the hairline. Stretch the hair the night before with a twist-out or a blowout, then pick it out from the roots in the morning.

Push the band back until it sits snug, and add a little oil for shine.

Frohawk With Pinned Sides

The sides pinned flat and the center standing tall from the forehead to the nape gives natural hair more attitude than any other formal style. The frohawk suits a gala with an edge more than a traditional wedding, and it works on any length that pins. Pin the sides up toward the center with bobby pins or twist them flat, then fluff the middle with a pick.

Gel on the sides keeps them tidy, and hairspray holds the center up all night.