24 Cute Latina Hairstyles and How to Get the Slicked Finish

Latina hair tends to come thick and textured, and the cutest styles work with that instead of flattening it.

A slicked bun with the baby hairs laid takes ten minutes and still looks finished, and a blowout turns the same hair into bounce for a week. Curls left alone only need a part and a clip.

What ties the looks together is the finish, a clean edge at the hairline and shine through the length, which is why gel and a toothbrush turn up so often below. The slick low bun is where most of them start.

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Slick Low Bun With Laid Baby Hairs

Hair brushed back flat with gel into a tight low bun, with the baby hairs swirled along the hairline in small waves.

This is the style that gets passed down, and the shine and laid edges do the dressing up.

The bun sits at the nape with the part dead center or gone. Brush gel through damp hair and tie it low, then twist the length into a bun and pin.

Lay the baby hairs with edge control and set them under a scarf.

High Ponytail With a Middle Part and Swoop

Hair pulled high and tight into a ponytail with a sharp middle part, the sides slicked with gel and the baby hairs swooped at the temples.

The middle part is what makes it current, since it keeps the front symmetrical and lets the swoops at the edges show. The ponytail hangs long and straight or in loose curls.

Brush the hair up with gel and tie it with a thin elastic, then wrap a strand around the band.

Big Bouncy Blowout

Thick hair blown out smooth and full with the ends curled under, so it swings in one bouncy sheet.

The salon blowout is a ritual in a lot of Latina households, and the hair comes out shinier than a flat iron manages, with volume at the roots that lasts for days.

Ask for a round brush blowout with the ends turned under and a wrap at the end to set it. Sleep with the hair wrapped in a doobie so the shape holds all week.

Curly Hair With Curtain Bangs

Full 3A to 3B curls worn down with curly curtain bangs parted in the center and springing toward the cheekbones.

The bangs frame the face without flattening the curl, and they get cut dry, one curl at a time, so they land at the cheekbone once they shrink. Ask for them a little longer than you want, since the first wash tightens them.

Scrunch a curl cream through damp hair and push the bangs apart with your fingers, then diffuse upside down.

Caramel Balayage on Dark Hair

Dark brown hair with hand-painted caramel through the ends, the roots left deep and the lightest pieces around the face.

Caramel is the color that suits dark Latina hair best, since it warms the length without fighting the base, and the balayage grows out with no line. It works on every texture and shows best on long layers.

Ask for the caramel kept two shades lighter than the base and a soft blend at the root. A gloss every six weeks keeps the shine.

Half-Up Half-Down With a Slicked Front

The front half brushed back flat with gel and tied at the crown, with the length left down and the baby hairs laid.

It is the sleek bun and the loose hair at the same time, which is why it turns up at every quinceañera and every brunch after.

Brush gel through the top section from the hairline back and tie it high with a thin elastic, then wave or straighten the length below. Lay the edges last.

Sleek Middle-Part Straight Hair

Long hair flat ironed pin-straight with a sharp center part, shining like glass.

The straight middle part is the simplest look to describe and one of the hardest to fake, since it needs the hair smooth from the root with no bend at the ends.

Blow-dry straight with a paddle brush first, then flat iron in thin sections with a heat protectant. A drop of serum through the ends keeps the shine.

Wrap the hair at night to keep it flat.

Wavy Lob With a Middle Part

A collarbone lob in loose waves with a center part, the ends left straight and the waves bending away from the face.

It is the cut for Latinas who want a change without losing the ponytail, and the waves bring out the texture most Latina hair has anyway. Ask for a few long layers.

Wave sections with a wand away from the face and leave the last inch out. Finish with a sea salt spray and skip the brush.

Bubble Ponytail

A high ponytail broken into round sections with a clear elastic every few inches, each bubble puffed out with the fingers.

It has the slickness of the gelled pony at the top and something playful down the length. Brush the hair up with gel and tie it high, then add elastics down the ponytail and tug each section out until it rounds.

Lay the edges at the front and add a small clip at the base if you want sparkle.

Hollywood Waves With a Deep Side Part

A deep side part with waves rippling in one smooth sheet from the roots to the ends, all bending the same direction.

Dark hair shows the waves better than any other color, since the shine sits in the bends, and the deep part gives the front some drama.

Curl every section the same way with a large barrel and pin each curl while it cools, then brush the whole head out with a paddle brush. A shine spray finishes it.

Butterfly Cut on Thick Hair

Thick hair cut in two levels, short layers ending at the chin and long ones past the shoulders, blown out so the top layers lift away from the face.

Thick Latina hair is what the butterfly cut was made for, since the two levels take the weight out without losing the length, and the blowout turns the layers into volume rather than bulk.

Ask for the top layers at the chin. Blow-dry with a round brush, rolling every layer away from the face.

Double Dutch Braids With Baby Hairs

Two tight Dutch braids from the hairline to the ends, raised on top of the hair, with the baby hairs swooped along the part.

The braids show the texture and the laid edges show the care, and together they make a sporty style look done.

Part the hair down the middle and braid each side by crossing the strands under, adding hair as you go. Gel the parting so it stays clean.

Lay the baby hairs with edge control once the braids are tied.

Money Piece on Dark Brown Hair

Dark brown hair with two bright caramel or honey streaks framing the face from the part down, the rest left dark.

The money piece gives dark hair a lift at the face without a full color, and on a middle part the two streaks sit even on each side so the whole look stays symmetrical.

Ask for the pieces one to two inches wide and a shade brighter than you think, since dark hair absorbs color. A gloss keeps them bright.

Claw Clip Twist With Gelled Edges

Hair twisted up at the back into a claw clip with the ends fanning out, and the front slicked with gel so the edges stay laid.

It is the ten-second style with the salon finish.

The clip does the work and the gelled front does the rest, so the twist looks planned instead of thrown up.

Brush gel through the front and twist the length upward, then clamp the clip over it. Pull two pieces loose at the temples and curl them.

Space Buns With Laid Edges

Two round buns high on the head, one on each side, with the baby hairs swirled along the hairline and the part gelled straight.

The buns are cute on their own, and the laid edges make them look like they belong to a grown woman rather than a festival.

Part the hair down the middle and tie two high pigtails, then twist each one around its base and pin it. Lay the edges last, and add a tiny clip to each bun for a party.

Blunt Bangs With Long Straight Hair

Long straight dark hair with a full blunt fringe cut straight across at the brow.

Blunt bangs on dark straight hair are as sharp as a haircut gets, and the contrast between the solid line at the front and the length behind it is the whole point.

Ask for the bangs cut straight and full, with the corners left square. Flat iron the bangs and the length every morning, and trim the fringe every three weeks.

A drop of serum keeps the bangs from separating.

Side Fishtail With Loose Pieces

A fishtail braid pulled over one shoulder, woven in thin strands so the pattern looks like a herringbone, with a few pieces left loose at the face.

It takes longer than a regular braid, which makes it feel like an occasion, and the loose pieces at the front keep it soft.

Split the hair into two sections over one shoulder and cross thin strands from one to the other, repeating to the ends. Tug the braid wider once it is tied.

Curly Pineapple Updo

Curls gathered high at the front of the crown with a soft scrunchie and left loose, spilling forward over the forehead.

Afro-Latinas with 3B to 4A curls wear the pineapple when the curls are a day or two old and still have shape, and it keeps the length up and the texture showing.

Tip the head forward and gather the hair with a scrunchie, then pull a few curls out at the hairline. Smooth the sides with gel and mist the curls with water.

Half-Up Top Knot With Curls

The top half twisted into a knot high on the head, with the curls below left down and full around the shoulders.

It keeps the hair off the face without hiding the curls, which is the trade most curly-haired women want.

Section the top half from the temples back and twist it into a knot, then pin it and smooth the sides with gel. Refresh the curls below with water and a little cream, and leave two pieces loose at the temples.

Low Ponytail With a Bow

A smooth low ponytail at the nape with a long ribbon tied in a bow over the elastic, the tails hanging down the length.

The bow is the easiest cute upgrade there is, and on dark slicked hair a black or red ribbon shows up without trying.

Gel at the sides keeps the ponytail smooth, so the bow is the only soft thing in the look. Tie the ponytail low, then tie the ribbon over the elastic.

Match the ribbon to the outfit.

Bouncy Curls With a Scarf Headband

Big bouncy curls worn down with a silk scarf folded thin and tied around the head like a headband, the knot tucked under at the nape.

The scarf holds the curls back from the face and adds a print, which is the quickest way to make curly hair look dressed up.

Define the curls first with cream and a diffuser, then fold the scarf into a band and tie it. A little oil on the curls adds shine.

Wolf Cut on Wavy Hair

Heavy choppy layers at the crown over long wispy ends, with a ragged fringe, worn in loose natural waves.

The wolf cut suits wavy Latina hair because the waves give the crown layers lift on their own, and the long ends keep the length that thick hair needs to feel like itself.

Ask for the crown layers short and the ends long, with the fringe point cut. Air-dry with a sea salt spray and shake it out at the roots.

Skip the brush.

Afro-Latina Wash and Go With a Side Part

Tight 3C to 4A coils defined from root to end and worn down with a deep side part, the volume pushed to one side.

The side part puts the volume where it frames the face, and the defined coils show the texture that a brush would flatten. Afro-Latinas with coily hair wear this when the curls are fresh.

Apply leave-in and gel on soaking wet hair in sections and part it deep on one side, then let it air-dry without touching it.

Curly Bob With Bangs

A jaw-length bob full of 3A to 3B curls with a curly fringe at the brow.

The curly bob is the cute cut for women tired of the pyramid shape, since the layers let the curls stack round instead of spreading, and the bangs keep the front close to the face. Have it cut dry, and ask for the bangs left long enough to shrink into place.

Scrunch curl cream through damp hair and diffuse, then pick the roots for height.