Youāre right, even trying to google black trans masc hairstyles mostly just gets you white people with white people hair. Yeah sorry thatās literally not possible with my hair texture.
Iāve sort of had toā¦ make things up as I go along. Like you, I was told repeatedly that my hair texture does not look good when cut short. It took me a veryĀ long time to want to try a shorter style as a result. It took me even longer to say fuck it, big chop, and shave my head bald. There. Starting fresh.
What Iāve found has been working for me is to first figure out what hair texture you have. I find just googlingĀ āblack male hairstyleā will get you mostly 4c hair which is great for those who have it and the facial structure to match! And less great for those who donāt! With me having 3b/3c hair, I was able to find a number of short styles on a wide variety of faces and thus was able to figure out what worked best for how I like to look. And it did take some experimentation and trust, but it ultimately made me really appreciate taking the time to actually do my hairĀ rather than feeling like it was this massive chore.
Once you find your hair texture, you need to do two things:
Figure out what hairstyles you like best with your hair texture. Avoid gendered terms if you can. If you want a short style, look for short styles. If you want a long style, look for long styles. BLACK MEN CAN AND DO WEAR THEIR HAIR LONGĀ frequently as an afro, braids, or locs. Itās up to you to then decide if that long look is something youāre interested in, and how to masculinize it if so. Personally, I prefer the ever popular shaved sides look, and eventually will be getting braids or locs with the length on the top depending if my 3b/3c hair will actually cooperateĀ with locs. I did the fro look for a while and Iāve had cornrows but for the most part I put some product in it and wear my natural curls that way. Protective styling is a big big thing with black men even though itās mostly only spoken about in the context of female styles. I had a really long conversation with a black coworker about protective styles and how he chooses to do his hair, which is actually longer than mine.
And, figure out the best care for your hair texture. For me, I have a rotating schedule of oil to rub into my scalp and shea butter pomade to style with when wearing my hair natural. All those selfies of mine, if my hair is free, itās got one of the two in it. I got a lot better about protecting my hair at night, using a leave-in overnight and the day after wash day. Being consistent on the timing of wash day. I use black owned shampoo and conditioner in my hair made specifically for black men. I use a durag and a sport cap to protect my hair on days when its most prone to damage. My hair has never been healthier and Iāve never been happier with the way I can wear and style it.
It was a huge transition for me because I used to have waist-length hair and then shaved my head bald about a year and a half ago to start over and build a better routine than semi resentment from the ground up.Ā
With your 4c hair I would say to take a glance at these:
https://www.google.com/search?q=4c+short+hairstyles&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiN74vNxP_xAhVND98KHe_NBZoQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=4c+short+hairstyles&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECAAQQzICCAAyAggAMgIIADIGCAAQBRAeMgYIABAFEB4yBggAEAUQHjIGCAAQBRAeMgYIABAFEB4yBggAEAUQHlCvugNYr7oDYIO8A2gAcAB4AIABVogBVpIBATGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=UAn-YI2HKM2e_Abvm5fQCQ&bih=811&biw=1368&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS881US881
https://www.google.com/search?q=4c+short+hairstyles+masculine&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjf34_pxP_xAhWkfN8KHRBQBgUQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=4c+short+hairstyles+masculine&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoCCAA6BAgAEB46BggAEAUQHjoGCAAQCBAeUNKKBFi6owRgsaQEaABwAHgAgAF-iAGuBpIBAzkuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=iwn-YJ_uGqT5_QaQoJko&bih=811&biw=1368&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS881US881
https://www.google.com/search?q=4c+short+hairstyles+male&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwje2rGLxf_xAhXCBd8KHdpUAZcQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=4c+short+hairstyles+male&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIGCAAQCBAeOgQIIxAnUMWlA1jYtgNgi7gDaAJwAHgAgAFZiAGVBpIBAjExmAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=0wn-YJ6lEsKL_AbaqYW4CQ&bih=811&biw=1368&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS881US881
As there are a number of different styles besides just shaving your head completely bald, and depending on your comfort level, you can try out a good deal of them before making a firm decision on what exactly you want your head to look like.
You can also do like me and just walk into a barber shop and tell them that you have to play a male character for a production and you have no idea what to do with your hair and see if theyāll help you, but I recommend only doing that if youāre willing to get aĀ āwe donāt cut girl hairā while youāre trying it. I did that the first time I cut my hair short and to his credit he did cut my hair fairly short and style it well, but it was still far too feminine for me, so I explored a lot of options after that.
yousharknotpass
jacobvanloon
tangentwithtanner
