For years, Tracee Ellis Ross has served as both a blueprint and beacon of inspiration for the styling of black natural hair. Prior to launching her business baby Pattern Beauty, a haircare brand for “curly, coily, & tight-textured hair”, Tracee’s locs lived on the natural girl’s Pinterest board and Instagram save’s as the standard for not only beautiful but healthy hair. Whether styled into a cool avant-garde look or just her curls loose and free, the various stylings of TER’s coils have become a staple billboard in the black beauty space.
For the brides looking to craft unique hairdo for their big day that beautifully displays their texture, Tracee has a bounty of inspiration for you all to glean from. So here are three things we can learn from Tracee’s flawless execution, when it comes to natural as well as products to help nourish and hydrate your hair as you rock your wedding day ‘do.
1. Start with a defined style.
Decide how you want your hair to look so you can figure out the process to style your hair into the needed state. Tracee’s hair looks are always a hit because her hair is properly prepped. Wether it be curly, blown out, or slicked back, using a styling cream will help you easily morphe and hold your hair in the desired way without excessive damage.
Check out the Pattern Beauty Styling Cream here:
2. Retain moisture.
After styling hair with multiple heat tools and products it can cause the natural shine of your hair to diminish but we don’t want our final look to appear dull. One thing about Tracee’s hair is it always looks hydrated , even after the use of heat and other manipulation. Lightly misting the hair with a shine spray will rejuvenate your hair strands and add life back to your locs.
Check out the Pattern Beauty Shine Spray here:
3. Slick and stay.
This is an completely optional, but for those who love their edges smoothed, adding edge control to the perimeter of your hair is the ultimate final step. It also adds longevity to the style, as the gel product offers hold, helping your style stay in tact.
Check out the Pattern Beauty Edge Control Duo here:
Now that you know how Tracee Ellis keeps her hair game on glow, check out these styles you can try for your wedding day updo.
The Side Part Braided Crown
This look from Tracee is as simple as it is chic; the joining of two braids amidst a deep part gives a sense of regality and elegance, tiful making it an ideal look for the classic bride.
Image by Getty Images.
The Princess Leia Braids
While braids have been systematically characterized as “ghetto” and “untamed”, in recent years, we have reclaimed their beauty by wearing them in the most seemingly “unforsaken” of places and TER is one of the forerunners of this movement, in this example taking one of the chicest hairstyles of the modern age for Black Women and crossing it with the iconic style of the Princess Leia Braids a la Star Wars.
Image by @traceeellisross on Instagram.
The Chic Straight Back’s
Straight back’s have become a routine step in various protective hairstyles for Black Women but let’s take a moment to acknowledge how stylish they are just as they are. Tracee is known to rock some straight back braids and by tucking the dangling pieces into a low, pinned bun in the back, she makes them both stylish and chic.
Image by Getty Images.
The Sculptural High Pony
If you’re a bride looking to make a splash with your wedding day ‘do, this sculptural high pony on Ms. Ross is the perfect inspo for your wedding day hair. Featuring small braids intricately woven together into a high, short pony tail, this look is fashion forward and artistic, making it the ideal hair inspo for brides wanting to turn heads–literally.
Image by @traceeellisross on Instagram.
The Rounded Braid Bun
Echoing back to a hairstyle of old, this rounded braid bun bridges the gap between classic braids as we know them and futuristic styling as we desire it. This simple yet stunning hairdo is a showstopper that is ideal for brides that want a clean, minimal look for the wedding day hair.
Image by @traceeellisross on Instagram.
The Braided High Bun
The most simple of the looks we’ve gathered, this minimalistic braided updo is simply put together by pulling your braids up into a high bun, leaving a braid or two out as shaping tendrils on either side of the face for added sophistication like Tracee did to make a little splash.
Image by @traceeellisross on Instagram.
Written By Writer Kennedi LéShea.
