Back in The Day
As fashion trends take off and hairstyles change every day, we get a firsthand look at how the world of beauty is transforming and ever-changing. But we cannot move on with the trends of today without paying homage to the sitcoms that paved the way in creating some of the hottest hairstyles back then. Black 90's sitcoms not only taught us valuable lessons on life, but they also gave us perfect styles to look up to and imitate. These 90's Characters had an impact on the things we say down to our personalities. I know you are probably excited as much as I am. So, sit back, relax, as we take you down memory lane with this fabulous black sitcom hairstyle that you can still rock today!
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air holds a special place in my heart and is easily one of my favorite black sitcoms of the '90s. This television show gave a spotlight on how African Americans can have and maintain a luxurious and stylish lifestyle. The star ladies in the show made fans jaw drop by how truly elegant and classy their personalities and hairstyles coexisted. The family all together were socially and culturally aware; very proud of their black heritage, and held a very high economic status. Let's Dive in on how the leading ladies of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air blow us away with their fancy hairdos.
Hillary
Let's get the ball rolling with Hillary, being the big sister of the group she tried her best to set a good example for her younger siblings. She typically wears her hair in kinky natural curls with a top hat to set the look off. You can try this hairstyle with a weave or your natural hair. If you're trying this on your curly mane, try using a leave-in conditioner to
enhance the curl pattern like Hillary's. Once the product is on your locks, begin to part with small sections and perform a twist out. Usually, this method will work for any hair type no matter the texture. So, for all my naturalists who have been rocking these iconic Hillary twists since the show first came to be, we salute you. Trying this look with weave or extensions is just as easy. Private Label Extensions offers
Brazilian Afro kinky hair, which is perfect for the curly Hillary look. You can install the weave as a partial or full sew in and leave it in its natural state. Using hair extensions will make the hairstyle last longer, and the curls will remain tight and are less likely fall throughout the day.
Ashley
Next, we have Ashley who was the youngest sister of the family, and boy did she have a fantastic sense of fashion. Not only was her style beautiful, but her character in the show related much to growing adolescents these days. Ashley was a stunning, smart, and sometimes rebellious teen who was always evolving and trying to figure out her true identity in the world. Although we loved her as a person, we also enjoyed her hairstyles. She was also a naturalist much like her sister and wears her hair in big barrel curls with beautiful bangs. Her love for r&b and hip-hop music has a significant influence on the way she styles herself. Throughout the seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Ashley will switch between her curls to a sometimes more straight look. Either way, the long body wave style is ubiquitous among plenty of black women today. This look can be worn in a night out setting or even for a casual stroll in the park. Big Ups to Ashley for rocking this fun, flirtatious, and young hairdo. One up and coming singer that is known for rocking their hair like Ashley is the one and only
SZA. We applaud SZA for strutting in her large natural curls and giving us much life. I'm telling you this style is timeless and will forever be around and now we know who to thank for it all.
Aunt Viv
Aunt Viv was the full definition of black excellence, and it shows through the hairstyles she wears. She was a very educated woman who seems to be a retired doctor who earned a Ph.D. at UCLA. Since Vivian was such a feisty and very well opinionated women, this personality trait shines through in the way aunt Viv wears her clothes and hair. The most common hairdo she would rock is her locks in a short, slick edged cut, with lots of volumes added to the top of her head. Plenty of celebrities wear the hair in this same style soon after its appearance on Fresh Prince. Wearing your tresses short shows the ultimate form of confidence and gives an incredibly sexy look. Do this hairstyle with the right setting foam and heated curling iron.
Lisa
While we're on the subject of short hair, we have to include one of the shows sexiest ladies, Lisa, played by Nia Long. Lisa was known for her
razor-sharp pixie cuts. She was a massive inspiration around the world for black women. Any chopped style you can think of Nia Long can pull off, from pixie cuts with bangs, finger waves, or side swept hair, she made short hairstyles one of the sexiest trends in the '90s.
Sister, Sister
Sister, Sister is one of 90's sitcom we all grew to love. The idea of watching two very different identical twins being raised under one roof by two also very different adoptive parents was undoubtedly a genius idea. Watching two teen girls make their way through high school and college with the help of some fantastic people was quite entertaining.
Tia and Tamera
Tia and Tamera's style was 90's chic to the tee! These two beautiful ladies have a lot of inspiration on the way I dress and style myself to this day. Both of these beauties in the show wear their hair similar to that of Hilary from The Fresh Prince. Extremely curly hair and with decorative top hats was their go-to style for the first several seasons. This hairdo was their natural curl pattern. As the show started to progress and the girls started getting older they would wear their hair straight but in funky updos, or
using popping accessories to add a little fun to their look. Now that both of these sisters are all grown up, married, have kids, and settling into their careers as tv entertainers, they still both manage to slay their hairstyles in somewhat the same way they did on the show. They both tend to wear weave and extensions now due to their hectic life schedules, but they say their natural curls will always be a part of them and will rock that style now and then.
Lisa Landry
Lisa Landry was the adoptive mother of Tia on the show; her personality was wild and spunky much like Tamera. She wears her hair in
feathered bangs and tousled waves, although this look was bold it was the most common hair trend in black 90's sitcom shows. Hairstyles in this era similar to what she wears in the show would be the bumped bang look that you see younger adults sporting. Lisa Landry hands-down held an extraordinary place in viewers hearts. Years have gone by, but we still think of Lisa as one of the most fashionable and awesome tv moms of the '90s.
Moesha
Moesha I feel was a very undercover fantastic show, and it got overlooked due to a lot of other hit sitcoms during its era.
"Mo" aka Moesha
It's primary character Brandy, is someone we all know very well for her acting and singing skills. It's clear to say that Brandy was one of the first leading ladies in a show to promote and represent for the ladies who love protective hairstyles. Brandy was iconically known for wearing box braids in different lengths, sizes, and colors. Now that Moesha has been off of the air for twenty plus years we may have forgotten all about the show, but people are still rocking this hair trend until the end of time. Bob braids, Senegalese twists are a go-to summer and
protective hairstyle that is proven to strengthen and help your hair to grow. You can also wear this style in a myriad of ways from high ponytails, top knot buns, and half up half down looks. Let's give significant props to Brandy for making box braids look even more amazing then as they do now.
Family Matters
Family Matters was another hit 90's sitcom that made us all fall in love. This show had the classic theme of a big family living under one roof and all trying to figure out this crazy thing called life. The styles were terrific due to the fact the show aired at the peak of the '90s. Although the shows primary focus was the unrequited love Steve Urkel had for Laura, and we can't blame him because her hair and overall fashion sense were flawless.
Laura Winslow
Laura Winslow wears her hair on the show in so many different ways, from bumped up volume to short wavy hair, Laura gave us so much inspiration in the '90s. I think one of the most iconic hair trends Laura wears was the half up ponytail, with the rest of her tresses falling to her back. This hairstyle has carried on throughout the years and is something I continue to slay to this very day. Laura's hair matches her character very well. Now if you want to achieve the lovely Laura Winslow hairstyles, you won't have to go out of your way to do so. Achieve the half up half down with several hair extensions by strategically placing them for added length. For a more bumped look, she wears in the earlier years of the show use hairspray and
tease the front and outer parts of your hair to create more volume. Lastly, her short hairdo is the simplest to recreate. Finger waves are how she wears her cropped do, and if you add the right amount of hair foam and clips, you can achieve these waves on your short hairdo very soon.
Myra Monkhouse
Myra Monkhouse is a beautiful soul. Her life was taken much to soon, but we cannot forget the remarkable hairstyle and trends she serves on the show Family Matters. She tends to bump the front of her hair up and leave the remaining tresses out. If she didn't have her hair in this style, you could guarantee that it was feathered out in smooth and effortless curls.
Living Single
Living Single is the perfect show to finish off this list. This black sitcom focused on the story of six adults in their mid-twenties living it up in New York. The characters try their best to balance their careers, love life, and friendships and might I add they looked flawless while doing it all. Now that you know why we fell in love wholeheartedly with the show, it's time to walk you through these awesome hairstyles every leading lady wears.
Khadijah
Queen Latifah plays Kdijah, and she's the star of the sitcom. Curly styles were her signature look. Black women in the 90s love to wear their hair in
textured waterfall waves. You can easily recreate this hairstyle by using a curling iron. But now due to the recent years and invention of curling wands, it will only take a matter of seconds to complete this style. Before Queen Latifah would soon star in major blockbuster movies her hair color would be a light brown shade, this was a typical hair color to rock in the '90s along with blonde. So when you get the chance this week, you should pay homage to the beautiful Khadijah by curling up and
adding some volume to your hair.
Sinclair
Next up we have Sinclair. She was the perfect example of effortless beauty. She rocked her hair in twisted up do's and have her braids incomplete with a little hint of curls added to them. This style today is like that of crochet braids. All you'll need is three to four packs of
synthetic hair and a crochet needle to pull off this smoking look! If you have individuals in your hair that are getting a little old, try placing rollers in them and let it sit overnight. When you wake up to remove the curlers, and you will have recreated the famous Sinclair hairdo.
Regine
Regine was the bougie friend in the group, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Her character served us with looks after looks every chance she got. She rocked
major wig switch-ups. Back then people thought to own wigs were distasteful and looked too unreal. Regine is proving everyone in the past wrong; she is showing that wigs give you not only versatility but the confidence to try any hairstyle that comes your way. Regine was in love with the bold short wigs that shaped her face well and gave her a charming, vivacious feel. If you're itching to give this style a try, you should look at some of Private Label Extensions
shorter length hair to
create a short wig yourself.
Maxine
Last up we have the educated and ever so witty Maxine, she is the perky lawyer that everyone can't help but love, and her style was unique. Maxine wears her hair in black, shoulder length individuals. What made this style famous is that after the individual braids are complete, they would burn the tips, and this was a significant 90's trend. In earlier episodes of the sitcom, Maxine would
sport Bantu knots and shells in her hair to show true African American roots. Singer-songwriter Lauren Hill wears her hair in the same style which fans have also grown to love. We need to give a lot of thanks to Maxine for inspiring and setting hair trends that many of us wear today.
Which Black 90's Sitcom Gives you Hair Inspiration?
Fashion and hair today derive from the styles of that from the '90s. These classic styles will always be a part of today's growing trends because they capture the true essence of beauty back then. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what future
hairstyles and outfits they bring back that were popular around the 90's era. Let us know what some of the styles you love from your favorite 90's sitcoms in the comments down below are!
