How To Achieve A Gorgeous Puff With These Tools And Tips

There are many ways that natural ladies achieve their afro puffs. I have personally tried a lot of things and some were not exactly intended for your hair. Some women use thigh highs, ribbon and bra straps for their puffs, but other women aren’t really sure how to use those items in their hair. After all, those things were not exactly intended to be placed on your head, so it’s not surprising that most don’t know what to do with them.

If you’re newly natural, it can become quite confusing when trying to figure out how you can achieve this popular style that seems to be prevalent in the natural hair community. You see tons of pictures of gorgeous puffs, but how did they get all of that epicness on top of their heads?

While the popular ways of achieving an afro puff still work, I have also found a couple of other products that can help you achieve the look as well. You no longer have to look lost while trying to create this style or go searching for weird items. Here are some new products, and a few old ones that will help you achieve your dream puff.

Perfect Puff Co.

Before I discovered Perfect Puff, I was using a shoe string to tie my puff at times. This sometimes left me with a headache because it would simply become too tight. With this little gem, you can slip your head through the elastic band and slide the fastener to adjust. It’s simple and it doesn’t leave you with a splitting headache. Perfect Puff also allows you to create a puff that’s larger than life or small and petite. Click here to see my review.

Puff Cuff Hair Clamp

This product claims to be the only hair clamp for thick and coily hair. It sort of reminds you of the banana clip, but its shape is round and not long. I always had issues with the banana clip because it couldn’t hold all of my hair and would always pop open. The Puff Cuff was designed specifically for women with thick and curly hair. Their website states that the clamp is designed to work with your hair and not against it. No more snags and torn out hair!

Goody Ouchless Headbands*

The natural hair community has a love hate relationship with these headbands. Some love them and others claim that the headbands* snag their hair. I say, do whatever your hair agrees with. If your hair has no issues, then continue to use them.

If I use these to achieve my puff, I just put my head through the band and wrap it around my head twice. Then I slowly roll the band up my head until I have the size puff that I want. Sometimes, the headbands* pop due to the thickness of my hair, but I always end up with a beautiful puff.

Thigh highs

It sounds strange, but they work. All you need is a thigh high and a few bobby pins* to keep it in place. Simply wrap a thigh high around your head and tie it once in the back while slowly sliding the thigh high up your head. Once you have achieved the size you like, tie it again. Tuck the ends and secure them with two bobby pins*. Here is a great tutorial on how to use thigh highs for a puff.

Shoe string

The concept for using the show string is the same as the thigh high. The thigh high creates a softer hold for your puff and gently glides up your hair. The shoe string is a little sturdier and you can get a tighter hold. The only downside is that if you make it too tight, which sometimes I do, it can give you a headache.

Now that you have the tools to create the puff, you’re going to need styling products to keep your puff in place. Olive Oil Eco Styler Gel is great for slicking back your hair. You can brush all of my hair on top of my head, mix a little shea butter* and Olive Oil* Eco Styler Gel* in your palms, then smooth the product on your hair.

Next, take a hard boar bristle brush and brush the product in your hair for a smooth finish. Tie the puff and smooth down your edges with your favorite edge control product. Finally, place a scarf around your edges for 15 to 30 minutes. When you take off your scarf you will have a beautiful puff. Keep in mind that the key to using these items is patience. You may not get your puff perfect on the first try, but with patience you’ll get there and become a pro!

What products and tools are you using to create your puff?