Do you Badu? We do...

Anyone who knows us knows that we looove Erykah Badu. She's been a complete inspiration to both the Neo-Soul and Hip-Hop genres, and we've always admired her bold music and style choices. I was perusing Clutch Mag, and came across this article on the greatness that is Ms. Badu. Not only is she clearly back in a big way with her latest album, New Amerykah (my favorite song is "Telephone"), she's back with her signature look that I have long since been in love with.

What an amazing 'fro, no? She's definitely on my "holy grail" list of amazing natural women. This look is particularly inspiring for me because it represents my look for this summer. I know it's kind of weird to have your summer look planned out ahead of time, lol, but I spend so much time dreaming about skin bronzer, jersey dresses, and pink toe nail polish during the winter that I can't help but have a complete style game plan when the weather breaks.

So, when I look at this picture, I'm most enamored with her big, fluffy, coiled hair, bronzy makeup, and wooden jewelry. The whole look screams the "I dream of Africa" trend that's been sweeping spring fashion magazines for a while now. To achieve Erykah's hair look with your own locks:

1. Start out with wet natural hair and apply your favorite styling products. Make sure to choose something that will promote softness and sheen- nothing that will make the hair stiff.
   
2. Continue to section the hair in large, fat plaits, being careful to leave 1-2 inches of the sections unbraided.
   
3. Once you've plaited your whole head, spray a little of a water based product (liquid leave-in conditioner, perhaps) to the loose ends of each braid and coil them tightly around your finger.
   
4. Now that your whole head is plaited and coiled, allow the braids to air-dry overnight or under a hooded dryer/diffuser.
5. Once hair is dry, carefully unbraid each section but DO NOT separate the curls/waves just yet.
6. Once entire hair is dry and unbraided, take a pick a lightly pick the roots of each section, making sure to position and finger style your 'fro as you want it.
7. Now you can go back through your new do and separate your curly as you like, making sure that the end coils stay intact as shown in the above picture.

To complete the look, (if in DC) you can head downtown at the corner of 13th and F Sts NW and haggle with the Nigerian street vendors for some inexpensive African-style jewelry while making sure to head past Georgetown Sephora to pick up some bronzy makeup. Throw on a pair of boho sandals, and you'll definitely be channeling your inner "Badu".