How To Get Your Fine Or Thick Hair Into An Afro Puff

So easy, even two girls who suck at hair can do it!

Michael Hinson / BuzzFeed

Hey guys! Essence here, beauty editor at BuzzFeed, and I recently did this live Afro puff tutorial with my girl Tracy, host of BuzzFeed's Another Round podcast.

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We have different textures and curl patterns, so our steps are a little bit different. The tutorials are divided below so that you can get the deets for whichever one best suits your hair type.

Tracy's hair is fine and her curls are super-defined spirals. My hair is very thick, and my curls are tighter ringlets.

Michael Hinson / BuzzFeed

What you'll need:

1. Spray bottle, $2.99, with water

2. Eco Styler Gel, $5.69

3. Brush, $5.48

4. Extra long hair elastic, $5.89

*Make sure that the hair elastic does not have traction grips. This will make it harder to slide the elastic and can possibly cause hair breakage.
*Cut the hair elastic so that it's one long band.

STEP 1: Tracy starts by spraying water around the perimeter of her hair, misting the front, sides, and back.

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

STEP 2: Then she liberally applies the Eco Styler Gel to her edges and works it through the base of her hair (the part that will be slicked down, leading to the puff).

Jade Elliot / BuzzFeed

"I have a lot of hair," Tracey says. "But each individual strand is fine so it doesn't take much for it to lay down."

STEP 3: Once the gel is worked in, Tracy brushes the base of her hair up towards the crown where she wants her Afro puff positioned.

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

STEP 4: For the last step, she takes her elastic band and stretches it across the front of her head, pulling it to the back and crossing both ends.

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

Then she pulls both ends, creating kind of a drawstring effect, and her puff magically gets into formation. To secure it, Tracy just wraps the hair band around and ties it.

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

The more you pull the strings, the more your puff "shrinks." The less you pull the strings, the more full your puff appears. It's also important that you don't pull too tight. A too-tight puff can cause breakage and give you a major headache.

AND THAT'S HOW YOU GET TRACY'S AFRO PUFF, GUYS!

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

For extra laid edges, go back over the finer hairs with a dab of gel and your brush.

Michael Hinson / BuzzFeed

What you'll need:

1. Spray bottle, $2.99, with water

2. Edge Control, $5.37

3. Brush, $5.48

4. Long head tie, $7.95

*The head tie should be made of soft fabric with a slip factor, like satin. Fabrics that are rough, like cotton, can be drying and too abrasive on the hair.

STEP 1: I start by lightly spraying my whole Afro. I don't want it soaked, but damp so that my hair is easy to move and stretch.

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

Once all of my hair is lightly misted, I gently work the water through with my hands.

STEP 2: To lay my edges, I get about a dime-sized amount of edge control on my pointer finger, and then I dab it all around my hairline—front, sides, and back.

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

It's important to note that I don't put any edge control on the base of my hair; only on the hairline.

STEP 3: I brush in the edge control, only brushing the edges. At the same time, I'm slicking my hair back with my other hand, slightly molding it for my Afro puff.

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

With curly hair, you don't want to brush or comb too much, especially when the hair isn't soaking wet with water and conditioner. Too much brushing can cause snapping and breakage.

STEP 4: And lastly, to position my Afro puff higher and more towards the front of my head, I take my satin head tie from the back and cross it in the front.

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

For a puff positioned further back, do the opposite and start you hair tie in the front, pushing it back and then crossing it.

Then I pull each end of the tie to form the puff, and I push it up from the back so that the puff sits higher. To secure it, I just wrap the tie around a few more times and tuck it.

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

AND HERE'S HOW TO GET MY PUFF! (Forgot to pose for an after pic so here are two screenshots of me talking to Tracy.)

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

I wasn't angry. I promise.

NOW GO MAKE SOME BLACK GIRL HAIR MAGIC, AND THEN DANCE!

Jade Elliott / BuzzFeed

Check out the full video here to get more tips and tricks, and scroll below to the comments to ask any questions!