Textured Tresses: The Ultimate Guide to Maintaining and Styling Natural Hair

by Diane Da Costa

Twist it! Braid it! Loc it! Enjoy the freedom and beauty of naturally textured hair. Textured hair styles like Locs, Braids, Twists, Cornrows, and Knots are all the rage, adorning the heads of celebrities, athletes, and everyday folk now more than ever before. Yet, the actual caring, styling, and maintenance of textured hair still remains a mystery to many. Now, Diane Da Costa, celebrity stylist and master designer of natural hair, unravels the tresses of textured hair, providing readers with information on the proper care of natural hair as well as a step-by-step guide on achieving various exciting styles. Textured Tresses will help

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[Lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty informational, but felt less practical than I expected. The diagrams were also a little confusing. I wanted more day to day care, and less name dropping. I also wanted more re: kids.
But it was still interesting and helpful.

[Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative with basic techniques. However, in 2024, the book only gives some of the knowledge needed. It doesn't go into detail, which is good because this would be a thicker and longer book.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy to follow guide used in assisting in care for natural hair. Da Costa is a star in her own right and she definitely shines in discussing the 411 on natural hair. She takes the time to honor our ancestors by charting the history of locs, twists and braids. The book is written for African-Americans who are considering the transition from relaxed to natural hair as well as debunking many of the myths about natural hair. African-American men and women are given the freedom to love, embrace and accept the uniqueness of their crowning glory - natural hair.

The book provides a step-by-step guide to mastering several styles and different looks of the stars. Da Costa discusses the styles she has developed and how she works with clients to keep their natural tresses healthy and strong. There are pictures as well as directions, which guide you through every aspect: from picking a stylist, washing, drying, cutting and coloring. An entire chapter is devoted to understanding the transition from relaxed to natural is a big commitment that can be spiritual in nature. Da Costa recommends products, salons and styles while in keeping your natural hair professional enough for the workplace without compromising your heritage.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone considering a natural do or for the sister that is ready to be free from the bondage of chemicals. I'm currently going through the transition from relaxed to natural hair, and I found some much needed moisturizing tips to keep my hair healthy. Now I'm more familiar with the terminology needed to openly discuss my hair care with my stylist. The only shortcoming of this book was that the styles presented were limited and many were difficult to discern the exact look from the photo.

[Brandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting much more of a how-to book with styles and tips that could be used on a daily basis.
I've been wearing my hair natural for more than a decade so there were very few tips offered that I wasn't already aware of.

for a newbie, this is a great choice. You'll hopefully learn a lot of dos and don'ts.
For a hair veteran, you might learn some products or oils to try but that's about it.

[Africa Donaldson · Rating 1 out of 5]

very basic, it did not have much on styles and it did not have much on natural products (which I like). it did show me however that I was using products that were too harsh on my kids hair(I had started using adult products on them). I guess in that way it was helpful, but you can get much more information on natural hair from youtube.

[Adrienna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was going to be really good since I am natural, not beneficial for my hair persay.

[Adrienna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay...