Willow Smith’s Beaded Cornrows Made Me Call a Braider on the Spot — See Photos

Willow Smith and a bald head go together like peanut butter and jelly. I don’t make the rules y’all, but it’s true. Since she was young, the singer has had at least one shaved side of her head. Remember when she stepped onto the music scene in 2010, with box braids and an undercut in the video for “Whip My Hair?” She’s been shaving her head for various reasons ever since, but like any experimental member of Gen Z, she’s no one-trick-hairstyle pony. In her latest selfie, Smith’s rocking beaded cornrows, the longest hair we’ve seen on her in a while.

Smith posted the selfie for her more than 10 million Instagram fans to view and enjoy. Her cornrows look so freshly done we wouldn’t be surprised if she hopped out of the stylist’s chair not too long before snapping the picture. Los Angeles-based hairstylist Erinn Courtney is the skilled braider behind this look. 

There are so many different styles and ways to wear cornrows and Smith chose classic straight backs that just graze her collarbone. At the end of each small braid, Courtney added six beads in white, bronze, rose gold, clear, or tan. We’re loving the color coordination between Smith’s brown T-shirt, black-and-red beaded necklace, and multicolor beads. 

Of course, there’s no knowing how long Smith will keep this style, but for many Black women, we sometimes have our next hairstyle in mind before we leave the stylist’s chair. And given Smith’s penchant for experimentation, we know her next look will be epic whether she’s back to bald or rocking 30 inches of hair. 

This story originally appeared in Glamour.

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