The High Puff Hairstyles on Insecure Are Still Providing Endless Inspiration

• The series finale for HBO’s Insecure aired on Dec. 26.
• Throughout all five seasons of the show, Issa Rae’s character Issa Dee wore her natural hair with pride.
• In an age where we are still fighting for positive representation, it provided inspiration and space for Black women to feel beautiful.

The series finale of HBO’s Emmy-winning series Insecure hit many of us in our feelings last night. Issa Rae’s depiction of young Black Millennials could simultaneously unite and rip apart the Black Twitter community with hot-takes regarding relationships, careers, and friendship being debated for days after every episode. “Insecure Sundays” became a staple over the last five years and though we can only speak for ourselves, we must say, we can already feel the void that the finale left.

Throughout all five seasons of the critically-acclaimed series, there was one particular aspect that stood out. In every stage of Issa’s life, the unsure, the downtrodden, and the successful, she wore her natural hair with pride and in styles that provided endless inspiration for Black people in the natural hair community. Rae used Insecure to provide space for dark-skinned Black women and girls to be seen as beautiful and worthy of love in all aspects of their lives, and Issa Dee executed the assignment with a commitment to Blackness in its natural glory that is unparalleled in today’s media landscape. Black women were the center of this universe and in an age where we are still fighting for positive representation for Black women, the main character of a culture-shifting show like Insecure making the intentional choice to wear their natural hair is representation in rare form.

Of all the hairstyles in the show, one of our personal favourites was always a high puff. The style remains one of the most versatile looks for natural hair, and Rae’s lead stylist Felicia Leatherwood remained ahead of the curve with her creativity in executing the styles. “I do not plan these styles,” Leatherwood said in Insecure: The End, the behind-the-scenes documentary about the show. “They literally are a creation between Issa and I in the morning.” With searches for “high puff hairstyles” increasing over 165 percent and the style expected to trend in 2022, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite high puffs from the series that can be recreated either at a salon or at home.

HBO / Merie W Wallace

Issa Rae's Sleek High Puff on Insecure

Rae’s puff was super sleek in this scene with a bun sitting at the top of her head. It’s an extremely chic look that can last for a few days.

HBO / Merie W Wallace

Issa Rae's High Puff With Twists on Insecure

Twists on one side of her head accentuate Rae’s high puff for a super simple, yet extremely elegant style.

HBO / Merie Weismiller Wallace - SMPSP

Issa Rae's '40s-Inspired High Puff on Insecure

Natural hair can also be used to create bangs, as seen here. Rae’s bangs were created by tucking the hair at the top of the head instead of straightening it – a nod to the popular 1940s version of the style.

 

HBO

Issa Rae's Vertical High Puff on Insecure

Instead of the quintessential horizontal puffs, this high puff style features a bun both at the top and bottom of Rae’s head and a braid by each ear. An adorable style that is extremely easy to upkeep.

HBO

Issa Rae's High Puff With Accessories on Insecure

This high puff is accentuated with another single twist but this time, another accessory is added: a jade hair clip to tie the entire retro look together.

HBO / Raymond Liu

Issa Rae's High Puff Bun With Curly Bangs on Insecure

This bun is a bit more intricate with the addition of braids at the base of the puff as well as a twist-out bang for a sleek finish.

HBO

Issa Rae's Curly High Puff With Braids on Insecure

Rae’s iteration of the high puff here featured a curly bun, hair pinned to retain the texture of the curl, sleek edges, and a braid around the entirety of her head.

HBO / Merie Weismiller Wallace

Issa Rae's High Puff Bun and Braided Ponytail on Insecure

Both Issa Rae and Natasha Rothwell’s characters can be seen with their own respective high puffs. Rothewell’s character wore a high bun as well as the ’40s-inspired tucked bangs and Rae’s high puff was punctuated by cornrows.

HBO / Raymond Liu

Issa Rae's Voluminous High Puff Ponytail on Insecure

Rae’s high puff ponytail is simple yet striking in the final portion of the show. She kept it simple with a sleek front but added a wow-factor with a voluminous ponytail and a new brownish-red tint to match her natural hair color.