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Home · News

Black Music Month: Hottest Hairstyles of the '90s

With Nineties hairstyles coming back in style (like Brandy braids and the Toni pixie), the expression "everything old is new again" is more true than ever! In honor of the R&B divas of the '90s and their fierce 'do, let's look back at the top twenty most memorable strand styles of the decade.
By · June 12, 2011October 28, 2020
01
Toni Braxton

Toni’s flawlessly face-framing, super-chic pixie cut inspired scores of imitators in the early Nineties.

02
Aaliyah

Long, straight, and swooped over one eye, Aaliyah’s signature style was equal parts tough and sexy.

03
TLC

By the end of the decade, Left Eye’s ponytail, Chilli’s curls and T Boz’s edgy short style were as famous as TLC’s platinum-selling albums.

04
Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul’s big, soft, chestnut waves were feminine and flirty…the perfect hot-rollered Nineties ’do!

05
Monica

Cute but edgy, Monica’s adorable crop was the perfect ’do for the sassy teen singer.

06
Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu’s tremendous turbans and headwraps helped usher in the bohemian neo-soul hair trends of the mid-Nineties.

07
Mya

Mya’s long, thick, chestnut curls were sexy and versatile. Here, she rocked a straighter style with twisted pieces in the front.

08
SWV

The singers in SWV were forebearers of cool urban hairstyles, from fingerwaves to asymmetric crops.

09
Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige was a platinum blonde since the moment she stepped on the scene, in early 1991. This flippy, shaggy ’do was one of her sexiest look of the decade.

10
Mariah Carey

Mariah’s naturally curly, amber-kissed curls helped put the Long Island chanteuse on the style map.

11
Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill’s plush, voluminous dreadlocks were a style statement from the second she set foot on stage with the Fugees.

12
Tamia

Tamia’s silky-smooth auburn locks were the crowning glory of the singer’s fresh-faced beauty. Grant Hill is a lucky man!

13
Janet Jackson

Jackson rocked braids in the 1993 film “Poetic Justice,” and the look carried over into her real life — and inspired a whole generation of girls.

14
Jade

The singers in the R&B group Jade helped make micro-braids one of the hottest tress trends of the ’90s.

15
Faith Evans

Whether she rocked her soft blonde locks curly or straight, Faith Evans was one of the decade’s hottest style stars.

16
Patra

The Dancehall queen’s mile-long, ropy braids were the height of chic in the mid-Nineties.

17
En Vogue

The trendsetting songstresses of En Vogue always kept their blowouts looking simple, effortless and chic.

18
Deborah Cox

The R&B diva’s flirty, honey-streaked curls were the perfect compliment to her fresh-faced look.

19
Destiny’s Child

These four stunning teens made style news in the late Nineties with their perfectly polished hairdo’s.

20
Brandy

In the mid- to late-Nineties, Brandy was known for her intricately styled, teen queen micro-braids. So cute!

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