2 Holiday Hair Ideas That Will Make You Glad You Went Natural

Start by parting the hair from the hairline to the nape. At the front, each part should line up with the arch of the brow, leaving the mohawk portion of the style in the middle.

Instead of parting straight back, you want to make the middle section more narrow as you get to the back of the head. "It should be in the shape of a triangle," Ursula explained. The hairline around the forehead is wider than the area at the neck, so you have to adjust the width of the mohawk to taper at the nape.

Section off the first twist by creating a diagonal part from the temples to the mohawk. Grab the hair at the hairline. Use your right hand to roll the hair up and back. Then, use your left hand to tuck the hair into a flat twist that's tight to the scalp.

Secure the twist with a duck clip, and continue twists for the entire side section. You should end up with about four or five twists on each side. While you can use bobby pins to secure the style, Ursula opted for open hair pins because you can hook them together from twist to twist, creating a chain from front to back.

Clear the twists of frizz by applying pomade around the hairline with a small brush (an old toothbrush also works). Ursula used Motions Shine Enhancing Pomade ($4).

To get more height and shape, tease the hair with an afro pick at the roots. Hold the curls at the ends, and lift from scalp to midshaft so that you avoid disrupting the curl definition.

Divide the hair into two sections — left and right. The part should extend right down the middle of the head from the crown to the nape.

Starting at the nape of the hair, roll and tuck strands in toward the center of the head (very similar to the flat twists in the first mohawk style). Secure the vintage rolls with bobby pins once you get just in front of the ears.

Not everyone has the thick, long curls of Janelle Monáe, but you can add a few sections of kinky clip-in extensions to give your pompadour extra height. Ursula used Curl Sistas Chima Clip-In Extensions ($165-$200).

First, clip a one-inch section of your natural hair out of the way around the hairline. Then, clip the faux curls in along the part in a U pattern. "You want to clip it in a smile shape to get a more tapered effect," Ursula explains.

Part another one-inch horizontal section of your natural hair over the extension. Then, place a second extension on top that is an inch shorter in width.

Once all the hair is added, pull and stretch the remaining section of your natural hair forward over the seams of the extensions, and secure with bobby pins. The closer the bobby pins are to the hairline, the lower your pompadour will be placed.

Divide the hair into two sections — left and right. Then, fold the hair up and over toward the crown. Secure ends with a bobby pin. This creates a pompadour with a dimple in the middle.

Stretch the remaining natural hair around your hairline up and over the pompadour, and secure with a bobby pin. This will tighten up the shape and disguise the added extensions.

Smooth the pompadour at the edges with pomade and a toothbrush.