The Classic ‘90s French Roll Hairstyle Is Making a Comeback on TikTok

Getty Images ; Mara S. Campo

The year is 1995. “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan is playing on the radio, and Waiting to Exhale just hit theatres. Flocks of Black women head to the movies to laugh, cry, and scream along with Angela Bassett and Whitney Houston. In the months to follow, the same Black women flock to hair salons to get Houston’s signature updo worn in the movie: the French roll. Fast forward 29 years later and daughters of those same women are now reviving their moms' and aunties’ beloved hairstyle on TikTok.

The updo involves wrapping your hair in a twisted cone shape vertically along the back of the head, gathering the remaining hair at the crown of the head in a rose-shaped bun and cascading curls. The result: an elegant (demure, if you will) look that will turn heads.

While the style seems to be having a moment on TikTok right now, Atlanta-based hairstylist Dontay Savoy says he’s “noticed the French roll slowly returning in the last few years.” Stars including Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and Keke Palmer, have been spotted in French roll updos in the past year. R&B singer and songwriter Victoria Monet wore the style to the 2023 Grammy Awards, subtly putting it back on people’s radars.

At first glance, this seems like the type of style you have to go into the salon for, but after New York City-based journalist Mara S. Campo posted her DIY rendition of the French roll on Instagram (the video garnered 145k likes and 2.6k comments), many were inspired to try the style themselves. “All right, ladies…I guess this is our sign to bring it back,” one user commented.

While this style can be done on any texture (Houston's iconic version piled loose curls on top of her head) most of the French rolls getting attention today are super-sleek, meaning you'll need to start with straight hair to get the exact look. If your texture is naturally kinky or curly, Savoy recommends going through your normal wash day before straightening your hair. As a self-proclaimed “old-school hairstylist” Dontay prefers a pressing comb but you can achieve a smooth silk press with a blow dryer and flat iron too. Once your hair is bone-straight, section off part of the hair in the front. This will serve as your bangs or face-framing tendrils, so leave as much or as little out as you’d like based on how much hair you want to frame your face.

There are a few ways to twist your hair into a French roll. Savoy’s traditional method involves using a curling iron to roll the hair and a hair “filler” (some used a sock back in the day or a small styrofoam roll) to secure the pieces—it’s the type of technique you’d need an expert to handle.

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Campo’s version is more DIY friendly, though it’ll likely still take some practice. Campo begins by pulling her hair into a low bun and leaving a vertical section of about two inches of hair out on the same side as her face-framing section (this will be the flat side of your French roll). Campo attaches a drawstring ponytail extension to the bun, securing it upside down with a bobby pin so that the hair goes up towards the forehead instead of down like a normal ponytail. This loose-wave ponytail from LuvMe Hair is a great option—the strands are made of silky human hair which makes for a seamless blend with natural silk-pressed hair.

If you have long hair, you can skip the bun, and just pull your hair back into a ponytail and bobby pin it up so it’s upside down on your head. If you go this route, curling the pieces in your ponytail before securing it can help create that rose-shaped bun that sits atop the French roll later on.

Once you have your drawstring or natural ponytail secured, “take that hair you left out on the side, comb it across the drawstring ponytail, and pin it underneath the upside-down ponytail,” says Campo. “Make sure to use big bobby pins.” Once you have your roll in place take the pieces sticking out at the top and twist them into a bun, using more bobby pins to keep them in place. Lastly, from the section you parted in the front from the same side, take out about an inch of hair and comb it back (again, in the same direction as your roll) securing it with bobby pins. If you haven’t figured already you’ll need a lot of bobby pins for this look.

Remember the rest of that piece you left out in the front? “That remaining top section of hair can be styled in many different ways including a swoop side bang, a pompadour, or Shirley Temple curls,” says Savoy. “Think, ‘party in the front, business in the back!”

To keep all your hard work in place, you’ll want to spray your artful updo with holding spray. Campo used the Fantasia Spritz Mega Hold Spray; we love the Living Proof No Frizz Smooth Styling Spray which keeps fly-aways in place and adds an immovable, but moisturizing top coat to your hair.

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As the final step, you’ll want to top it all with a sheen spray to add a bit of shine. “I love Luster's Pink Oil spray,” says Campo. “You can't have a French roll without this ‘90s Black hair staple.”

Savoy says this French roll hairstyle can last up to two weeks with no restyling required—but be sure to sleep with a hair scarf on at night. Speaking of sleep, you may have to sacrifice your favorite sleeping position while you have this style in. The vertical structure of the roll makes it hard to sleep on your back comfortably so the alternative is “sleeping on your sides or with your hands under your chin,” says Savoy. “We call it, ‘Sleeping Pretty.’”

Discover more hairstyle inspo:

• The Pony Cuff Is Coming for Your Scrunchie

• 8 Natural Bridal Hairstyles That Will Elevate Your Wedding Day Look

• 17 Short Natural Hairstyles That Are Anything But Boring

Now, watch Jordan Chiles' beauty routine:

Originally Appeared on Allure