We live in a day and age where our differences are celebrated. Prior to the natural hair movement of the 2010s, however, the idea of wearing your hair in it's naturally kinky, curly, or coily state was far from the norm. With straight hair being the universal standard, for many of us it took a bit of self-confidence and a lot of trial and error in order to fall in love with our natural hair.
When you transition from chemically relaxed hair to naturally curly or coily hair, you have to learn how to care for your hair all over again. Since no two natural hair types are the same, everybody’s journey to discovering what works best for their hair is unique. We caught up with four style and beauty influencers to learn about how they came to love their natural curly hair and the natural hairstyles they rely on.
Good hair day by @curlsandcouture.
Courtney Danielle
Courtney Danielle is a style and beauty influencer from New York City whose natural hair journey led to the inception of Curls and Couture. Through her platform, she inspires young girls and women to embrace, love, and learn their ringlets.
Hair.com: How long have you been wearing your hair in its natural texture?
Courtney: I started transitioning to natural in 2012. I wore a lot of protective styles over the course of 13 months such as wigs, weaves, and braids. I also got my hair pressed for a few months, trimming often until I eventually took the leap and decided to cut off the remaining relaxer.
Good hair day by @curlsandcouture.
HDC: Have you always loved your natural hair? Or has it been a process?
Courtney: Absolutely not! Learning to love my hair was definitely a process. When I first cut off the relaxed ends I thought my hair was going to be more curly and full but it wasn’t at all. I needed to give it lots of TLC and learn my hair before I was able to see it at its full potential. What helped were the positive affirmations of family and friends around me who told me how beautiful my curls were.
HDC: What is your go-to natural hairstyle?
Courtney: For sure a three-strand twist, I get the definition, fullness, and stretch!
Good hair day by @curlsandcouture.
HDC: What do you love most about your natural hair?
Courtney: The versatility. I love that my hair can be curly in its natural state, manipulated with rods and rollers, pin straight, wand curled, or whatever I want. I’m no longer afraid of the rain because I know that no matter what texture my hair is in, it’s beautiful. It’s a lot of work—but it’s worth it!
Good hair day by @typicalblaqueen.
LaVondra Shinholster
Lavondra Shinholster is a Washington, DC-based style and beauty influencer and creator of @typicalblaqueen. She creates Youtube and blog content that's easily relatable to the everyday woman and mom.
Hair.com: What influenced your natural hair journey? What was transitioning to natural hair like for you?
LaVondra: My natural hair journey started by force when I started having allergic reactions to the relaxer being put in my hair. At first, it was hard for me to accept my femininity without my thick long hair because I hadn't yet embraced myself as a dark skinned woman with short hair and no makeup skills. However, after three attempts, I finally began to see the beauty in myself—hair included.
Good hair day by @typicalblaqueen.
HDC: Have you always loved your 4C hair texture? If not, what inspired you to finally embrace it?
LaVondra: I wore my hair straight since childhood, so I had no clue what my natural texture would be like. I feared that if my hair wasn’t loose curls then it would be unmanageable and I believed the lie that I didn’t “have good hair”. Ultimately, I didn't get those loose curls, so I kept my hair braided and wore wigs until my research on Youtube led me to other women like Chizi Duru & Nae2Curly with Type 4 hair similar to mine. They achieved such beautiful styles and I wanted that confidence too—so I just started doing my own hair. After that, I was all in!
HDC: What is your go-to natural hairstyle?
My go-to natural style is a twist out. I love doing this style because it lasts so long. I two-strand or three-strand twist my hair and it lasts for about two weeks. Once I get tired of it, I take it down and my hair is still super defined and gorgeous. It's the perfect style for low manipulation and lazy naturals like myself.
Good hair day by @typicalblaqueen.
HDC: When do you love your hair the most?
LaVondra: I love my hair the absolute most right after I shampoo and condition it. My hair is clean and free of product. It's in its purest state. Every coil and zig-zag creates a volume and luster that I appreciate. It's funny how the hair texture I feared at the beginning of my journey ended up being the texture I love the most! My hair is beautiful, defies gravity, and commands attention wherever I go. My hair is my superpower.
Brianna Bailey
Brianna Bailey is a stylist and content creator based in the south. She loves to style, cook, sing, and share new fashion and beauty finds with her community on social media.
Hair.com: What prompted you to stop relaxing your hair?
Brianna: I joined the natural hair wave back in 2010 along with thousands of other black women at the time after seeing a popular documentary. I realized that relaxers were doing more harm to my hair than good, and I was also curious of what my curl pattern was like since my hair had been chemically straightened since childhood.
HDC: How did "the big chop" affect your relationship with your hair?
Brianna: I was initially embarrassed by how short my hair was. I was 19, it was 2010, and it was the peak era of wearing long Brazillian bundles. It took time to embrace, but one day, I grew tired of the half wigs, the painful grips from the sew ins, and the loads of cash I spent on extensions, and realized it’s just hair. It took months, nearly a year, but I finally fell in love with my teeny weeny afro!
HDC: Have you always loved your natural texture? Or has it been a process?
Brianna: I’ve always loved my natural texture. I was raised to know that all textures are “good hair”, and I didn’t get lost in social media comparison. Overall, I instantly loved my curl pattern, —but the new short length took time to embrace!
HDC: What is your go-to natural hairstyle?
Brianna: I am a twist-out aficionado! I have tried it all—bantu knots, braid-outs, french braids, etc., but the twist-out is undefeated.
HDC: When do you love your hair the most?
Brianna: I love my hair the most on Sundays because Sunday is notoriously dubbed as self-care Sunday in my house. That is the day it gets all the love, attention, and hydration it deserves! I love when my scalp has been oiled and my coils are in deep conditioning mode.
Good hair day by @_taylormade.
Taylor Jeffers
Taylor Jeffers is a brand marketing strategist with a love for hair, traveling, and fashion. She works in brand marketing while helping entrepreneurs rebrand their websites through her agency, Taylormade it. Before pivoting into entrepreneurship, Taylor blogged about natural hair and affordable fashion.
Hair.com: What inspired you to start wearing your hair in its natural texture? If you big chopped, what was that experience like?
Taylor: I transitioned to my natural hair when I noticed how reliant on relaxers I had become. It was during that time when I also realized that I didn't know what my natural texture even looked like. I was determined to embrace my natural texture and explore more healthy and sustainable ways of caring for my hair.
Good hair day by @_taylormade.
HDC: How have your feelings about your natural hair texture changed over the years?
Taylor: My love for my natural texture only grew as I learned more about my hair through styling it, watching Youtube tutorials, and discussing with friends. The versatility I now have is incomparable to that of my relaxed hair. It didn't take me long to learn that there's beauty in embracing what God gave me.
HDC: What is your go-to natural hairstyle?
Taylor: It's hard to choose just one because I love my flexi rod sets and my top buns! (If I absolutely had to choose though, it'd be the flexi rod sets).
Good hair day by @_taylormade.
HDC: When do you love your hair the most?
Taylor: I love my hair the most when it's big and taking up space!
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