#black hair defined

3 Natural Hair Bloggers Reminisce About The Early Days Of The Movement

Nikki Walton, author of “Better Than Good Hair” and “When Good Hair Goes Bad,” helped build and shape the online community around natural hair with her blog CurlyNikki.

“In 2008, I launched CurlyNikki.com with, like, 300 readers from other curl talk and natural hair care forums,” Walton told HuffPost. “I didn’t start CurlyNikki for it to become a day job. I just knew that I wanted other women to experience the freedom and quality of life change that I had experienced. To go from being concerned about my hair 24/7, whether it was for a job interview or graduate school interview or vacation ― the first thought I always had was, ‘What am I gonna do with my hair?’ To be able to help women get over those hurdles and see past their families while they stood firm in their own self-confidence, that is what I wanted to help people do.” 

Over the last 20 years, women have found advice and sisterhood in the network of blogs, social media accounts and YouTube channels focused on Black hair. For our Black Hair Defined project, we spoke with three women who have been pioneers in the space. 

Head here to read the full story. ⁠

A Letter To Black Trans Women About Embracing Our Natural Hair

“Kinky, coily hair is beautiful. It’s professional and elegant. It validates my sense of self and does not take away from my femininity,“ writes Ivana Fischer, a culture journalist on assignment for HuffPost. "These and many other mantras continue to guide me throughout my transition every day. Showing myself love in that way has helped me to embrace being a naturalista. I have a newfound, unwavering confidence that could only come from finally accepting myself, and my features, as beautiful." 

You can read Fischer’s full story here.