{"id":1894738,"date":"2026-04-21T16:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1894738"},"modified":"2026-04-21T16:06:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:06:00","slug":"what-are-we-allowed-to-say-when-it-comes-to-black-hair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1894738","title":{"rendered":"What are we allowed to say when it comes to Black hair?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1080\/92-0-1080-720\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443661.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/beauty\/article\/70121\/1\/what-allowed-black-hair-natural-hair-tok-tiktok-influencers\" data-article-id=\"70121\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.78\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"insecure\" class=\"img\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1280\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443661.jpg\" width=\"1280\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Insecure (2017)<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-21T16:06:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"21 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"21\">21,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - beauty\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\">Beauty<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\">Beauty<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>What are we allowed to say when it comes to <span class=\"nowrap\">Black hair?<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>\u2018Your hair is \u2018high-maintenance\u2019, get over it\u2019: A creator\u2019s recent hot takes have reignited a conversation about what we are and aren\u2019t allowed to say when it comes to <span class=\"nowrap\">Black haircare<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-04-21T16:06:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"21 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"21\">21,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-04-21T16:06:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"21 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"21\">21,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/isabelbekele\">Isabel Bekele<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>A few weeks ago, on a random Sunday in March, I decided I wanted to start wearing my <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/natural-hair-movement\">natural hair<\/a><\/span>. There were several reasons for this. First, I could <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/64350\/1\/time-capitalism-black-women-degradation-of-black-hair\">no longer justify \u2013 or honestly, afford<\/a><\/span> \u2013 my biweekly silk presses. The biggest reason, though, was that at 24 years old, my whole \u201cI don\u2019t know how to do my hair\u201d schtick sounded tired, even to my own ears. I was embarrassed that, as a grown adult who had spent most of her childhood going to <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/58482\/1\/blowdries-bliss-enduring-fantasy-beauty-salons-in-cult-film\">salons<\/a>, <\/span>I still didn\u2019t know how to manage my hair, and I was ready to change that, no matter how many failed braid-out tutorials it took.<\/p>\n<p><span>Well, I asked, and the TikTok algorithm answered. Unbeknownst to me, my decision coincided with the latest iteration of the online natural hair discourse. The same day I told my ( doubtful ) mother I was attempting to go natural, my For You Page introduced me to Sharon, aka <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@sshoz\">@sshozxox<\/a>. Over the past month, the creator has gone viral for her sharp, unfiltered videos urging Black women, especially those with kinkier hair textures, to interrogate why they consider their natural hair difficult to maintain, and why they feel the need to rely exclusively on styles like wigs and braids.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sharon\u2019s videos have a directness that makes you stop mid-scroll. She is incisive, unflinching and does not mince her words, prompting <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@jackieaina\/video\/7620519563624533278\">endless reaction videos<\/a><\/span> dissecting what we are and aren\u2019t allowed to say when it comes to Black haircare. \u201cYour hair is \u2018high-maintenance\u2019, get over it,\u201d she says <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@sshoz\/video\/7617460029238693142\">one video<\/a>.<\/span> \u201cIt\u2019s paining you because you know I\u2019m right,\u201d she says <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@sshoz\/video\/7618583493345578242\">in another.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So why have her videos struck such a nerve? Many commenters have reached for the obvious response: shouldn\u2019t Black women be allowed to do whatever they want with their hair? In short: yes. But this isn\u2019t about demonising any one style; Sharon herself wears wigs occasionally. The broader point is that an aversion to wearing your natural hair, or knowing how to care for it, is worth examining.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7617265485335530754\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>No matter which side of #NaturalHairTok you\u2019re on, it\u2019s hard to deny how stigmatised non-Eurocentric beauty standards still are in the West. The negative perception of Black women\u2019s natural hair is so pervasive that, in 2019, Dove and the Crown Coalition \u2013 in partnership with then-California State Senator Holly J. Mitchell \u2013 introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecrownact.com\/\">The Crown Act<\/a> to protect against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles. As of 2026, the Act has been passed in over half the country, though that doesn\u2019t mean discrimination has disappeared overnight.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Just a few weeks ago, tennis player Coco Gauff received backlash for a Miu Miu campaign in which she wore her 4C hair in a non-slicked-back bun. \u201cI\u2019m not going to apologise for the way that my hair looked, because there are other girls who have the exact same hair as me, and I wanted them to feel represented. Your hair is fine the way it is,\u201d she responded on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@cocogauff?lang=en\">TikTok<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The impact of Gauff\u2019s words can\u2019t be overstated. For many women, a lack of representation \u2013 whether in the media or their immediate environment \u2013 shapes a complicated relationship with their natural hair. Take 28-year-old Mamy Mbaye, co-founder of haircare brand Slick, who grew up at a predominantly white boarding school, often wearing protective styles and timing visits home around hair appointments.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI would not even walk outside with my natural hair,\u201d she says. Eventually, she studied abroad in Brazil and, inspired by the beauty culture there, decided to do a big chop. She describes the current #NaturalHairTok conversation as \u201cvery real\u201d. \u201cI think that it\u2019s a worthwhile pause,\u201d she says. \u201cLike, why does your fake hair or the hair that you buy matter more to you than your natural hair?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cI think that it\u2019s a worthwhile pause. Like, why does your fake hair or the hair that you buy matter more to you than your natural hair?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Texturism is also at play. Although the natural hair movement of the mid-2010s made strides, it was often looser textures that were most widely accepted online. Much of the content wasn\u2019t tailored to different hair types, and the definition of \u201cnatural\u201d was more rigid. \u201cI think we are re-entering a space of complete erasure in a lot of media when it comes to Black people who don\u2019t look ambiguously anything else,\u201d Mbaye says. \u201cWhen I think of 2015 or 2016, I\u2019m starting college and <em data-start=\"4323\" data-end=\"4333\">Insecure<\/em> is on TV, <em data-start=\"4344\" data-end=\"4353\">Atlanta<\/em> is on \u2013 there were so many shows representing Blackness in a multidimensional way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This latest wave of discourse seems to be striking a deeper chord. Rose-Sharon Nnamchi, a 22-year-old from Essex, says it prompted her to rethink her own habits. \u201cIt really gave me a reality check,\u201d she says. \u201cIt made me realise: why do I do braids or other protective styles back-to-back? Why do I only give my hair a day to breathe before I\u2019m back in the chair?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span>As she sees it, the conversation isn\u2019t about policing Black women\u2019s hair, but about questioning why we feel most beautiful in more Eurocentric styles. \u201cIf this is a conversation that\u2019s tired, why does it keep coming up again?\u201d she adds. \u201cThere\u2019s clearly a reason why it resurfaces every year\u2026 It\u2019s because when we speak about it, nothing changes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7625721949473312031\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>That tension is echoed elsewhere. Ife Olancola, a 24-year-old based in Virginia, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@ife.cltv\/video\/7622666618564398367\">pushed back<\/a> against the idea that the discourse is exhausted, citing a video in which a Black teacher was teased by her own students for wearing her natural hair. As Olancola points out, negative attitudes can sometimes come from within the community itself \u2013 something <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@hampton.belle\/video\/7603449046606417183\">often joked about online<\/a>, but rooted in something deeper.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c<\/span><span>I think [the \u2018natural hair discourse is tired\u2019 rebuttals] are a slap in the face to a lot of us who are passionate about natural hair acceptance because we recognise that it\u2019s still an issue,\u201d <\/span><span>Ife Olancola, a 24-year-old based in Virginia, tells me.<\/span><span> \u201cWhile I think we all have different personal experiences when it comes to our hair and accepting our hair, it doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s not a systemic issue and that we should stop talking about it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>For Black women, there is no single way \u2013 let alone a right or wrong way \u2013 to navigate your relationship with your hair. \u201cEvery woman has such a different experience from childhood,\u201d says beauty journalist Aimee Simeon. \u201cHow do we interact with our hair as kids? All of this impacts our attitudes in adulthood. It has to be approached with nuance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And while the internet is often where nuance goes to die, the past month has sparked conversations that feel difficult, but necessary. This latest revival of the natural hair debate is the only one that has made me reflect this deeply. As Simeon puts it: \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a conversation that will ever particularly end\u2026 it\u2019s just going to change and evolve as time goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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class=\"card-latest__title\">\u2018It\u2019s the emotional IQ\u2019: Unpacking the unique hotness of musicians<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/70030\/1\/starface-lip-balm-product-of-the-week-magical-hydro-stars-recommendation\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"original-C187C805-D4A7-463B-A1AE-65EDD3C7DD69\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-299-1242-826\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442906.jpeg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Product of the week: Starface\u2019s \u2018magical, squeaky clean\u2019 lip balm<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/70022\/1\/tattoo-assembly-showcases-the-cutting-edge-of-tattoo-culture\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"TATTOO-ASSEMBLY-66\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-41-2945-1959\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442810.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Tattoo Assembly showcases the cutting edge of tattoo culture<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>A few weeks ago, on a random Sunday in March, I decided I wanted to start wearing my <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/natural-hair-movement\">natural hair<\/a><\/span>. There were several reasons for this. First, I could <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/64350\/1\/time-capitalism-black-women-degradation-of-black-hair\">no longer justify \u2013 or honestly, afford<\/a><\/span> \u2013 my biweekly silk presses. The biggest reason, though, was that at 24 years old, my whole \u201cI don\u2019t know how to do my hair\u201d schtick sounded tired, even to my own ears. I was embarrassed that, as a grown adult who had spent most of her childhood going to <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/58482\/1\/blowdries-bliss-enduring-fantasy-beauty-salons-in-cult-film\">salons<\/a>, <\/span>I still didn\u2019t know how to manage my hair, and I was ready to change that, no matter how many failed braid-out tutorials it took.<\/p>\n<p><span>Well, I asked, and the TikTok algorithm answered. Unbeknownst to me, my decision coincided with the latest iteration of the online natural hair discourse. The same day I told my ( doubtful ) mother I was attempting to go natural, my For You Page introduced me to Sharon, aka <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@sshoz\">@sshozxox<\/a>. Over the past month, the creator has gone viral for her sharp, unfiltered videos urging Black women, especially those with kinkier hair textures, to interrogate why they consider their natural hair difficult to maintain, and why they feel the need to rely exclusively on styles like wigs and braids.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sharon\u2019s videos have a directness that makes you stop mid-scroll. She is incisive, unflinching and does not mince her words, prompting <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@jackieaina\/video\/7620519563624533278\">endless reaction videos<\/a><\/span> dissecting what we are and aren\u2019t allowed to say when it comes to Black haircare. \u201cYour hair is \u2018high-maintenance\u2019, get over it,\u201d she says <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@sshoz\/video\/7617460029238693142\">one video<\/a>.<\/span> \u201cIt\u2019s paining you because you know I\u2019m right,\u201d she says <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@sshoz\/video\/7618583493345578242\">in another.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So why have her videos struck such a nerve? Many commenters have reached for the obvious response: shouldn\u2019t Black women be allowed to do whatever they want with their hair? In short: yes. But this isn\u2019t about demonising any one style; Sharon herself wears wigs occasionally. The broader point is that an aversion to wearing your natural hair, or knowing how to care for it, is worth examining.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7617265485335530754\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>No matter which side of #NaturalHairTok you\u2019re on, it\u2019s hard to deny how stigmatised non-Eurocentric beauty standards still are in the West. The negative perception of Black women\u2019s natural hair is so pervasive that, in 2019, Dove and the Crown Coalition \u2013 in partnership with then-California State Senator Holly J. Mitchell \u2013 introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecrownact.com\/\">The Crown Act<\/a> to protect against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles. As of 2026, the Act has been passed in over half the country, though that doesn\u2019t mean discrimination has disappeared overnight.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Just a few weeks ago, tennis player Coco Gauff received backlash for a Miu Miu campaign in which she wore her 4C hair in a non-slicked-back bun. \u201cI\u2019m not going to apologise for the way that my hair looked, because there are other girls who have the exact same hair as me, and I wanted them to feel represented. Your hair is fine the way it is,\u201d she responded on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@cocogauff?lang=en\">TikTok<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The impact of Gauff\u2019s words can\u2019t be overstated. For many women, a lack of representation \u2013 whether in the media or their immediate environment \u2013 shapes a complicated relationship with their natural hair. Take 28-year-old Mamy Mbaye, co-founder of haircare brand Slick, who grew up at a predominantly white boarding school, often wearing protective styles and timing visits home around hair appointments.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI would not even walk outside with my natural hair,\u201d she says. Eventually, she studied abroad in Brazil and, inspired by the beauty culture there, decided to do a big chop. She describes the current #NaturalHairTok conversation as \u201cvery real\u201d. \u201cI think that it\u2019s a worthwhile pause,\u201d she says. \u201cLike, why does your fake hair or the hair that you buy matter more to you than your natural hair?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cI think that it\u2019s a worthwhile pause. Like, why does your fake hair or the hair that you buy matter more to you than your natural hair?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Texturism is also at play. Although the natural hair movement of the mid-2010s made strides, it was often looser textures that were most widely accepted online. Much of the content wasn\u2019t tailored to different hair types, and the definition of \u201cnatural\u201d was more rigid. \u201cI think we are re-entering a space of complete erasure in a lot of media when it comes to Black people who don\u2019t look ambiguously anything else,\u201d Mbaye says. \u201cWhen I think of 2015 or 2016, I\u2019m starting college and <em data-start=\"4323\" data-end=\"4333\">Insecure<\/em> is on TV, <em data-start=\"4344\" data-end=\"4353\">Atlanta<\/em> is on \u2013 there were so many shows representing Blackness in a multidimensional way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This latest wave of discourse seems to be striking a deeper chord. Rose-Sharon Nnamchi, a 22-year-old from Essex, says it prompted her to rethink her own habits. \u201cIt really gave me a reality check,\u201d she says. \u201cIt made me realise: why do I do braids or other protective styles back-to-back? Why do I only give my hair a day to breathe before I\u2019m back in the chair?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span>As she sees it, the conversation isn\u2019t about policing Black women\u2019s hair, but about questioning why we feel most beautiful in more Eurocentric styles. \u201cIf this is a conversation that\u2019s tired, why does it keep coming up again?\u201d she adds. \u201cThere\u2019s clearly a reason why it resurfaces every year\u2026 It\u2019s because when we speak about it, nothing changes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7625721949473312031\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>That tension is echoed elsewhere. Ife Olancola, a 24-year-old based in Virginia, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@ife.cltv\/video\/7622666618564398367\">pushed back<\/a> against the idea that the discourse is exhausted, citing a video in which a Black teacher was teased by her own students for wearing her natural hair. As Olancola points out, negative attitudes can sometimes come from within the community itself \u2013 something <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@hampton.belle\/video\/7603449046606417183\">often joked about online<\/a>, but rooted in something deeper.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c<\/span><span>I think [the \u2018natural hair discourse is tired\u2019 rebuttals] are a slap in the face to a lot of us who are passionate about natural hair acceptance because we recognise that it\u2019s still an issue,\u201d <\/span><span>Ife Olancola, a 24-year-old based in Virginia, tells me.<\/span><span> \u201cWhile I think we all have different personal experiences when it comes to our hair and accepting our hair, it doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s not a systemic issue and that we should stop talking about it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>For Black women, there is no single way \u2013 let alone a right or wrong way \u2013 to navigate your relationship with your hair. \u201cEvery woman has such a different experience from childhood,\u201d says beauty journalist Aimee Simeon. \u201cHow do we interact with our hair as kids? All of this impacts our attitudes in adulthood. It has to be approached with nuance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And while the internet is often where nuance goes to die, the past month has sparked conversations that feel difficult, but necessary. This latest revival of the natural hair debate is the only one that has made me reflect this deeply. As Simeon puts it: \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a conversation that will ever particularly end\u2026 it\u2019s just going to change and evolve as time goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/70121\/1\/what-allowed-black-hair-natural-hair-tok-tiktok-influencers&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1080\/92-0-1080-720\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443661.jpg&#8221;] Insecure (2017) April\u00a0 21,\u00a0 2026 Beauty \/ Feature Beauty \/ Feature What are we allowed to say when it comes to Black hair? \u2018Your hair is \u2018high-maintenance\u2019, get over it\u2019: A creator\u2019s recent hot takes have reignited a conversation about what we are and aren\u2019t allowed to say when it comes to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1894738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1894738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1894738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1894738\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1894738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1894738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1894738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}