Singer Tinashe Opens Up About Learning to Love Her Curly Hair: ‘As I’ve Gotten Older, I’ve Embraced It More’
R&B songstress Tinashe’s gearing up to make statement off the stage: She’s partnering with John Frieda Hair Care for its “Hair Talks — Make Your Statement” campaign empowering women to take pride in their tresses. The initiative (which will include a platform for women to showcase the true beauty of their dos) is near and dear to the star, who these days thrives on experimenting with her look, but who’s struggled for years to embrace her hair. During a rapid-fire chat with the 24-year-old, she opened up about her own curl journey.
When I was a kid I wore my hair… Always as my natural curly hair texture. But I didn’t know how to take care of it, and I didn’t have anyone to teach me how to do it, so it was pretty wild! It took years of learning what was right. It was definitely a process.
I found inspiration… On blogs. Just reading those learning about other people’s experiences. It was hard for me to find my own hair reflected in anyone, natural black hair types just weren’t that prevalent in the media.
Embracing my natural curl… Took a long time. I definitely got some comments that probably affected my self-esteem. I remember the first time I wore my hair straight to school, this one guy told me my hair looked way better that way. So I lost a lot of confidence in my naturally curly hair. I still sometimes struggle with wearing my natural hair texture, but I’ve come a long way, as I’ve gotten older. But I’ve embraced it more.
Nowadays, I care for my hair by… I wash it, but not like wash it. I don’t necessarily shampoo it every day — but I do condition it. I have naturally have drier hair, so I always have to hydrate it. I love the Frizz Ease line from John Frieda, I feel like that works really well. And I try to avoid heat tools and over-styling in general. It’s all about being gentle.
I choose my style based on… What I have going on that day. Maybe I have a photo shoot or am taping a music video or maybe I am traveling. All of those different components affect how I want to style my hair that day.
When I dance, I wear my hair… Down, so I can whip it around!
Post-performance, the first thing I do with my hair is… I throw it up until I stop sweating!
My biggest hair nightmare to date was… When I tried bleaching it. And I had bangs at one point — those were really bad!
I’m excited to partner with John Frieda for the launch of their Hair Talks campaign because… As a woman an artist that’s very multi-faceted, I have a lot of different things that go into making me who I am and I want to embody all those different sides of me.
The one thing I want everyone to know about their hair is… It’s a great way to express yourself. So, I’d love for you to embrace the fact that your hair really is a story.
What do you think of the star’s hair advice? Share below!
