Since 2006, Queens around the world have been embracing our natural crowns. The natural hair movement has impacted women of color and continues to do. It was reported that hair product manufacturers have seen a drop in relaxer and texture hair changing products by 34 percent; as Queens continue to embrace our natural curl patterns.
Did you know that approximately 2 out of 3 African American women now wear natural hairstyles? It is a reflection of our self love and acceptance of our distinctive curls and hair texture. Thanks to the web there have been many YouTubers and natural hair bloggers that have committed to providing guidance and insights into the best ways to care for our natural crowns.
Whether you are transitioning to natural hair, looking for a protective hair style, or want to learn how to blend hair extensions with your own hair, these Queens have been up to the challenge all year long.
Best Natural Hair YouTubers of 2016
YouTube is full of naturalists eager to inspire you with hair care and styling tips. Whether you have questions on how to get defined curls or want tips on how to make the best homemade leave-in conditioner, these Queens cover it all.
Naptural85
Naptural85 is known for her beginner friendly tutorials. In this video, “Twist-Out 101: How-To and Maintaining” she simplifies transitioning and gives helpful hints and tips on how to use heatless methods to care for your hair. In the video she acknowledges that twist outs are one of the easiest ways to create curls, but maintaining the style is one of the most difficult things to learn. With her methods Naptural85 inspires Queens everywhere to not only create beautiful and versatile natural styles but how to get days of wear out of them as well.
Glamtwinz334
The “Glam Twinz” make our list because they often share insights that inspire and guide Queens on how to care for our natural crowns. They are great to watch for tips on how to keep your hair healthy and also inspire you to find your beautiful self with videos on hair, fitness, and fashion. Their video, “Top 10 Tips to Grow Out Long HEALTHY Hair” is excellent for Queens who may already have damaged hair and want to repair it or if have just trimmed their damage hair and want to make sure it stays healthy.
NaturalNeiicey
NaturalNeiicey offers a variety of hair tips, fashion and beauty advice, and interesting bits on entertainment. Her video “How I Straighten & Trim My Natural Hair” is recommended for Queens who want to change up their look, but don’t want to risk damaging their natural crown. She’s confident and real which makes her one of the most insightful naturalists online.
MahoganyCurls
Mahogany Curls has been inspiring us since 2009. We’ve had the honor to watch her grow not only her natural hair style but as a person. Her focus specializes in protective styles, but she also does do quite a few videos on how to conqueror the “wash-n-go” method. Her style is simple, beautiful, and natural. Her goal has always been to provide insightful tips on natural hair care.
Chime (HairCrush)
Chime has many videos on a variety of different subjects. Many of the videos center on how to create various natural hairstyles for short and medium length hair. Chime is recommend for new naturalistas who find it challenging to create styles with their own hair. Most natural videos center of styling long tresses, but Chime offers insights on how to style various lengths.
Best Natural Hair Bloggers of 2016
Over the years natural hair enthusiasts have started blogs to provide tips and tricks on how to manage and care for our natural crowns. With our distinct curl pattern it is not always easy knowing what to do with “second day hair” or a “wash-n-go” that seems to have lost it’s bounce. These bloggers provide insights into many topics and have helped shaped the way we wear and show off our crowns.
CurlyNikki
This blog is great for people who need advice or want to learn different styling techniques. Their section “The Basics” is a wonderful place to learn the best techniques to transition into a natural hair style and how to wear your crown with confidence.
Natural Hair Rules
One great thing about this blog is that they offer a free eBook on how to moisturize natural hair. This is an important practice that many new naturalists and experienced naturalists struggle with. Following the tips in this eBook can help prevent you from having dry, brittle, and frizzy hair.
Black Girl Long Hair
Black Girl Long Hair has a very diverse writing staff, which means they have many writers with different hair types and curl patterns. Find an author that has a similar hair type to yours and you will find the articles can help you with problems that pertain to your hair type such as dryness or curl definition. The blog also provides insights on hair growth for curl patterns 4B and 4C.
4C Hair Chick
4C Hair Chick is a refreshing site that focuses on one of the most coily curl patterns. It is one of the most challenging textures to manage and care for properly because of the corkscrew inspired curl pattern. It meets a need because there is a lack of information on how to work with the 4C hair type. The blog is very determined to encourage people to love their 4C curls.
Naturally Curly
Naturally curly was one of the first blogs dedicated to natural hair. It has covered almost every topic you can think of about natural hair. It is a great website to find tips and product recommendations.
The Natural Hair Journey in 2016
There has been a beautiful rise in natural hair blogs, websites, and YouTube channels. The movement has also reached many celebrities. Celebrities such as Janelle Monae, Solange Knowles, and Erykah Badu all rock their natural hair.
The year 2016 gave us the song “Don’t Touch My Hair,” by Solange Knowles. The song soon became the anthem for Queens everywhere. It speaks volumes about the liberation from European beauty standards, especially in a time where natural hair is seen as strange or unprofessional.
This year also reveal how beauty standards dictate how we can wear our hair in the workplace and what is still deemed acceptable.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that wearing dreadlocks to work could be banned by employers after a Queen was asked to cut off her dreads prior to accepting the job offer. This ruling came as a shock to many because dreadlocks are considered by most to be a predominately African American hairstyle.
Overall, 2016 was a year of self-confidence, unity, and reflection. When African American women heard about a South African school telling young girls to straighten their hair, they rallied together to support the girls and encouraged them to love their curls. The young girls fought back and won the support of millions.
We started defining our own beauty in 2006 and have been gaining support and strength as we continue to do so. We defined our own beauty standards and have learned that natural hair is more than a trend, it is a lifestyle that we live.