Jezebel: Curly Hair

Worth It: Straight Bangs For Naturally Curly-Haired Folk

Whitney Jefferson — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:45:00 EDT

Much unlike many a magazine editor who recommends you buy all sorts of crap that they most likely got for free, your Jezebel staff doesn't get jack shit (other than books, unsolicited). And that's how it should be. But on our own time, in our personal lives, we still buy stuff. So this is Worth It, our daily recommendation of random things that we've actually spent our own money on. These are the things we buy regularly or really like, things we'd actually tell our friends about. And now we're telling you. More »

Everybody Watch Out For Rebekah Brooks's Hair!

Anna North — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:40:00 EDT

Ousted News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks stands accused of violating some of society's most cherished morals and values. And yes, we're talking about her hair. More »

The Princess And The Frog Impacting Moms; Girls With Curly Hair

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:30:00 EST

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One mom says, "I'm probably more excited about this than my daughter… she doesn't realize the history of it." Another writes: "…It would be a mistake to overlook the significance of her coif." [WaPo, Time] More »

Scientists Isolate Curly Hair Gene

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:40:00 EST

It's cool that the finding can help in forensics at crime scenes; it's messed up that the researchers plan to partner with a major cosmetic company in the creation of a straightener — as though they're curing a disease! [Telegraph] More »

An Open Appeal To The Jolie-Pitt Hair Police

LatoyaPeterson — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT

I've been a fan of Allison Samuels' work for some time. But I cannot get behind her strange, continued appeals to actress Angelina Jolie about her adopted daughter Zahara's hair. She is, quite simply, missing the point. More »

Will We Ever Be Able to Stop Talking About Black Hair Politics?

LatoyaPeterson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EDT

Hannah Poole asks "Should you straighten your afro hair?" in the Guardian's Life and Style section. Before we all sigh about yet another black hair article, let's analyze why we are still having conversations about this issue. More »

Hair Apparent

Sadie Stein — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:20:00 EDT

Yeah, yeah, we know: curly hair is perceived as disorganized and "frazzled." Meg Ryan's kooky new character in The Women sports wild waves; Michelle Obama's wearing hers straight. Whatever will Hollywood producers and campaign consultants think of next? [Observer] More »

Yesterday I Dried My Hair With A Towel: Confessions Of A Curly-Haired Traitor

Sadie Stein — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Yesterday I cheated on my hairdresser. The circs were thus: in an ill-judged fit of economy I cut my own hair last month and have been way too ashamed to face my normal hairdresser's justified wrath. So instead I slipped incognito into a nearby salon and asked only for "someone who will be kind about my lapse in judgment" (which has been looking like something halfway between a coonskin cap and a rock mullet — and that's an improvement over its original incarnation). Upshot is, I came away looking semi-normal, but it was a shock — a shock! — to be back in a regular "straight-haired" place after three years of indoctrination in the world of the specialty Curly Salon. They used shampoo! They dried my hair with a towel — and without just blotting up from the bottom, too! Then they detangled it with a brush! And they didn't cut from the "C" of the curl! And afterwards they didn't twist it and clip it! Heresy! And you know what? It was liberating! More »

GMA Investigates: Could Straightening Your Hair Change Your Life?

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT

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Thanks to the reader who tipped us off to this segment from today's GMA. In the clip above, ABC News' Taryn Winter Brill sets out to answer the question "does my hair look better curly or straight?" in the most unscientific, sexist, and racist way possible. Brill asks an expert panel of five random white guys to rank her hotness with curly hair vs. straightened hair, and goes on job interviews with the two styles. (She also polls a group of children, but this was omitted from the clip for reasons of time and preservation of sanity.) GMA devoted 8 minutes, twice the length of most segments, to analyzing Brill's hair with no mention of societal pressures or an acknowledgment of how subjective attractiveness is. Whether you have "frazzled" curly hair or "pretty" straight hair, you're likely to be pulling it out by the end of this clip. More »

This Week We Dealt With A Load Of Crap

Jessica G. — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:20:00 EDT

Slut Machine took one for the team and Intern Betty filmed her getting a colonic. Crappy hour indeed.

Dear Oprah, Mariah & Leona: Don't Forget That Curly Hair Is Beautiful Too

Dodai Stewart — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:40:00 EDT

Today, an open letter to Oprah Winfrey was published by Michelle Breyer and Gretchen Heber of NaturallyCurly.com. The problem? On Oprah's "Great American Haircut" special, curly-haired women were made "better" by being given straight hair. "In case after case, beautiful waves, curls and kinks were beaten into submission with blow dryers, flatirons and extensions. In one of the most curious cases, a beautiful woman — who was wearing a gorgeous and undoubtedly hard-won afro — was given stick-straight extensions," write Breyer and Heber. They continue: "Oprah, you are well loved the world over, due in no small part to your uplifting gospel of self-acceptance. Yet, in the eyes of curlies, these makeovers send an unmistakable - and most disheartening - message that one's natural hair isn't acceptable." More »

Why Is Straight Hair The Epitome Of 'Style'?

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:13:11 EDT

Brazilians: Always trying to tell us what to do with our hair! First it was the bikini wax, now today's New York Times "Thursday Styles" section has a story about the new Brazilian hair treatments. Unlike Japanese thermal conditioning, which can cause damage, the Brazilian method can be used on most hair types — even previously color-treated hair — without causing harm. The process takes 1.5-4 hours and costs $150 to $600, depending on hair's length and thickness. The formula used is made from keratin, which is a protein that's healthy for hair, and uh, formaldehyde, a carcinogen that can irritate eyes and lungs. And it's all sealed into strands via a hair-iron set at a startling 450 degrees. Fun! Well, probably not, but the results are so dramatic that a woman interviewed in the Times actually cried.

"I got very emotional," she said. "It was mind-boggling how beautiful my hair looked: straight, shiny, sleek and more important, healthy."