Born This Way: 4 It Girls Share Their Natural Hair Stories
When it comes to sourcing beauty inspo, Instagram feeds and Pinterest boards are the new red carpet. Thanks to the effortlessly cool muses who pop up on the reg, a decidedly undone vibe is replacing overly studied style. Good news for you: The "woke up like this" beauty trend means super-low-maintenance routines—and our most-stalked girl crushes are proof that there's one for any hair type.
Click through for words of beauty wisdom from some of our favorite up-and-coming stars, and be sure to tell us your hair story in the comments below.
Photos: Silke Labson; Stephanie Dinkel; Moroccanoil; Mid Chicks1/9A master class on rocking the texture you're born with.
Photo: Silke Labson; Stephanie Dinkel2/9The Natural Wonder
When Kish gave up on chemical straighteners at 17 in favor of her now famous 'fro, she received some unfortunate backlash. "I lived in the South at the time, and they just didn't understand it," she explains. "But there's nothing unkempt about it. I love the puffiness and frizziness." Since curls tend to be drier by nature, Kish compensates with leave-in conditioners and overnight twist-outs (setting hair in little knots before bed and unraveling in the a.m. for more-defined waves).
Photos: Mid Chicks; Moroccanoil3/9
Photo: Andrew Durham; Stephanie Dinkel4/9The Beach Babe
For a hair-color chameleon like 19-year-old model and girl-about-town Ireland Basinger Baldwin, taking a breather from heat styling was a necessity. "I’m in rehabilitation mode right now," explains the blonde beauty, who went from platinum to purple to blue in a two-week span. Mission Healthier Hair called for a trim and lots of leave-in oil treatments. An avid surfer, Ireland relies on beach trips as a natural frizz remedy. But you need not live coastal to achieve her signature sea salt–infused look.
Photos: Dove; Kérastase5/9Ireland Baldwin’s Smooth Operators:
Photo: Jiro Schneider6/9The Wild Child
"Big hair or go home!" That’s 22-year-old pop princess Charli XCX’s motto. While the singer-songwriter is getting much-deserved attention for her killer vocals (the star’s sophomore album, Sucker, will be out in December), she’s also scoring major points for her larger-than-life mane. "When I was younger I hated my huge, curly hair. I wanted it blonde and straight," Charli recalls. "Basically I wanted to be Baby Spice instead of Scary Spice!" Thankfully those days are over. "Now I headbang my way to even bigger hair," she says proudly. Her styling trick? "Just don’t brush it." Well, that and loads of volumizing spray, root-lifting powder, and infrequent shampoos, because in her words: "Dirty hair just looks cooler." We agree and so does cult hair brand, TIGI. Charli is now the face of their Bed Head line. "I’ve been a fan of the Bed Head brand since I was a little girl in England," she says. "I love the quirky colors of the packaging and, most important, how the products work on my curls—not to mention, they smell amazing!"
Photos: Bed Head; Serge Normant7/9
Photo: Brayden Olson8/9The Model Citizen
"I love change," says 24-year-old model Adesuwa Aighewi. And what better way to undergo a transformation than chopping off your hair when you move to NYC? The half-Nigerian, half-Chinese model with the blunt cut that’s now her signature is turning heads from the runways to the pages of major magazine campaigns. But how does a jet-setting rising model take care of her strands? "Wax is my best friend," she explains. "I use a tea tree oil wax to style my hair." Although Adesuwa’s bold ’do is now one of her defining features, her hair journey wasn’t always easy. "Growing up I didn’t know what to do with my hair," she says. "My mom is Asian, and out of all four siblings, I was the only one with black hair. I used my Barbie to practice different hairstyles." Now, whether she’s sporting extensions or her go-to chop (as seen in this shot for a Glossier campaign!), it’s clear she knows a thing or two about rocking model-off-duty hair.
