natural hair

The September cover of O magazine features a photo of Oprah as we've rarely seen her before — wearing her hair completely natural, free of blow-drying and straightening. After defending her hair choices for years, the mogul beams behind a crown of voluminous curls, joining a movement of African-American women who are embracing their natural hair.

Whether it's Viola Davis showing up to the Oscars with untouched locks or Solange Knowles rallying for women to stop obsessing over their hair, more and more stars are talking about the decision to go natural. For Oprah, it was more about gaining a new perspective, and she'd even considered cutting all her hair off at one point. "I wanted to wear it close-cropped a la Camille Cosby but her husband Bill convinced me otherwise," Oprah said on her website. Bill was right, and Oprah is looking good.

Whether you're holding onto those straight ends or already committed the big chop, you can find relief from your Afro woes with Carol's Daughter Transitioning 1-2-3 Kit ($40). The three-piece set (which includes a shampoo, scalp spritz, and conditioner) is meant to simplify the lives of recent natural hair converts. While the shampoo is packaged as low-poo, there was still an impressive amount of suds, and the conditioner made detangling a breeze. But the standout star is the Renewing Scalp Spray. Sugarcane extract, biotin, and vera fruit extract help to heal a scalp burned by straightening chemicals, creating a healthy environment for hair to grow. The spray bottle allows you to easily get the product on, and the refreshing tingling massage gives that clean, cooling feeling — it's like a sea breeze facial for your scalp. And despite an adept knowledge of the beauty industry, I still stand by the belief that, if it tingles, it's working.

For an increasing number of women, relaxers are out and natural hair is in. As filmmaker Zina Saro-Wiwa shows in this minidocumentary, more and more Black women are making the transition from chemically treated hair to their natural texture. Saro-Wiwa herself appears in the film, initially shaving off her braided extensions for a video project. "I can see myself getting uglier," she quips, perhaps only half joking. Seven months later, to her surprise, she's growing out her natural hair — and she loves it.

From there, she became "obsessed" with natural curls, falling in love with her own hair texture. In the film, she speaks with a number of women whose natural hair runs the gamut from tight to fluffy, from kinky to wavy, from closely cropped to big and bountiful. "There are as many 'natural hair journeys' as there are transitioning women," Saro-Wiwa writes. And as she captures in this film, there are so many ways that natural hair is beautiful.

Kinky hair should come with an advisory: fragile when wet (and dry). Getting in the shower can be overwhelming when caring for thick hair, but it is also a crucial point that will determine how well your style turns out, because curls are at their bounciest and longest when wet. Celebrity hairstylist Diane Bailey shares her tips for achieving the perfect wash, no matter your hair type. Read more for the simple steps.

If you have kinky hair, getting the right cut (and stylist) can be complicated. Even though those with tightly curled strands can go longer without a trim (about three to four months opposed to four to six weeks), it's still imperative to take care of fluffy ends to prevent dreadful knots and tangles. But if you have hair in the more coiled variety, should it be cut curly or straight? Decide which method is best for you when you keep reading.

Is it OK to touch someone's hair without permission? What about with permission? CNN explores the question in a report on natural hair today. In the article, multiple African-American women share how wearing their hair natural (that is, without relaxer) has led to unsought commentary and questions — not to mention the occasional touchy-feely rogue who goes on a hair-stroking spree. It's pretty much a must-read article if you have natural hair, know someone who does, or want to understand why "Can I touch your hair?" is such a heavy question. And below, Atlantan Keneesha Hudson, who owns Urbanbella salon in Atlanta, discusses what she loves about her natural hair.

Ever since Good Hair premiered at the end of last year, there's been much more open and positive dialogue about respecting and loving your natural hair texture. Lots of women were already going natural, but making the changeover has really gathered steam with the advent of the keratin controversy and a concomitant wave of support for natural hair's beauty, culminating in Sesame Street's adorable "I Love My Hair" song. While it seems that the number of women going natural, combined with the recession's ill effects, may be putting some African-American salons out of business, it's also heartening to see so many people embracing and celebrating the beautiful hair they were born with instead of trying to fit a narrow normative standard. Hair is still a hot-button issue for many women, regardless of their texture, but hopefully this is a signal of more self-acceptance to come.

Hey readers, thanks for being such expert commentators. Your thoughts on Emma Stone's new color, the art of hand modeling, and the decline of African-American salons were most entertaining. Check out what you had to say this week.

Emma Stone's shocking return to her blond roots got mixed reviews:

• "I definitely prefer red. Maybe partly because now people will stop telling me I look like her, but also because there aren't enough famous girls making red hair look sexy. I know so many guys that love gingers, but we're really underrepresented in the world of 'hot girl' celebrities. I love the bangs and the makeup in the blonde pic though!" — weffie
• "I voted for red, but she looks great as a blonde too. However, considering how many blondes there are in Hollywood, red hair makes her stick out more." — Faylinn
• "I love her with both hair colors! She's lucky she looks great with both colors. Not everyone does or they just choose poor shades/dimensions. I don't think she should stay red just to stand out or to represent redheads. She should just do her hair the way she wants to, or for a role she wants." — isahrangme

For the rest of the best, just keep reading.