A Black woman’s hair journey is one best defined by the choice whether to embrace her coils or fight to tame them.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution took to the streets on two balmy days this summer to take a pulse on what is influencing how Black girls and women are wearing their hair in 2025. The hairstyles were diverse: braids, wigs, relaxers and natural curls.
Combating the heat and humidity was a common refrain in the moment, but when asked how their relationship with their hair had changed over the arc of a lifetime, their answers reflected much deeper considerations.
Nearly everyone had once chemically relaxed their hair. Their choices were often made to assimilate in places or professions where few had textured hair like their own. Songs, social movements and attending historically Black colleges helped some decide to wear their natural curls out.
Click below to see what women told the AJC.
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