Many know actress Kimberly Elise from some of her acclaimed roles in ‘Set It Off’, ‘John Q’, ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’, and ‘For Colored Girls’. Her incredible smile and intense on-screen persona are just two characteristics she shares with her audience. Now, we can add her natural hair to that list. In fact, she’s been on her natural hair journey since the early 2000′s.

“Around 2000, after years of color, relaxers, weaves, you name it, I had finally had enough,” admits Elise. “I had enough of the burning scalp and scabs on my ears. I stopped putting chemicals in my hair altogether and went back to wearing a press-and-curl and would add in extensions for different styles. One day, I saw a photo of myself on the red carpet wearing long, straight hair down my back and I realized that I didn’t even look like myself. I said to myself, ‘Who is that? That’s not me.’”

On Women Who Want To Transition To Natural Hair

“It’s so incredibly personal. I definitely wouldn’t try to persuade someone because there is a lot o

f commitment that goes with it. But if a person is at a point that there sure that this is what they want to do… I’d say get as much education as you can even before you big chop! I recommend reading ‘The Science of Black Hair’. Be patient with it, listen to it. What works for your sister may not work for you. It’s an exciting, magical process to watch your hair come to life and thrive. My mom is 73 and she said her hair is saying ‘finally!’ It’s true because your hair really will talk to you. Surround yourself with a community of support. Not everyone will be supportive. There is still a lot of stigma against us with our natural hair. Pressures to have it straight.

Read more about Kimberly Elise’s natural hair journey at BlackDoctor.Org.

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