Lizzo’s Natural Hair Journey Was ‘Final Frontier’ To Loving Herself

Lizzo has built a career on breaking boundaries and barriers with her music. Her songs have called on us to be “100% that bitch” and love every stretched, sunburnt and glitter-covered inch.

But even after learning to love every inch of herself, Lizzo still had one more battle to face: her hair. “That was my final frontier,” she said during a launch event for Dove Self-Esteem Project’s “My Hair, My CROWN” tool.

That seems almost impossible to believe for the beauty who has done everything from getting her hair braided on stage during a live perfomance and pulling up with wood grain hair to serving up slime envy or Pinky and The Brain vibes on social media.

But, she hadn’t always seen her hair as beautiful, she admitted via live stream to a room full of girls at the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem last week.

“There were plenty of times where I was almost embarrassed or ashamed to show my natural hair because people were like, ‘Oh, It’s not cute, it’s not good enough.'”

It wasn’t until the two or three years ago that she got into her own hair love journey. But being able to see others embrace their hair textures, helped her do the same. 

“My hair is good enough,” she said. “Now that I have access to all of these wonderful natural haircare influencers on the Internet and on social media…I feel so beautiful and so included. The natural haircare movement includes all different types. It’s not just 3a and 3b. It’s 4c. And I got 4a and 4b and we’re all included now. I feel like I’m part of the movement.”

So it makes sense that the Grammy Award-winner teamed with Dove in April help empower others to embrace and celebrate their own beauty. The new “My Hair, My CROWN” educational tool helps educators and parents teach students to combat stereotypes, think critically and boost their own self-love and confidence.

That’s where Lizzo fits right in, sharing how she has found power in rebelling against stereotypes — including being taught that big girls should have big hair.

“I have been combatting that stereotype by wearing short pixie cuts,” she said, noting she even big chopped once. “It was so empowering!” 

She encouraged the girls to make loving their an action, not just an idea. “My best advice to you is to put love into your hair. The more love I started putting into it, the more I started to love and take care of it and care for my hair.”

Lizzo also encouraged them to not feel like they have to cover their hair all the time. “Sometimes my hair needs to see the sun, sometimes my hair needs to feel the wind. I’ll put my hair in a weave, in a wig, and on some braids and my hair will be like, ‘Let me out!’” she said.

“Be intuitive. We listen to our bodies all the time. Listen to your hair, when your hair needs love.”