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Taraji P. Henson's Biggest Hair Secret Is Under $20


Always wash your makeup off before you go to bed. My mother always told me growing up, “Clean that makeup off your face.” And moisturize. My grandma still moisturizes.

You’re stranded on a desert island and you can have three products. What are you bringing?

Anything from TPH, whatever I can grab at the last minute. Next I’d bring Carmex for my lips—that’s important—and lastly I definitely wouldn’t want to be without Paul Scerri moisturizer for my skin. It’s amazing.

What’s your favorite way to take a moment for yourself?

A massage with my favorite masseuse at the Peninsula in Chicago.

What’s your go-to getting ready music?

It depends. If I’m going on a date, it’s probably R&B. If I’m going out with my girls, it’s probably hip hop. Right now, I’m obsessed with DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, and Cardi B—really any female in hip hop I love. The biggest thing I’ve been rocking a lot lately is Wale’s new album and Fabolous’ “Cold Summer.”

What’s the last Instagram hole you were sucked into?

I go down the rabbit hole on Tiny Kitchen. Oh, my God. Hours. And then there’s another one about tiny dolls. They take little Barbie doll heads and shave them. There are scenarios, like say she went partying all last night, and her hair was all matted and then you’ll see the fingernail try to press it and they’ll go, “No, no, no.” Then they’ll cut all the Barbie hair off. Then they’ll make lace fronts for the Barbie. Look it up. You’ll thank me. Anything tiny makes me feel good.

You have $20 and free roam of a drugstore. What do you buy?

Twenty dollars? I’ve got to make that stretch. Okay. I would probably get lashes. Start with my Ardell Wispies—Demi Wispies #5—and then Carmex. Next I’d grab my Jergens Shea Butter Lotion. I live and die by that stuff. And lastly, probably a great mascara like Maybelline Colossal. I usually keep four or five tubes of that on hand.

If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions, either in Hollywood or social media, what would you like to change?

I would like to change the notion of beauty looking a certain way. There should never be “the most beautiful person in the world.” That’s a lie. I’m just thinking in general, you can’t say this person has the best hair, or this is the most beautiful person. All people are beautiful. All hair is beautiful. Once we accept that, we won’t have people depressed because they don’t look like Instagram models. There shouldn’t be a norm in beauty. I’m different, you’re different, and that’s beautiful.

Who are the women inspiring you most right now?

Issa Rae endlessly inspires me. I love the work Jada Pinkett Smith is doing with her mom and her daughter on Red Table Talk. I think it’s so beautiful to see that dynamic relationship between three generations. And, of course, Michelle Obama, constantly.

Bella Cacciatore is the beauty associate at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @bellacacciatore. This interview has been edited and condensed.





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Taraji P. Henson's Take on Embracing Natural Hair Is Totally Refreshing


All this summer, Taraji P. Henson has been inviting us to join her on her natural hair journey. From posting photos of her newly cropped—and utterly amazing—natural curls on Instagram in June to sharing messages of empowerment while hosting Black Girls Rock in early August, Taraji’s been on message and on point. She’s also—as always—refreshingly straightforward when it comes to shame, beauty standards, and black hair policing.

In a recent interview with HuffPo, Taraji once again got real about the process of learning to love her unprocessed hair. While she’s been natural for a while, she say she’s still found herself returning to straightening and processing her curls. It got to the point where she decided to chop it all off and start from scratch. “I’m in the phase of letting it grow and I just wanna see,” she said.

Part of the reason she says she felt pressure to straighten her hair was due to biased beauty standards. While women are finally starting to express themselves as they please, Taraji pointed out that black women still face particular difficulties. The definition of American beauty (though evolving) is still largely Eurocentric, an unfair set of blond and blue-eyed standards that have put women of color at serious risk.

Taraji made a point to emphasize that black women should wear their hair however they want—weaves, wigs, natural, whatever suits your personal fancy—but that they should strive to love their natural hair, regardless of style. She also opened up about how she’s still working to undo the damage that occurs when specific beauty standards are internalized, telling HuffPo: “[Black women] have shame when it comes to our hair. What we’ve been told, ‘Your hair is nappy.’ It’s not nappy, it’s curly. That’s a curl, that’s a coil. That’s energy leading up and I was like, we need to convey that message because I see a lot of girls, natural, is it for fashion or do you really understand what that is? It is a crown that God gave you. Our hair defies gravity without any products. Do you know how powerful that is? That’s powerful.”

As a multiracial woman, I can speak to living with hair that’s a source of shame as well as a source of power and it’s refreshing to hear such an accomplished celebrity admit that she’s still struggling with self-love. It’s even better to hear a celebrity acknowledge that there is more than one way to get to there. Hearing Taraji speak out about how she’s personally learning to love herself and her natural hair, regardless of her styling choices, makes me feel empowered to do the same. I hope she continues to share her natural hair journey. After all, she’s got a powerful voice and a gorgeous head of hair.

Related Stories:
Taraji P. Henson’s Natural Curls Are Everything, As Is the Reason Behind Them
Gabrielle Union: “I Won’t Be Defined By My Hair Choices”
The Top 10 Natural Hairstyles Blowing Up on Pinterest Right Now



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