American Natural Hair Gurus Inspire Curly Girls Abroad

The natural hair movement is a nation of millions, but it wouldn’t exist without the people who’ve shared their journeys and tips online. Thanks to their internet pulpits, the gospel of textured hair acceptance has spread far and wide. Now, many of those visionary folks that started in their homes are courting audiences across the globe. Chances are, your favorite YouTube natural hair guru has a healthy following overseas, one that sees her as a curly-haired superhero.

Before addressing an French audience of over 200 during the Paris based Natural Hair Academy, popular blogger Taren Guy had to be sequestered so that attendees wouldn’t mob the expectant mother. ”It’s still very surreal to me,” gushes Guy, a few minutes before her presentation. ”Starting out on YouTube, you don’t realize who you’re speaking to until you meet them. Overseas, they grab you and hug you and shake. The reactions are more magnified out here.”

Celebrity stylist and natural hair educator Felicia Leatherwood is one of the biggest recipients of the international outpouring of admiration. Renowned for the coifs created for stars like Jill Scott, Nicole Ari Parker and Viola Davis, she began hosting her groundbreaking “Loving Your Hair with Natural Care” workshops overseas after noticing the demand from Facebook followers. ”I actually get a much better response abroad, than in the states,” she shares. “I think it’s because U.S. women have such an abundance of product and information.” Leatherwood has traveled to Canada, Germany, France and even Africa to empower audiences eager for natural hair knowledge.

Naturalistas overseas are turning to American curly girls for more than just haircare tips. Siblings Ms. Vaughn and Meechy Monroe delivered two talks on combining natural hair and fashion to standing room only crowds at NHA Paris on behalf of Huetiful, before jaunting off to Amsterdam for a boat cruise presentation. YouTube personality Beauty by Lee, best known for her makeup demos was swarmed at the Natural Hair Academy while representing Carol’s Daughter. “Hearing that I inspire them, inspires me,” she says at her first ever international event. ”Coming over here, I feel like I have something to say, and there are people all over the world who are listening. I just want to help empower them.”

The prominence of America’s natural hair advocates has inspired a growing wave of overseas bloggers, such as rising star René Daniella of Own By Femme, a UK native living in Paris. “There’s a connection in the community in a way that didn’t exist before social media,” she declares. ”We are taking what used to be hair that stood in a very negative context, and we’re making it a positive thing. It’s no longer the struggles of curly hair, it’s now the joys of curly hair.”

While the shift towards team texture is peaking for African Americans, global interest is still growing. ”Women overseas are just beginning to love their natural hair and flaunt it,” says Chimole Williams, who distributes natural hair products internationally through her company Diaspora Products. “Vloggers have played a key role by inspiring and guiding [international naturalistas] with demo videos. Meeting women from the United States builds a global dialogue around hair, and helps redefine what beauty means for Black people across the diaspora.”

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