The Real Reason Queen Latifah Gave Up Relaxer And Switched To Natural Hair

In an interview with Essence, Queen Latifah opened up about the struggles she faced styling her hair at the beginning of her career. She juggled between two gigs — releasing hit music records and starring as the iconic Khadijah James in classic '90s sitcom "Living Single." Switching between costumes and looks eventually put a lot of strain on her hair. "When I went on television, I started doing my hair so often because I had an album out at the same time I was doing the show, so my hair was getting done four or five times a week — getting pressed and pressed," Queen Latifah explained. "My edges started breaking and I was like, 'Yo! Now you're talking to Hip-Hop's Queen Latifah, not Khadijah.'"

Queen Latifah's former hairstylist, Julie Baker, told her the only way to protect her edges was to go natural and stop perming her hair (via Essence). "She was like, 'You've gotta grow it out; your natural hair can handle this," she recounts in the video interview. "We can work with it, but you're just gonna have to grow out that perm.'"

"The Equalizer" star cites Baker's advice as the catalyst for her haircare journey. Now, she regularly collaborates with her current hairstylist, Iasia Merriweather, on her hairstyles and prioritizes her natural hair's health above all else.