We are all due for change once in a while. It’s a moment to shed the old parts of ourselves and welcome the new. For beauty guru Uche Natori, that appears in the form of a fresh haircut. After years of wearing protective styles, she debuted her pixie cut on Instagram. “Why not man?” she wrote in the caption. Natori is notoriously known for sharing her bold beauty looks on socials because, like she said, why not? Her pixie haircut debut is no different.
However, with any change comes its challenges. “My hair is thicker than I realized, which has made it tricky,” Natori tells ESSENCE. This realization has caused her to step into the learning stage with her hair; experimenting with mousse and stylers to find what works for her. Despite the experimental phase, she assures us that her routine is as easy as it gets. “My hair routine is so simple now! After my wash routine, I apply mousse, a styler, and then end with a set and wrap,” says Natori about her quick routine; a dream many women are now turning into a reality. Afterall, we know that natural hair routines and protective styles are incredible but come at the cost of high maintenance.
On the topic of ease, Natore has exchanged her hair expression from wigs and braids to this low-maintenance pixie era. Natori, along with other pixie girls’ decisions, proves Black women are no longer learning to love their hair one way. It is a movement of empowerment that is well deserved after years of being told how to wear our hair. “I love hair that is simple and easy to maintain, which is why I wanted to go short,” says Natori.
But, tisn’t the first time Natori has leaned into a short style. Her love for short hair dates back to when the beauty guru was 16. Since then, she has been hooked on the idea of going pixie instead and, by doing so, has learned a lot about how she saw herself. “I’ve always preferred my face with hair out of the way; going pixie just confirmed that for me!” says Natori. Although her skin has acted as a canvas for her incredible makeup looks, one thing remains true: Natori serves face every time… with or without makeup.
Natori understands how intimidating it can be to go pixie. However, she advocates for just going for it! “If you don’t like it, your hair will grow back,” says Natori. In other words, embrace a pixie cut, and live your low-maintenance style dreams!