Thandie Newton Embraces Natural Hair For Her Daughters (PHOTOS)

Thanks to Viola Davis' bold and beautiful natural 'do at the Oscars, the media is now on curl patrol--scoping out any and all curly-topped actress of color embracing their au natural tresses.

The Daily Mail spotted one! British actress Thandie Newton was seen sporting her curls at an event in London yesterday. The "Good Deeds" actress recently opened up to her friend and make-up artist Kay Montano about her reasons for embracing her textured tresses.

Newton was scared straight (or in this case scared curly) after learning about the harsh realities of chemical relaxers via Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair."

But beyond being moved by the chemical Lye completely disintegrating a Coke can, Newton wanted to set a positive example of beauty for her two adorable daughters, 11-year-old Ripley and 7-year-old Nico.

"I always thought I would go back to curly, because I didn't want my daughters to judge their beautiful curls. I assumed they' want to be like their Mum, and they've only ever known me with straight hair," says Newton.

Reports show that more and more black women are going natural. And although black hair has consistently been a hot topic within the black community, stars like Newton and Davis are expanding the conversation to a broader demographic.

"The stigma with some black women seems to be that 'nappy hair' is almost as bad as loo roll (aka toilet paper, for the non-Brits) trailing from your shoe," says Newton.

Newton knows she might be bucking what's accepted or applauded when it comes to society's standards for beauty, but she's willing to take the risk.

"It takes a little courage to do that. I want to wear it natural because it looks amazing!"

Right on.

Here's a look at Thandie, her adorable little girls and other stars who have embraced their natural 'dos.

Comments

[buc]

09:09 AM on 03/04/2012

Just Beatiful, and so is she...WOW!

[NotMyBirthday21]

11:27 PM on 03/02/2012

How do you take care of your natural hair? I really would like to know. I only use weave when I am getting my hair braided. I don't use relaxers and I don't straighten my hair. After I take out my braids, my hair looks a mess and it usually stays this way until I get my hair braided up again.

[jrx238]

11:24 PM on 03/03/2012

Thanks to the natural movement theres almost an overload of information out there. There're several blogs, vlogs, and websites but the gist of what I've learned is to keep it as simple as possible. Basically, our hair likes moisture but it doesn't like chemicals, too many products, heat, build up, or fussing in general with combing, brushing etc. or it will look dry, hard, crunchy, brittle....and it will break off because it hates you :) You basically just need to use natural products, moisturize it daily, and do as little to it as possible(ie keep it in twists/braids 60% of the time and don't comb it daily). Some people will tell you to buy 50 products that do nothing...and to do so much to your hair that its counterproductive. I'm a busy student and have spent less time on my hair since I went natural 2 years ago and its the healthiest and longest its ever been. Naptural85.com is great.

[Ruthie Green]

02:05 PM on 03/02/2012

So, now that Hollywood is looking for curly tresses it's cool to be au naturale? What is so important about the way Thandie Newton wears her hair? And, the fact that it took her seeing the movie"Good Hair" to decide to do it...to me, is sad.
I feel hair is one of those things in our society that is highly over-rated; which is why I am so glad I'm a bald woman. Talk about starting a revolution...

[Ezra Black]

03:11 PM on 03/02/2012

Hollywood is all about bringing attention to oneself ... sort of like your last sentence

[clfrank2002]

05:29 PM on 03/02/2012

Umm, hair is actually not over-rated. Like my grandmother used to say, a woman's hair is her crown of glory. RIP Grandma!

[JChance]

02:15 PM on 03/08/2012

CrownING glory, is the correct pronunciation -- no disrespect, Grandma.

[Kiffanik]

12:21 PM on 03/02/2012

What's saddest to me is that as a community we spend $9 billion dollars a year on such silliness and most of that money leaves our communities because we own few hair manufacturers, distributors, or stores. We also don't own many hair care supply companies. This consume instead of own mentality is killing us.

[Kiffanik]

12:13 PM on 03/02/2012

There are some very interesting medical studies currently being done on a possible link between chemical relaxers and fibroid tumors. It's not healthy to burn layers of your scalp every few weeks

[RozRealTalk]

10:38 AM on 03/02/2012

Editorial fail. Why are you running a story about Thandie's natural curly do, showing only a picture of her straight hair? The video has only one curly do, and that one was styled with a curling iron. I guess I'll just Google Thandie images til I find the one that inspired this otherwise well written story.

[MarieNat]

09:48 AM on 03/02/2012

All this talk about "embracing" your natural hair is so strange to me. As if it's cause for a medal or something.

[Kiffanik]

12:11 PM on 03/02/2012

For many of us it is. I still get asked constantly by black women with relaxers why I walk around with my hair "like that" when it's so much more "manageable" straight? Despite the poverty and other ills plaguing our communities we're spending 9 billion dollars a year on fake hair so we can look like something other than ourselves. I've had black men walk up and say to my face "you'd be prettier with straight hair". The degree to which we've internalized self-hatred and bought into this Western ideal of what beauty is baffles me daily. If one of the first things you ever learn about yourself as a little girl is that your hair is bad, nappy, unruly etc while the hair that grows out of white kid's head is good how do you learn to hold your head high so you can face all the other problems associated with being a little black girl in this country? I don't think they deserve a medal, but I'm glad to see natural women get more recognition by the mainstream for their beauty

[MarieNat]

01:08 PM on 03/02/2012

Thank you for that. I understand your point. I guess I just hesitate to treat it as though accepting a facet of our Blackness is like learning to live with a wart or a handicap of some kind. That makes me sad.

[Ruthie Green]

02:27 PM on 03/02/2012

Very nicely said.

I'm a bald woman and I get lots of comments from both sides. I get mostly compliments, men are curious and want to know what I shave with, I'm told I wear it well with my perfectly shaped head, I'm asked if I have cancer, as well as why am I bald? I always happily explain and I feel for the most part, people are getting used to seeing bald women, period.
I was on a plane once and a young black man was seated next to me and when he saw me he asked the attendant if he could change his seat. I guess he thought my baldness might be contagious.

[Ruthie Green]

02:09 PM on 03/02/2012

I agree, what is the big deal?

[BWofBrazil]

07:49 PM on 03/01/2012

Because the European aesthetic is the dominant standard in countries from Europe all the way to the Americas, the statements being made by Thandie and Viola Davis are bold and necessary although they shouldn't be. Five centuries of indoctrination and self-hatred is hard to fight and some people should be recognized for their commitment to turning this around: http://www.blackwomenofbrazil.com/2012/02/project-pixaim-questions-standards-of.html

[sepia830]

08:41 PM on 03/02/2012

Excellent POV.

[tamyabonet2]

07:41 PM on 03/01/2012

why is it we can grow super long hair if our hair is in dreads?
is it because the relaxers have strong chemicals or hot comb/flat iron damages the hair?

[Harvette Ellington]

02:37 PM on 03/02/2012

We can try MSM Sulfur or gelatin (Jello) and what watch what you put in your body.

[clfrank2002]

05:31 PM on 03/02/2012

Uh, yes. Relaxers are deadly to your hair and heat can do just as much damage.

[Justine Jordan]

06:51 PM on 03/01/2012

I have a dream that one day black women will be able to wear their hair how they want and other black women won't make a fuss over it. Freedom in America is not really free for black people and it's not because white people are holding them back, it's because black people are constantly dictatorial. There are all these fantastic "black rules" about how to talk, walk, wear your hair, not touch your hair, look, think, what music to listen to, who you can and cannot criticize and the list goes on and on.

[Tayneshia Jefferson]

01:31 PM on 03/03/2012

Like how other black people want to fight me and take back my black card because I don't like Tyler Perry's work?

[NativeHorn]

04:44 PM on 03/01/2012

For the past 10 years, I have only dated sisters with natural hair. Fros look cute on women and the puffs are sexy as hell.

[Ruthie Green]

02:11 PM on 03/02/2012

Aahahahaha...that's funny!

[ms.understood]

04:22 PM on 03/01/2012

this is great. i've been without chemicals for about 8 years now, and it's the best thing for me. i experimented with twists, fros, and now locs, and i have to say that it's one of the greatest things i would advise other black women to do.

[Ruthie Green]

02:18 PM on 03/02/2012

I've had three sets of locks, worn wigs and when I started experiencing female pattern baldness I went bald all the way. It's one of the best thing I've ever done and it doesn't hurt that I have a perfectly shaped head.
Women will not know freedom until they have freedom from their hair. It costs way to much in time and money to be bothered with...in my opinion.

In "Good Hair" I'm told a woman admitted to having spent 40k on hair in a year....which of course is insanity. In this economy a home can be purchased with that kind of money.

[ZC1968]

12:40 PM on 03/01/2012

She is pretty and talented, but very thin. Doesnt look healthy.

[sepia830]

08:45 PM on 03/02/2012

Thandie Newton is very petite at 5'2" and the right size. People are still hanging on to the images of her from a few years back when she was scary thin. She has gained some weight since then. And better for her to be thin than be obese.

[ZC1968]

12:25 AM on 03/03/2012

She looks sickly and pale

[EvieEve]

10:52 AM on 03/01/2012

The reason why so many black women have relaxers and wear weaves is because no one really told them how to take proper care of their hair or how to appreciate what God has given them. Black hair is fragile so needs gentle handling. It's special, wonderful, big and beautiful.

[Osmona]

01:15 PM on 03/01/2012

That's not altogether true.

[Rhonnybay]

07:59 AM on 03/02/2012

As someone who has natural hair most of her life, I know that's not always true.

I think Black women need to have the freedom to wear their hair anyway they'd like. Relaxers and weaves don't mean you don't appreciate your natural hair. Hair for some is just like an accessory. Its not political.

[Osmona]

09:13 AM on 03/02/2012

Very well said. I could not find the right words so I kept it simple.

Faved

[Kiffanik]

12:16 PM on 03/02/2012

This is America, everything is political. For women who have worn their hair both ways, great, but many black women have had relaxers since they were children, they don't even know what their natural hair looks like or how versatile it can be. Someone who has a head full of hair spending $400 on a lacefront wig while carrying a foodstamp card (I witnessed this) clearly has some issues with themselves and what they look like. As we have no control over our own public images this is no surprise. Melissa Harris-Perry talks about this topic often. There's a subconsciousness going on here that most people are unaware of, they just know this is how things have always been.

[Adonijah]

10:21 AM on 03/01/2012

Good for her. Natural hair is gorgeous!!! But can be difficult to manage depending on curl pattern/texture.