‘Hair love is self love,’ says Tracee Ellis Ross as she reveals her journey to self-acceptance

Time to embrace what you've got

Tracee Ellis Ross, self-acceptance
(Image credit: Photo by JC Olivera/Sipa USA)

We all know how having a good - or bad - hair day can affect how we feel about ourselves. Now actress Tracee Ellis Ross has revealed how her path to hair-acceptance mirrors how she has come to accept herself.

The star of popular sitcom Black-ish and daughter of iconic singer Diana Ross took to social media this week to share a series of hair pictures.

In her brave caption, Tracee Ellis Ross explained that her hair has played ‘many a role throughout my life’ and that as a teen, she didn’t understand it. She admitted that she tried ‘everything under the sun to make it do what I thought it should’.

The result, she reveals, was that her teen hair ended up ‘fried’.

A photo posted by on

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But the star’s hair journey didn’t stop there. Far from it as Ellis Ross recounts, ‘I began listening to my hair and started figuring out what it liked’. It was this, she reveals, that allowed her ‘true curl pattern’ to emerge.

By the time she had successfully made it onto the hit TV show Girlfriends in 2000, she declared her hair was ‘POPPIN’.

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Though the 47-year-old did admit that her hair is now turning grey, she states this is ‘evidence of her life and years.’ And as she has matured, Ellis Ross finally knows her hair ‘inside and out’, adding that ‘I know what she likes, what she doesn’t like, and how she’ll react in any given situation.’

Embracing curly hair

Now the actress, model and presenter has her own hair-care brand, Pattern Beauty. Specialising in curly hair, they sell a range of products, from curly hair shampoo and conditioner to styling products.

It aims to help nourish hair and empower curl patterns.

When it comes to hair dye, Ellis Ross had stated that she uses dye to cover the grey. She’s not ready to ‘embrace’ the grey just yet. Though she says, ‘I’m sure that will be exciting when I do!’

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And it’s clear that this personal journey chronicled in her pictures is not restricted to all things hair.

I’ve always said that my journey to self acceptance can be chronicled through my journey with my hair,’ Ross revealed. ‘Taking the time to accept, understand and love my hair mirrors the relationship I have with myself. I have grown to love and appreciate my hair in all of its seasons.’

She ended her empowering post with the proclamation, ‘Because hair love IS self love’.

We couldn’t agree more!

Emma Shacklock

Emma is a Royal Editor with eight years experience working in publishing. Her specialist areas include the British Royal Family, ranging from protocol to outfits. Alongside putting her royal knowledge to good use, Emma knows all there is to know about the latest TV shows on the BBC, ITV and more. When she’s not writing about the next unmissable show to add to your to-watch list or delving into royal protocol, Emma enjoys cooking, long walks and watching yet more crime dramas!