Is ‘Undone 4C Natural Hair’ Black Women’s Answer To The ‘Effortless Hair’ Trend?

Away from the protective bubble of fashion week, I wondered how the emerging ‘undone Black hair’ trend translates into real life. Remember when H&M shared an ad with a young Black girl whose hair wasn’t slicked down into a “neat” ponytail? There was genuine uproar. Maybe it’s because the word “undone” feels too close to “unkempt” — which, to clarify, isn’t what I’m talking about here. All Black folk know that a healthy natural afro takes a significant degree of work, commitment, and investment in great products and tools to maintain. It takes a lot of work to look so free. Yet, ‘undone natural hair’ in this context means type 4 ‘fros that haven’t been over-manipulated; not slicked or stretched, or styled and defined with the twist-out method. I know what you’re thinking, ‘haven’t you heard of the wash-n-go’? While similar to the undone natural hair trend, most popular wash-n-go methods are preoccupied with achieving curl definition, and for some 4C gworls, the results can be hit-and-miss (and feels more like a ‘wash-n-stay-home’). To be ‘undone’ means no defining gels, no up-dos, no ponytails, no mohawks, no cornrows — simply washed, detangled, conditioned, brushed, picked healthy, beautiful afro hair.