Lion Babe’s Jillian Hervey on Her Go-To Natural Hair Care and the Importance of Putting Yourself First

Texture Diaries is a space for Black women across industries to reflect on their journeys to self-love, and how accepting their hair, in all its glory, played a pivotal role in this process. Each week, these women share their favorite hair rituals, products, and the biggest lessons they’ve learned when it comes to affirming their beauty and owning their unique hair texture

When Jillian Hervey—also known as one half of the musical duo Lion Babe—hits the stage, she creates a mesmerizing new world. From her raspy voice to her hypnotic dance moves, fierce makeup, and lioness-like hair looks, it’s tough to look away. She’s a natural, after all: Hervey began dancing at age two, and is part of a family filled with creatives. “My path was always supported,” she says. And being one of few Black students in her Westchester County school, “I accepted that I was different and unique early on.”

With it all came a love-hate relationship with her hair that is so iconic today. “I was wild and a tomboy, so I never really wanted to brush it or do anything like rollers in the morning, or wrapping it in a scarf at night,” she remembers. “My biggest point of anxiety was during gym class and pool parties with friends”—not wanting to get her relaxed hair wet and reveal her true texture. “I remember always admiring all of my white friends with their long thick hair that dried straight and swung back and forth effortlessly,” she continues. “It would really eat me up inside. I didn’t feel pretty.”

She played with extensions in the eighth and ninth grades, but still only wanted to wear it “stick straight like Naomi,” Hervey says. “It still amazes me to know that I used to spend so much time worried about my edges or frizz.” That began to change when she got to New York City, where she studied dance at The New School. Walking to classes in the West Village, she saw how many people embraced their individualism. “I started to become more interested in art and creating, and thinking less about boys and my appearance,” she says. “Although I was definitely still thinking about boys,” she admits, laughing. The more she dove into cultivating her creative persona, the more she felt her hair was weighing her down; she cut it off, and dyed it her now signature blonde. What followed was a newfound love for her hair, in all its forms.

The best lesson she’s learned in regard to her hair is to value it as a precious piece of art. “I take pride in the fact that my hair can change and adapt to whatever I wish to express, or not,” she says. Amid all of the hair changes she embraces, Hervey relies on nature when it comes to keeping it healthy. When she has her hair in braids, a spray bottle filled with essential oils and water does the trick to keep her scalp hydrated. “I like peppermint oil to stop the itching, lavender to relax, and tea tree oil to keep away bacteria, and maintain freshness,” she says. “It makes me smell and feel amazing.”