Model-Activist Gabrielle Richardson on Her Biggest Hair Lessons, and Maintaining Her Marley Twists
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.
Model-activist Gabrielle Richardson has always pursued her creative interests alongside her modeling career. She’s worked with the Art Hoe Collective, a safe space for artists of color, and more recently founded the Brown Girl Butterfly Project, a collective which provides wellness kits and tools to Black and brown femme communities. When it comes to modeling, you can spot Richardson in campaigns for the likes of Marc Jacobs and Prada, or simply gracing Instagram feeds with angelic makeup looks and her signature Marley twists.
“If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t always love my hair,” Richardson admits. “I suffered from the systemic conditioning that something is innately wrong with our natural state of being.” On top of mending her damaged ends, it took her years to unpack that mentality.
Now, Richardson takes a less-is-more approach to her hair care. When her Marley twists are in, “silk pillowcases are a girl’s best friend,” she says. “I used to sleep with a bonnet, but I would always lose it in my sleep.” When it comes to her hair styling, she reaches for shea butter, Gisou’s Honey Infused Hair Oil, and the Ouai Scalp Body Scrub to refresh her scalp. “I love protective styles because they’re low-maintenance and always look great,” she says of her go-to look. “When I wake up in the morning, I shake my head and I’m ready for the day, or if I’m feeling fancy, I lay my baby hairs with Creme of Nature Argan Oil Perfect Edges.”
