Meghan Markle’s hair has been a huge topic of discussion — Does she straighten it?
Over the years, Meghan Markle has been a hot topic from everything including her relationship with the royals to her family background. And while the 41-year-old has dealt with a hefty share of hurtful accusations, it seems as if every detail or rumor about Meghan takes on a life of its own. Case in point: Meghan’s hair.
Meghan is known for her gorgeous style and incredible mane. However, since there’s an unreasonable Meghan hate train, folks have stooped low and spread rumors about the beauty possibly wearing extensions. Some people have spewed harmful rhetoric about her straightening her hair to hide her blackness and embrace her white side.
That said, chatter about Meghan’s mane has caused folks to question how she styles her hair. So, does Meghan straighten her hair? Here’s what we know.
Meghan Markle straightens her hair via keratin treatments.
All this talk about the way a Black woman decides to style her hair is a bit troubling. After all, women of all races and backgrounds opt for various styling methods to look and feel their best.
With that in mind, People shares that Meghan not only straightens her naturally curly hair, but she is also a fan of this popular treatment: a keratin treatment.
Keratin (protein) treatments are chemical treatments that consist of a hairstylist applying keratin to hair for a certain period of time — from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the formula — after two clarifying wash sessions.
After the appropriate amount of time has passed, a hairstylist continues to transform your hair texture via a blow dryer and flat-iron. This process helps to seal in the treatment and leave you with shiny and silky strands that withstands humidity.
“Meghan came to see me at least twice for keratin treatments,” stylist Theonie Kakoulli at Nicky Clarke told the publication. “It’s great for people with naturally curly hair like Meghan. It takes the frizz out and makes it more manageable — she said it made a real difference.”
Meghan Markle opened up to Mariah Carey about her experience with textured hair.
In an August 2022 episode of Meghan’s podcast, Archetypes, titled “The Duality of Diva,” Meghan had a discussion with Grammy award-winning artist Mariah Carey about dealing with textured hair and hairstylists that weren’t knowledgeable about ethnic hair.
“Here’s the thing: They didn’t know how to do my hair, because if it was a white hairdresser that had never dealt with textured hair, they would tend to do a different thing,” Mariah told Meghan via Page Six. “And my hair would be like, ‘You’re not doing that!’”
Meghan shared Mariah’s sentiments on dealing with “shellacked” hair and even noted stylists using “tons of hair grease” in an attempt to “slick down her roots.”
Interestingly, Meghan shares similar sentiments as other Black women dealing with natural textures in their childhood days.
“My hair is so curly and it’s so thick,” Meghan told Mariah. “I just remember as a child, because my mum’s black, and so my grandma Jeanette would do my hair. She’d go, ‘Just hold onto the sink,’ and I would grip my little hands on both sides. You have no luxury of being tender-headed because she would take the brush and just whoosh, whoosh and tie it.”
Although Meghan did have her struggles with her natural hair, it’s important to note that learning how to care for your textured hair — or finding a knowledgeable stylist — is key for success.
