In the past few years, there has been a natural hair movement going on within the black community. This movement is centered around women who are transitioning from wearing relaxed hair (hair that has been straightened through the use of harsh chemicals) to wearing their hair in it's natural state which, for a lot of black women, tends to be very kinky and curly. Black women across the country and world have made this transition and because of its wide reception, even I began noticing women in my region rocking some really beautiful natural hair styles. The more I saw women embracing this style of wearing their hair, the more inspired I became to capture this movement through my own eyes. That inspiration led me to create this portrait series.

The intent of this project is to highlight the beauty of kinky hair of all types. This is done through a series of beauty portraits that I've taken of women of color from all walks of life. These are women that I've met on the street, women that I've contacted on Instagram, and women that I've come across while in attendance at various hair shows and natural hair events that I attended in order to get a better understanding of this movement and the women involved. The past 8 months of working on this project has taken me from New York City to Los Angeles and places in between. This experience has been unbelievable and I have met some of the most interesting people because I decided to get out of my comfort zone to create this series. Now that I'm ready to share it, I can't lie; I'm a little nervous to do so because this project has been my baby for so long. Maybe that's why I've waited almost 9 months to "birth" it into the world!

Well ladies and gentleman, I now present to you, "Coquine: The Beauty of Kinky Hair Realized". Before scrolling down to see the images, I just ask that you watch this short video: