Why Laverne Cox Doesn't Wear Her Natural Hair

The way a man or woman wears their hair is their choice. Weaves, braids, twists, locs, press and curl, fade... boo, it's entirely up to you. The choice is personal — and Laverne Cox just revealed the reason behind hers.

In an Instagram post from today, the Orange Is The New Black star showed off her stunning head of natural curls — a style that she usually keeps underneath her collection of blonde wigs and hairpieces. In it, her curls are enviably lush and long, and her dark brown strands look so pretty against her glowing skin. So how come we're just now seeing it? In her caption, she explained why she's on the quieter side of #teamnatural.

"Wearing my hair natural with its beautiful kink and curl on the daily is a bit too much work for me," Cox wrote. "I usually opt for protective styles, wigs and hair pieces for my everyday styles.
But back in January when we did this shoot, this is the look I was most excited about. I haven't relaxed my hair since 2011. My natural hair journey continues and I want to celebrate that as much as the other looks we rock. I also want to celebrate my natural hair sisters. I love you!"

Cox's fans know that this isn't the first time she's shown her natural hair... or her face without makeup, either. She's explained the importance of giving her skin a break from heavy foundations and concealers, and even uses a catchy hashtag (#washfacenobase) for those particular selfies.

It's always refreshing to see Cox stripped-down, but please don't get it twisted: she WILL wear her contour and throw on a wig whenever she pleases. "I love fake hair," she once said in a prior Instagram post. "It's one of the great joys of my life. As an actress and a woman, I love being able to transform, to switch up my look when I want to with wigs, weaves and bundles a plenty. I love this too. It's about choices and options." Slay on, sister.