Celebs Who Rarely Let Their Curly Natural Hair Out To Play

If you've ever wondered why you don't see more celebrities with curly hair, there's a perfectly good reason for it: curly hair can be unruly as all get out. So, many people — celebs included — like to keep their curly hair under wraps. Let's be honest, even if you're equipped with everything you need to know about styling your curly hair and all the right products, it remains a defiant texture, and one that often refuses to behave.

"Your curl type is determined by the shape of the follicle that your hair grows out of from your scalp," hairstylist Vernon François told Allure in March 2025. He explained that while straight hair has circular follicles, oval-shaped follicles result in curly hair. "Your curl pattern is also identified by the shape that the strands of hair make, whether they kink, curve, or wind around themselves into spirals," the hairstylist added.

As much as naturally curly hair looks fantastic and even manageable when done by a professional, for those who are born with curls, it can be a less-than-stellar situation. That's why so many celebrities rarely let their curly hair out to play. From Nicole Kidman's unfortunate wig missteps to chemical straightening to keep the curls at bay, some stars go to great lengths to either minimize their curly hair or eliminate it altogether.

When Laverne Cox had to relax her curls for a film in 2011, she learned the hard way that her natural locks would not be tamed — at least not without consequences. "By the end of 2011, my hair was brittle and breaking off," Cox told Allure in December 2019. "My hair does not like relaxers. So I said, never, ever again." Because of the negative experience, Cox has steered clear of chemicals ever since. But she does admit that going au natural on the reg isn't easy.

"Wearing my hair natural with its beautiful kink and curl on the daily is a bit too much work for me," Laverne Cox captioned in an Instagram post in May 2017, adding that she usually goes for wigs, hair pieces, and other options that protect her hair from any further damage. "My natural hair journey continues, and I want to celebrate that as much as the other looks we rock," Cox wrote. "I also want to celebrate my natural hair sisters."

Even if you have the most obedient head of curls, feisty locks require a lot of upkeep. While there are dozens of hairstyles and cuts that complement super curly hair, that doesn't erase the work that goes into maintaining curls that actually look good, which is why sometimes wigs really are the easiest way to handle such a precarious situation.

When it comes to celebrities who rarely let their natural hair out into the open, Nicole Kidman might be the most famous. In fact, after years of hair damage, her use of wigs is so well-known that we ranked Nicole Kidman's wigs by how well they've suited her face. "I wish I had my curls back," she told Australia's Who magazine in April 2017 (via Today). "I tortured them to death. I always say, 'Don't ruin the ringlets!'"

As someone who's played such a wide variety of characters, it makes sense that wigs have become part of Kidman's must-have kit of acting essentials, especially since the natural curls she had early in her career are gone. "I loved my hair there. That is my natural hair," Kidman said in a video for Allure in August 2025 about her big, gorgeous strawberry-blond curls in the 1990 film "Days of Thunder." But she followed up the statement with a warning that all curly-haired folks should heed. "Do not follow in my steps and straighten your hair," said Kidman. "I can do that to my hair still, but it needs to be kind of humid, and I need to use the right product."

As one of the most fashionable people on the planet (we have the photo timeline of Zendaya's iconic style evolution to prove it), it's surprising that Zendaya was late to the party on embracing her naturally curly hair. After all, whenever she walks the red carpet, jaws drop, and thousands of Pinterest boards get another Zendaya pin. She just exudes confidence, and that's half the battle when you're a fashion icon. "When I was younger, I went through a phase when I didn't like my hair," Zendaya told The Cut in March 2016, explaining that she went to a predominantly white school, so no one had the same hair texture as she did. "I remember one day I straightened my hair and that was the first day that people gave me compliments on it," she added.

These days, Zendaya, who's known to rock retro hair trends when attending events, isn't afraid to show off her natural curls anymore. But she also knows that keeping her hair healthy is key. "I try to wear as many wigs as possible and not put any heat on my hair," Zendaya told Elle in April 2016, adding that she washes her hair every two to three days and is a big fan of coconut oil to moisturize her tresses. "I'll use any grocery-store brand, as long as it's 100 percent real coconut oil," she told the magazine. Considering the fact that curly hair is naturally drier than straight hair, integrating coconut oil into your beauty routine is one of the best things you can do.

Although Ariana Grande has certainly had a stunning style transformation, her hair has been put through the wringer. We're not just talking about all the bleach needed to keep her platinum for her role as Glinda in 2024's "Wicked," and 2025's "Wicked: For Good," but all the straightening her hair has endured over the years. Because, believe it or not, Grande has naturally curly hair that she very rarely shares with the world.

"My real hair, which is a humongous curly, curly pouf ... so few people get to see it," Grande said of her natural hair on the "Zach Shang Show" in 2020. "And it's cute, and it reminds me of me as a kid, and it reminds me, you know, who I am privately. The curls are definitely something that I don't bring around much."

After being given a hard time about her hair, in 2014 Grande took to Facebook to explain why she was wearing wigs on the Nickelodeon series "Sam & Cat." As she explained to her fans, the bleaching and dying it red had taken a major toll on her hair. "I wear it in a pony tail because my actual hair is so broken that it looks absolutely ratchet and absurd when I let it down," Grande wrote, concluding it was just hair and would grow back.

Considering how often Selena Gomez straightens her hair, when she does post a photo of herself with her natural curls on Instagram, we're immediately reminded of just how stunning she is. Straight hair, curly hair, it doesn't matter — Gomez is as gorgeous as she is talented. But like a lot of people with curly hair, it's been a journey to accept her natural texture.

"When my hair is natural, I have that Latina feel — it gets wavy and frizzy, and I've had to learn to love it," Gomez told Into the Gloss in October 2014. "You obviously always want what you don't have, which is why I wear it straight so often. Recently, though, I've been trying to wear it beachy because that's a little more natural to who I am." Fortunately, it's easy to achieve the perfect beachy waves without using heat, which is great news for Gomez and everyone else wanting to rock this look.

While straightening your hair regularly isn't exactly the best thing for it, Gomez mitigates the damage by not washing her hair too often. "I don't wash my hair every day, which may sound gross, but it's actually really bad for my hair," Gomez told Allure in May 2016, adding that some of her friends can't go more than a couple of days without needing to wash their hair. "I have thick hair, so it gets better the less I wash it," Gomez explained. "By the third day, my hair actually holds pretty well."