Even Lizzo Hasn’t Always Loved Her Hair

Lizzo has basically become synonymous with confidence. Whether she's posting unedited photos, shutting down the haters, or twerking with a flute, the singer exudes self-love and inspires the same from her fans. But that hasn't always been the case, especially when it comes to her hair.

“I have struggled with accepting my hair in its natural state my entire life,” she tells Glamour. “In the last few years, I've just started my hair love journey.” Which is why she's partnered with Dove for the brand's new My Hair, My Crown workshops, which aim to inspire hair confidence in children with natural hair (she's been part of the brand's Self-Esteem project since the start of the year).

My Hair, My Crown is part of Dove's larger support of The Crown Act, legislation demanding protection against race-based hair discrimination in the workplace and schools. The tool (available on the brand's website) includes everything parents and teachers need for in-depth workshops to boost the self-esteem of children ages 11 to 14. On August 5, Lizzo got to virtually sit in on one of these guided workshops at the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem to surprise the girls in attendance.

“I've been watching what Dove has done for young people and young women for the last decade or so,” she says. “When I had the opportunity to partner with them on My Hair, My Crown, I was like, ‘Whoa, I need this workshop.’ I thought this was the perfect thing to help me and also help others at the same time.”

Ahead of the workshop, we spoke with Lizzo about how she shows her hair love, how she takes a moment for herself, and the beauty products she can't live without. Read on as she answers Glamour's Big Beauty Questions.

Glamour: What’s a beauty rule you swear by?

Lizzo: Well, I used to think there were rules until I bleached my brows. Now I'm like, There are no rules! I think what's so exciting about the way that individualism is so popping and mainstream today is that you can literally do anything. We had these trends that you would follow; now you can go on the internet or TikTok and see a 17-year-old girl beating her face and doing the coolest makeup looks that you've never seen before. You can be like, “Wow, I didn't even know that was possible.” That's what I love about beauty right now.

And what’s a beauty rule you think is B.S.?

I've had a lot of fun experimenting with short hair. I was always told, “You're a big girl, so you have to have big hair to look slimmer.” And I'm like, Well, what if I don't care about looking slimmer? So that's one of those rules that's B.S. to me. That is some bullshit. I'm going to wear short hair, and I've had a lot of fun with pixie cuts.

Fill in the blank. I love my hair…

I love my hair the more I put love into it.

What’s a way you show your hair love?

Man, I show my hair love by leaving it the fuck alone. I'm one of those girls that will fidget with her hair. If I get bored or if I'm sad or depressed, I'll bleach my hair or cut my hair off. I'll change it all the time. The best thing I learned about her on my head is to leave her alone, give her a break, give her a vacation.

If you could use only three beauty products for the rest of your life, what are they and why?

I'm going to go with my every days. I would say I need an oil. I have a collection of premium oils that I put on my body every single day, but I'm going to choose one out of all of them to make you happy. There's a shop in Leimert Park in L.A., and they make these oils and body creams from scratch with shea butter, and there's a coconut body oil that I would use every day.

And then rosewater on my face and my body—I put rosewater everywhere, if you know what I'm saying. And castor oil for my hair; I need something for up there. Just something to help the growth.

Heritage Store Rosewater Spray

$10.00, Ulta

Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil

$13.00, Amazon

What’s your favorite way to take a moment for yourself?

I've recently discovered the joy of sitting and doing nothing. I'm always having to do something, ever since I was a kid. Always working, working, working, or playing, playing, playing. I've recently just sat and done nothing and realized, oh, this is nice. So I think quieting my mind, meditation, and doing nothing.

Meditation is hard. I started off by just listening to frequencies or chill music or nature—I love nature, rainstorms, and the ocean. And then I kind of fell off of meditation real bad, and I haven't been able to sit still for nothing. So I got the Headspace app, which is a really cool app for beginners, to get back into meditation again.

What is the last Instagram or TikTok rabbit hole that you were sucked into?

It's definitely a TikTok rabbit hole because I don't really do Instagram rabbit holes, no shade. I think just probably food. Probably looking for another vegan recipe to re-create.

If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions, either on social media or in Hollywood, what would you want to change?

You know, I wish that there were no stigmas with how we perceive beauty. To be a little bit more specific, I love how Dove has made the Selfie Talk series, because we are trying to help young people understand about how much digital distortion happens on the internet now. I'll be with my friends and they look so beautiful and I'll be like, “Oh, let's do a selfie.” And they're like, “I got to put a filter on. I don't look cute. I need to filter.” And for me, in my eyes, I don't think you need a filter, but we've gotten so used to seeing ourselves filtered that I think we've grown a little dependent on seeing ourselves that way. That's the one thing that I wish would change. I wish people didn't need to see themselves filtered to see themselves as beautiful.

Who are the women inspiring you the most right now?

Right now I'm extremely inspired by our Olympians. Simone Biles and so many other women have really risen above and beyond, not for the world, but for themselves. Man, what a testament to self-love, and what a testament to being to yourself and taking care of yourself, to know when to say, “I can't do this,” or “I won't do this right now, or not yet, or not right now.”

Having boundaries is so difficult, especially when there's a lot of pressure on you, and you're in the position of power, and everyone's looking at you. I've just recently learned how to have boundaries and to speak up on them, especially as women and especially as Black women, always expected to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders and to always say yes. It's so inspiring to see people say no.

Bella Cacciatore is the beauty writer at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @bellacacciatore_.

Originally Appeared on Glamour