It all began in 2009, when she wanted to know more about her own natural hair. Inspired by other ‘naturalistas’ on Youtube, she started documenting her own hair journey. Over the past years she has become an inspirational woman, with an awesome personality and curly tresses to die for. I’m talking about Taren Guy, ladies. During her brief stay in Holland, she took the time to sit down and have a chat with me.

“I wanted to know what my own hair looked like.”

Taren grew up in a black neighborhood in Brooklyn with her white Swedish grandmother. “For me that was pretty strange, because no one really looked like me.” Like a lot of curly headed girls, she begged her grandmother for a relaxer. Eventually her grandma caved and Taren got her way. She got the straight hair she wanted. But a few years later Taren bumped into a lady with a head full of lovely curls. This made her curious to see what her own hair could do. “I wanted to know what my ‘own’ hair looked like and I wanted to know more about my texture. So one day I typed ‘curly hair’ in the Youtube search bar. To my surprise I saw a lot of beautiful ladies talking about their hair and how they care for it. This inspired me to pick up the camera and make my own video’s.” 

Soon after, a lot of natural hair ladies felt a connection with Taren. She gained subscriber after subscriber, not only by talking about her hair, but also by candidly sharing her life story as well. “These past years I have learned to love my own texture and the versatility of my own hair. It felt and still feels amazing to share my experiences with other ladies.” 

“I lost the ‘fun’ natural hair.”

Dispite the many followers that loved her long hair and regimens, two years ago Taren made a drastic decision. “I lost the ‘fun’ in natural hair. I got too obsessed with my hair and wanted a fresh start. I decided to do a big chop. From this point on I got to know my hair ‘for real’ and fell in love with it all over again.” Taren says her journey is still evolving. “I started with wanting the perfect curl, to now embracing the change. This makes me feel so much more care free.”

Luv & Learn Your Hair

When I met up with Taren, she was in Holland for her ‘Luv & Learn Your Hair’ tour. With this tour she wants to inspire and educate women about their hair. “Doing this tour feels amazing. I love seeing other naturals share their journey. Starting these kind of dialogues is what keeps me going.” The LLYH tour is not only about loving your hair. “It is about accepting and loving who you are as a person. I love the human connection aspect of it and I am so glad that I have the opportunity to continue to inspire, now also on different platforms. One day I hope to take this content to television!”

“Everything is falling into place.“

Taren is a woman with many dreams. Her mission and mindset help her to achieve her goals. But Taren realizes that not only a goal oriented mindset will get her to where she wants to be. “I learned to stop worrying about the ifs and buts and focus on the core. I have a great support system at home, which allows me to do all these great things…even as a mother of three kids. Everything is falling into place. I am embracing my path and allowing it to happen.”


After my talk with Taren, it was clear that she is a strong woman with a clear vision. I have this gut feeling that she can do anything she sets her mind to. I would love to see what te future has in store for her.