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A quick flip through the music television channels reveals anything but a trend in hairstyles for African American women. It seems as if the latest looks are as diverse as the songs.
Black women are at a turning point in their thinking about hair, explains Nadine LeBlanc, who describes herself as an "ethnic hair-care specialist" and owns the homey Penthouse Salon in Leimert Park. She credits singer Toni Braxton with sparking the change.
"A lot of women who have hard-to-grow hair have always believed they could only be beautiful with long hair," she says. "Now that they see Toni Braxton and other singers with very short hair, they see how beautiful they can be. They're not afraid to cut their hair anymore. All lengths are in fashion now."
Braxton's style is a geometrically cut wrap, in which the head acts as a roller to straighten the hair and keep it flat. Other recent...