Andre Walker Clarifies Once and For All Whether Oprah is Really Natural

Last month when we posted a photo of Oprah rocking textured hair on the cover of O Magazine, many weren’t buying that the queen of talk was actually natural. Well in an interview with ModernSalon.com Oprah’s long time stylist Andre Walker finally clarified the state of Oprah’s hair…

If you’ve read the magazine about her hair, it’s exactly that. It’s not totally natural. It’s her hair after it’s been braided while it’s damp, and that’s the texture that it leaves. Her natural texture is similar, this is a more stylized version of what it looks like.


Oprah has slightly relaxed hair, it isn’t totally relaxed. I relax it normally to the point of being just a little more manageable. We only do it maybe a few times a year. Her hair is pretty much in its semi-natural state. It’s pretty kinky and full. If you have relaxed hair you could possibly get the look, probably not as an afro look or a full look. It would probably be a little straighter. But I think you could still probably do it.

He also shared how he achieved the textured look…

Usually I start with hair that’s a little damp, and on her we add a little bit of some sort of oil and a little bit of styling cream, something that gets it a little bit of shine and hold. Then we cornrow it while it’s damp and then, overnight if you can, let it dry. Then the next day I unbraid it and finger it out until I get it exactly where I want it and maybe add a little bit more oil to it like, Argan oil. That’s pretty much it, it’s as simple as that.


I kind of teased it a little bit, too, to get it that full. There’s another cover coming out where it’s also natural but not as full. It’s probably a little, for lack of a better word, floppier.

He also shared some secrets of how he keeps her hair healthy…

There have been times in the past when we just about killed her hair. We were styling it sometimes three and four times during the day. The average person doesn’t have to do that, of course, but with a job like hers it’s damaging for her hair. But we figured out ways to keep it healthy.


There’s no miracle conditioner. Sometimes for three months we put it in extensions. There are times when most of her extensions look like her hair, so it’s hard to tell. But we do. She’s very candid about it. She’ll tell you if it is or isn’t.

Natural or not, Oprah is definitely a hair idol for a lot of women! Click here for the full interview with Andre Walker. Ladies, what are your thoughts?