When I was no older than about eight years old, I slipped hesitantly into the kitchen in my childhood home. Mum was waiting, blow dryer in her left hand, grease already mounted on the back of her right hand, tail comb in her mouth as she searched old bags for more hair bands. 

She motioned toward the breakfast stool in front of her and as I sat, I was careful to keep my head firmly upright. While she was foraging for the tools needed to force my Afro hair straight, I was in her room, cutting away at any knots I felt stood between me and looking like the lady on the ORS box. 

And it seems I’m not the only one who aspired to be the face of the brand’s olive oil relaxer. This recent ‘where are they now?’ thread on Twitter, shone a light on those young black icons on the perm box, now all grown up.

Every picture proves once again that black doesn’t crack, whilst also revealing a large portion of those women who currently rock their natural hair. But what was even more surprising than the amount of Afro’s, locs and braids in the thread, was the revelation that many of these women have actually always been natural!