4 Natural Hair Hair Myths We See All The Time, Busted!

by Victoria

If you’re new to your natural hair journey, you may feel overwhelmed by all of the new information that you come across online through social media, blogs, and vlog. Every news source comes from personal experience, so you don’t know what to trust and what not to trust.

Well, the truth is that some information has gotten distorted after being shared and tweaked from naturalista to naturalista.

So if you were wondering if that hair tip you got from your co-worker is valid, check the list below! Also, leave a comment with some of the hair myths you’ve heard!

Don’t need to wash hair
I remember when I first studied abroad, I had about two naturalistas that I could ask for tips. One washed her hair every month, while the other cowashed and washed her hair every few days.
The girl that washed once a month had dry, dull hair that could barely be managed. The one who cowashed and had a more frequent regimen had shiny, bouncy curls that you actually wanted to touch!

Moral of the story is, don’t wait so long in between washes. And please don’t let someone tell you that you don’t have to wash your hair.

Otherwise, product buildup and dirt can actually hinder and prevent your hair growth. If you decide to go natural for whatever reason (less maintenance, want to stay away from chemicals, etc), please note that you still have to care for your hair. You have to wash it, have to detangle, and have to care for it if you want to see growth, hair health, and overall progress in your hair journey!

It’s cheap / expensive

The next myth is that returning to natural hair requires a certain amount of money. You can hear women saying that it’s cheap compared to getting relaxers every few months and compared to buying weaves and hair extensions. You might also hear women saying that it’s too expensive because of buying or trying a whole bunch of products.

The truth is that the cost of being natural depends on you. It can be a little more expensive if you decide to get it done professionally often, if you consider yourself a ‘product junkie’, or if you invest in a ton of expensive hair tools. Returning to natural hair may be cheaper than getting a relaxer and maintaining it every few weeks, but quality products may be a little more costly than some brands that target themselves for ‘natural hair’.

Products can ‘change’ your curl pattern 
There is a big world of natural hair products these days – it’s like everyday someone else is creating another product and claiming it as their own. And with a little creative marketing, all of these products begin to sound like they’ll work wonders on our tresses.

The truth though is no product will truly alter your curl pattern (other than a chemical process like a relaxer or texturizer).

Even if a product is marketed as a curl enhancer, curl cream, etc, it will not alter your curls further than styling (doing a twist out, braid out, etc).

So if you have 4c hair, no product will magically make your curls change to 3a hair, or vice versa. Learn to love the hair you have, and take it from there!

Heat Training / Use heat to blend transitioning hair
Making the change from chemically altered to natural hair can be a little bit of a culture shock, especially if you’re transitioning and if you haven’t had any experience with your own hair.

Some newer transitioners may say that they blend their two hair textures (curly and straight) by using heat. Also, other naturals have said that they train their hair and get a looser hair pattern by using heat consistently.

The truth is that every time you use heat on natural hair, it becomes more damaged, whether you can see the damage or not. Heat is actually not recommended for curly hair.

By using heat constantly on our fragile strands, we may begin to notice that our hair no longer holds the same curl, is permanently straight, or is much thinner than usual. Instead of using heat to blend two textures, experiment with different styles like bantu knots and rod sets. If you want straighter or stretched hair, you can stretch overnight.

You’ll grow x amount of inches in a certain time period

If you’re addicted to social media like I am, you come across a bunch of photos of other women that have had AMAZING hair journeys, growing TWAs out to waist length in like 3 years. So, by obvious deduction, we think our hair is going to grow at the same pace, then get discouraged when we don’t meet those expectations.

The truth is that everyone’s hair grows at a certain pace, and in its own time. There are different factors that go into hair growth, like genetics, regimen, products, diet, etc. Instead of setting yourself up for disappointment, or giving your hair unrealistic goals, actively track or measure your hair growth so you know what’s normal for you. And take comfort that your hair will grow (and retain its growth) as long as you care for it!

These are some of the most common hair myths. What do you think? Comment below with any other hair myths you usually see. 

from beauty hair http://ift.tt/1QSrseV