6 Myths about Natural Hair Everyone Thinks are True

What people believe about natural hair can be truly shocking.  Here are six myths everyone thinks are true about natural hair.

Myth #1

Natural hair is hard to manage.

I was having a conversation about this recently with a few well-meaning white women with straight hair.  They figured that black women straighten their hair to make it easier to manage, and I quickly told them that it just isn’t that simple. Natural hair may involve planning and care, but this myth deals mostly with mindset.  Once you go natural and care for your  hair, you’ll come to realize that it’s not hard to manage at all.

Myth #2

Natural hair is strong.

It’s curious that so many believe that they can tug and pull on natural hair without doing any damage. In reality, the tighter curls are, the weaker the hair can be because of the delicate hair structure.

Myth #3

Hair shouldn’t be washed often.

Hair craves moisture.  Regular washing helps to remove access oil and product build-up and it stimulates hair growth, too.  You don’t need to use shampoo everyday, but regular cleansing is a very good idea for all of us.

Myth #4

Natural hair grows very slowly.

Hair grows about six inches a year, no matter what your ethnicity is.  The rate of your hair  growth has more to do with how you care for it, your diet, your environment and your gene pool.

Myth #5

Grease your scalp to make your hair  grow faster.

Is this myth really still floating around? Greasing your scalp with mineral or petroleum based oils can suffocate your scalp, making it very difficult for it to detoxify itself.   If you would like to retain moisture, use castor or coconut oil.

Myth #6

Natural hair is unprofessional.

Women with natural hair with various professions, from lawyers and doctors to teachers and accountants.  The mentality that natural hair is unprofessional is toxic and self-defeating.