Raechele Cochran Gathers, MD Natural Hair Myths
1. Natural Hair is Hard to Manage
Natural hair is not hard to manage. It’s different to manage! If you’ve mostly worn your hair straightened, having natural hair will require a learning curve. Approaching your natural hair the same way that you did for relaxed hair will not work. Natural hair requires different products, different techniques and a different way of thinking about your grooming and styling choices. African American hair is texturally unique. It tends to bend, coil and zig-zag, often in random patterns. These characteristics make it necessary to learn to care for natural hair in a different way.
2. Natural Hair is Unprofessional
Natural hair is definitely professional. There are natural doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, and CEO’s! Bozoma Saint John, the former chief brand officer for UBER regularly rocks amazing textured tresses.
3. Natural Hair is Tough
This one is just wrong. African textured hair is actually the most fragile of hair types. The hair is delicate and demands that you care for it properly. Each bend and coil is a spot of potential knotting and breakage. The delicate nature of natural hair requires that it not be combed harshly and that it be detangled with care. Many people love detangling with the Tangle Teezer, which glides through natural hair without causing a lot of snags.
4. If Your Hair is Dry, You Need Grease
The coils and bends of natural hair make it more difficult for sebum (natural oils) to travel down the hair, which can make the hair naturally drier. Hair grease, however, does not add moisture to the hair. Greases and pomades coat and seal the hair shaft and can make your hair appear temporarily shinier. However, they do not moisturize the hair.
5. You Can’t Wash Your Hair Every Week
It’s important to keep natural hair clean. It gets dirty and develops buildup, just like any other hair type. You should cleanse your hair at least every other week, if not more often. If you have too much product buildup, moisture cannot enter and properly hydrate your hair. Your hair will be literally starving for water. Dehydrated hair is brittle and breaks super easy. Learn more about moisturizing your hair here.
There are some important caveats to cleansing though: Many shampoos are too drying for delicate tresses. Try to avoid harsh sulfates in your shampoo. Consider alternating your shampoo with a co-wash such as Cantu Shea Butter Complete Conditioning Co-Wash, or try using a sulfate free shampoo like Curl Clarity Shampoo from As I Am.
Also, rhassoul clay is an excellent cleanser that helps to define and smooth your hair too.
6. Natural Hair Won’t Grow Long
Natural hair grows. Kinky, curly and coiled hair textures grow too. Sometimes, natural hair may appear to not grow, since the hair grows out, not down. But rest assured, the hair is growing. Natural hair gets bigger! You need to stretch it to see the actual length. Keeping a hair journal and taking pictures is a good way to reassure yourself about your hair growth. With time, you should definitely see that your afro puff is getting more and more massive! Check out this post for info on how to grow longer hair faster.
