As a African American woman who was born and raised around other African American women, I have not always been privy to to truths of NATURAL HAIR. I can admit that no understanding my own hair forced me to rely on others to provide information about the hair that was on my head, it wasn’t until I began losing my hair that I began to look, study, and really value my hair and I began to research the many things I had been told in the past about my hair.

This is not an “ordinary” blog post…..this post is intended to educated, update, and debunk the myths and misconceptions of natural hair!

MYTH: Natural Hair Is NOT Flexible

TRUTH: Black Hair is a force to be reckoned with…..from braids/locs to puffs, twists, and knots black hair continues to morph and transform with the times! Natural hair is so flexible that it can never go out of style. Natural hair allows you to be as versatile in your styling as you are in your daily life!

MYTH: Natural Hair Doesn’t Grow Long

TRUTH: SHRINKAGE doesn’t define you! Natural hair is so mysterious in its appearance as it may appear short due to shrinkage but healthy natural hair can grow endless lengths. On average, hair grows ½ an inch per month which means your hair is growing, but you may not be retaining the length due to chemical abuse, breakage due to dryness, breakages due to excessive heat use, and a general lack of proper hair care.

MYTH: You can use anything that says “For Natural Hair”

TRUTH: While natural hair are products are often found in the “ethnic” section of the stores, it is not “one size fits all”. Quality ingredients matter! Using hair products that do not use quality ingredients can do the opposite of what you are desiring which is a healthy hair and scalp to foster healthy hair. Many of the ingredients listed on the products are not good for black hair and can clog your scalp and attract dirt to your hair unlike my products which use quality natural ingredients and address both the hair and scalp!

MYTH: Natural hair is weak and breaks easily

TRUTH: Natural hair is both STRONG and FRAGILE in the same breath (it is so mysterious and multifaceted)! Many are often intimidated by natural hair and handle it so roughly that it causes the misconception that natural hair is “hard to deal with”. Natural hair should be treated with care in order to thrive!  Natural hair requires tools such as combs with wider teeth, quality natural ingredients and YOUR HANDS! You'll find that low-manipulation and protective styles usually help to retain length because constant grooming can be too much for some hair types.

MYTH: Natural hair hard to manage

TRUTH: While natural hair is a challenge to those who have not grown up having natural hair, it can be learned. I have been told that natural hair is often difficult for those transitioning from straight hair as they find it challenging NOT to treat natural hair as if it is relaxed. It is important to understand not only natural hair but the type of natural hair you have to best address it needs. I often compare having natural hair to having a child…..you must learn to nurture and instill healthy routines in your children and natural hair is not much differentJ