We’ve all done it; take the advice of friends or parents, who think they know what’s best for our natural hair.  Though the passing on of information can be “beneficial”, I thought it necessary to put to rest some natural hair myths and legends.  I am not here to trash anyone, but it appears that our parents and friends (depending on where they grew up) maybe giving us Naturlistas hair care tips and tricks that are not “beneficial”. 

You Naturalistas need not worry, however, because it is time to separate fact from fiction when it comes to our locks.  Let’s face it, there is a lot of information out there concerning how we should care for our hair.  But have you ever thought that all of it may not be correct for certain natural hair types?

Myth #1: Frequent Trims Help Your Hair Grow.  If you’ve been following this blog you

may have picked up on the fact that I hate….no…..loathe trimming my hair.  Call it a habit.  When I was in high school I never trimmed my hair, and it remained just as long.  As I’ve grown older, I do see the importance of trimming, but for natural hair types, I’d say a healthy number is about once every 6 months…maybe. It has long been discovered that trimming the ends of your hairdo not guarantee hair growth.  In fact, there is very little evidence that trimming the ends of your hair, affects the follicles in your scalp.  Those follicles determine your hair growth rate, not the number of times you take scissors and hack off your ends.  In fact, hair grows an average one-fourth of an inch each month even if you cut it or not (Oprah.com).

Once, I took the advice of a friend in college who was straightening my hair.  She kept telling me how much I needed to trim my ends, and that I should be doing it every few weeks.  I took this advice, and lo and behold my hair was getting shorter! Because of how often I trimmed, I just ended up cutting into my length!  So, No natural hair sisters, you do not need to trim often. It is however recommended that you clip your ends as minimally necessary to reduce split-ends (Oprah.com)

Myth #2: Brush 100 Strokes a Day.  Now, I really want to have a conversation with the

person who came up with this one.  I see where they were going (distribution of natural oils) however, this isn’t necessarily true. Brushing causes way too much friction on the hair leading to cuticle damage AND a lot of breakages. The recommendation that you brush your hair only to detangle or style and even then, you should use the right tools (a wide-toothed comb or a paddle brush with ball-tipped, plastic bristles). Also, avoid using boar-bristle brushes or natural bristle brushes. They are especially harmful to the hair and scalp (Oprah.com)

So, ladies avoid the brushes, please.

Myth #3: A Cold-Water Rinse Promotes Shine.  Not only does this myth sound

uncomfortable, but it also doesn’t make sense.  From what science knows about hair, hair contains no living cells (Ophra.com. This means that it can neither react to cold or hot conditions (Aside from burning). The trick to shinier hair is incorporating oils and moisturizing humectants into your healthy hair regimen.

We’ve been given so many pieces of advice when it comes to our natural hair.  It may be overwhelming to sift through the noise, but with a little help from the bookworm syndrome, we can discover advice that is tailor-made to each natural hair type.

What are some hair care myths you’ve debunked? 

Natural Hair Sisters let us know what works well for your natural hair type.

Reference: Bailly and Foresto (2020) The 5 biggest hair myths…and one unfortunate truth. Oprah.com.