hgdotnet hair chronicles

We’ve all heard them. Those common misconceptions we have about our own hair and if you’re like me, believed them at one point.

1. The “good hair” comment — Let me just say that there is no such thing as “good hair” but there is such a thing as bad hair practices which unfortunately many black women practice (over-processing, excessive heat usage, lack or moisture, etc.) All hair is “good”
2. “Black hair grows when it’s dirty” –Wrong!! A dirty scalp actually hinders growth. Hair grows its best when the scalp is clean.  I had a girl tell me back in high school this very statement. Of course I believed it because I never washed my hair and it was still there (horribly unhealthy might I add). So, you wouldn’t go a month without bathing your skin so why should you do the same to your hair?
3. “(Tight) Braids make your hair grow” — False. Hair grows regardless, all the time no matter what you do to it and tight braids actually cause detrimental damage. They can rip the hair right outta your head and take the folicle right along with it, thus leading to permanent hair damage. Slowly and surely your edges will disappear.
4. “Cutting your hair makes it grow” – This is again FALSE. Hair grows from the roots, not the tips. If your hair is damaged and you cut it and notice and improvement, it is because your hair was growing and breaking at the same rate therefore, you saw no progress.
5. “You must get a relaxer every 6 weeks or your hair will fall out” — Spacing out your relaxers, aka, stretching is actually better for the hair. It reduces the risk of overlapping which weakens the hair and causes breakage. Also, it is exposed to the chemical less often therefore less chance of damage. When stretching, it is very important to keep your hair moisturized as the hair tends to break at the line of demarcation if it’s allowed to get dry.