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Natural/Black Hair Myths BY: UNKNOWN AUTHOR



I have compiled some of the myths and misconceptions about natural hair and the truth as spoken by various natural haired friends from LHCF!
Myth: No guys will ever want to date you
Truth: I have had more players on the team since the chop than I ever had.

Myth: You can't wear that to jobs/interviews and be successful
Truth: I have received more interviews and 2nd interviews that most of my friends. I don't have any natural friends

Myth: You won't be able to style it.
Truth: At first I couldn't, but after practice, people think my twists are done professionally. I can do roller sets, braid outs, puffs, and I am learning to do extensions.

Myth: Natural Hair is hard to manage/handle
Truth: If you make it difficult, it WILL be...like with everything else. It's what you make it. I have more freedom now than ever.

Myth: Natural hair is dry/brittle
Truth: If you take care of it and keep it moisturized, it won't be.

MYTH: Natural hair is unmanageable.
FACT: Natural hair is managed DIFFERENTLY than relaxed or loosely textured hair.

MYTH: Natural hair is not versatile, you can only wear an afro.
FACT: Natural hair is the most versatile hair on this planet...It can be worn kinky, straight, curly, wavy, braided, twisted, bunned, knotted, etc, etc.

MYTH: Natural hair is unhealthy because it breaks off all the time.
FACT: Natural hair WILL BE unhealthy if constantly handled or styled(using small combs, combing while dry, etc) like straight hair.

MYTH: I don't have time to deal with natural hair.
FACT: If you are trying to grow natural hair out long, then yes, it takes time to style. However, the initial styling process(twists, braids, cornrows) is worth it because it lasts from 1-2 weeks with no constant handling. Short natural hair is probably the easiest, low-maintenance style out here. It is truly wash and go!

MYTH: Natural hair is ugly, nappy, hard, dirty, and unkempt.
FACT: Sadly, this comment will mainly come from "our" people, but I won't go into that. Too much brainwashing has been going on since the beginning to even touch that with a long handle spoon. Natural hair is beautiful, maybe not in this european influenced culture in the U.S., but it is truly a gorgeous sight. I see so many black women and men sporting so many natural styles and it makes me smile because it is such a beautiful thing!

Myth: No guys will ever want to date you
Truth: I'm happily married to a man who prefers my nappy hair over my permed hair any day!

Myth: You can't wear that on the job and be successful
Truth: Yes you can! I became a manager leading a group of software engineers. I will say this though, I have a friend who is natural and sports a twa. Whenever she comes to work it looks as if she just woke up, got dressed and came to work. She never did her hair. And you know what? She was proud of this. She loved telling people how cool it was that she now can just get up and go without having to worry about doing her hair. That's something I guess will never sit well with me. Just because a person has given up the perm and is now totally natural doesn't mean she also gives up on styling and taking care of her hair. The technique(s) used/needed may change, but not the necessity.

Myth: It won't grow back.
Fact: It does and sometimes surpasses the length acquired with relaxed. There are many examples of this fact right here on this board.

Myth: Natural hair isn't versatile
Fact: Micarae said it all.

Myth: That you have a militant attitude or are trying to "prove something" by being natural.
Truth: You just are trying to wear your hair, period.

Myth: Natural hair is hard if not near impossible to manage.
Truth: I had more trials, tribulations, problems, and time-consuming energy spent on my pressed hair than I ever have with my natural hair.

Myth: It's just a phase you are going through. Truth: Maybe those other alternatives were the phase, and now you have come home

Myth: Natural hair won't grow Fact: My hair is LONGER natural than it had ever been relaxed.

Myth: Natural hair is for "Black Power" sisters.
Fact: Um, no it's not. It's just not.

Myth: Men don't like it. Fact: I get more attention from men wearing it natural than I ever did when it was relaxed. (I am not trying to offend anyone with a relaxer, it's just that with MY hair...well, it was pretty jacked up).

Myth: Natural hair is hard to manage. Fact: So is a relaxer, braids, a weave, etc. if you aren't used to it. I mean, how many times have we heard stories of hair breakage from those wearing relaxers or hair color? It's pretty much the same issue, only different way to wear your hair.

Myth: Natural hair is dry and brittle.
Fact: No, it's not. It just needs moisture. Natural hair will break if you don't learn how to take care of your hair properly. For me, that meant I HAD to have my hair in protective styles most of the time.

Myth: Natual hair is ugly, nappy (in the derrogatory sense) and unruly.
Fact: One name for you: STEPHANIE SUTHERS . www.hairobicsallnatural.com. Nothing ugly, nappy or unruly about her hair.

myth: you can get a job but not a well paying job with natural hair
fact: my pay stub begs to differ

myth: guys aren't feeling natural women
fact: more guys have complimented me or acknowledged my beauty while being natural then in that year and a half I was relaxed. And if the guy isn't feelingyou because of natural hair is he really worth it?

myth: natural hair is way more time consuming then relaxed hair
fact: I have doing my natural hair down to a science 1 hour 15 minutes including washing and conditioning and maybe an hour and a half at the salon compared to 2-3+ hours when I was relaxed

myth: everyone with natural hair is some tree hugging, black power, militant, I'm better then you type of person (I've heard people say this)
fact: just like anyone else there is variety in who we are and yes natural hairmakes a statement but everyones statement is not the same

Myth: Oh, so you're natural. You must be a vegetarian.
Fact: Not all naturals are vegetarians.

MYTH: if you wear your hair natural you must be a lesbian.
REALITY: nope, I'm happily married to a man (last time I checked)

MYTH: no one will hire you with your hair natural
REALITY: I worked as a staff writer at a national magazine for four years with my natural hair

MYTH: I'd like to wear my natural but I don't have that "good hair" (heard that one from my sister)
REALITY: I'm type 4 all the way, baby.

MYTH: natural hair is hard to manage
REALITY: only bc we never learned how to deal with it. If we'd been taught how to wear natural hair and keep it healthy from the time we were little girls, we wouldn't be saying this.

MYTH: only radicals wear natural hair
REALITY: wrong, I'm as bourgie as they come

MYTH: natural hair is ugly
REALITY: that's just your internalization of the european beauty standard talking

Myth: Everyone's hair isn't "good" like yours
Truth: Everyone has "GOOD" hair growing out of their scalp (minus any med. issues, etc.) What you do with it from that point on is up to you. If you don't take care of it, guess what happens

Myth: Natural hair care is time consuming...
Truth: I used to spend ~4 hours on my hair when it was relaxed from wash to deep cond to cond to style. I spend about 30 minutes, IF THAT, on my natural hair from wash to condition to style. Which one was shorter again?...

Myth: Natural hair is hard/dry
Truth: If you have "scab hair" then you may experience this for a few months. After you cut off the scab hair, welcome to soft, silky hair provided you take care of it. Also, drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily will SIGNIFICANTLY improve dry hair/skin issues...

Myth: Everyone can't wear their hair natural
Truth: Everyone can if they CHOOSE to do so!

Myth: Natural hair is hard and dry.
Truth: Not so. I even admit when I first started transitioning, I thought my natural hair would be hard to deal with and dry all the time. This didn't stop me from transitioning at all, I desparately wanted my natural hair. After I learned that I can't treat my natural hair the same way that I treated my relaxed hair, I found out that my natural hair is in fact soft and very manageable. It's a matter of finding an new routine that suits my natural hair, such as "no-pooing".

Myth: Only naturals with type 2/3 hair can grow it to great
lengths Fact: Any texture can grow to great lengths with proper hair care practices

Myth: Men don't appreciate the beauty of natural hair
Fact: My husband would be heated if I went back to perming, he LOVES natural hair. Men are always complimenting my hair, I have to beat them off with a stick!

Myth: Naturals think they are better than relaxed women
Fact: Some definately do but it is insane to lump a group of people into a category because they wear their hair they way God intended it to grow out of their head!

Myth: Natural hair is difficult to comb
Fact: The comb glides through my hair like buttah baby! my relaxed hair would get tangled if I didn't use the right products.

Myth: I am related to Angela Davis
Fact: who is Angela Davis? nah j/k but they looked at me like i was stupid when i asked who she was (i know who she was BTW just acting ignorant to the ignorant folks)

Myth: Seeing that my hair is a curly texture people assume that I have a texturizer
Fact: Okay I explanied to them that I cut of my relaxed hair to about 1 inch, so why would i go and put more chemicals on it?

Myth: I am a lesbian, who came out of the closet when I cut my hair
Fact: no comment Im tired of explaining myself to people.

Myth: Just because you go natural, you are on a journey to search for your african roots.
Fact: Not all people go natural becasue of that reason.

Myth: Natural women are not glamorous.
Fact: This is another myth. People always seem to believe that natural women are all Birkenstock having, no make-up wearing, hemp bag toting chicks. This myth drives me crazy. I love to keep my nails done. I love sexy clothes, and dangerously high heels. I don’t even own a pair of sweat pants.

Myth: Natural women go natural because they couldn’t grow long relaxed hair.
Fact: Everyone goes natural for different reasons.

Myth: If you can’t manage your natural hair then locs are the best option for you. Locs require no maintenance.
Fact: I don’t know who started this crazy myth but they need to be backslapped. Loced hair requires care and maintenance just like everyone else’s hair.

Myth: Natural hair hurts to comb
Fact: I think this myth comes from those distant memories of our mothers yanking out hair back into braids and ponytails when we were children. If your mother hurt you when doing your hair, then chances are that your mother had no real clue on how to comb, brush, or style natural hair properly.

Myth: Healthy hair is shiny hair
Fact: My natural hair does not really shine very much but it is still very healthy. I have no split ends or broken off hair. Some of us have natural hair that does not reflect light. Everybody's hair is different.

Myth: Pressing is the only way to get natural hair very straight
Fact: This is another myth. It does not take a lot of heat if you want to wear a straight style from time to time. In general people believe that the nappier your hair is the more heat you need to use to get it straight. That's why so many sisters lose their napps permanantly.

Myth: Natural hair is not for everyone.
Fact: Natural hair is for everyone because it grows out of your head that way. God don’t make mistakes. That statement should be changed to “Everybody does not want to wear their hair naturally” – that makes more sense. 1

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