African American Hair Myths Revealed

Over several decades we as black women have picked up on a certain number of hair care myths that were passed down to us from our mother's and grandmothers etc. Many of these myths are absolutely false and by using common sense and our own God given wisdom we would've never believed this myths and would probably have longer healthier hair right now had we questioned these myths long ago.

Below is a list of the most common myths about our hair. Click on the myths below to reveal the actual truth.

• Clipping the ends makes the hair grow

  • False! Clipping your ends will not make your hair grow or become thicker. Hair is dead not alive and it will not sprout new hair as soon as you clip it like a rose bush does. Hair grows on average 1/2 inch a month. Clipping the ends every 6-8 weeks will only make it shorter and prevent you from gaining length.

    Clipping the ends should only be on a "as needed" basis, not based on a certain schedule. If you are taking care of your hair correctly, you will rarely see split ends, and if on the rare occasion you do, you will probably clip your ends every 3, 6, or 12 months.

• If you don't clip your ends your hair will split up to your hair shaft and break

  • False. When hair splits it splits at an angle so this is utterly impossible. Keep your hair well conditioned, moisturized, and always treat your ends with oil or shea butter at night to prevent split ends.

• Washing your hair too much will dry it out

  • False! Water is moisture and our dry hair depends on it. Many Caucasian women wash their hair daily and if this was true they'd be bald! What will dry you hair out is using too much shampoo or harsh sulfate containing shampoos. When you shampoo your hair only wash it once unless there's major build up, and stick to sulfate free shampoos only.

• Brushing your hair daily will make the hair grow

  • False! Brushing your hair with any type of brushes (ball tip, bristol, etc.) is damaging. This actually rips the hair right out of your head! Do not brush your hair ever no matter what! Instead use a wide tooth comb and massage your scalp with your finger tips to stimulate your scalp. If you are preparing a ponytail or bun, cautiously use a soft boar brush on damp hair to smooth your hair down.

• Curly hair is "good" hair

  • False. Kinky hair is not bad hair, but damaged hair is. Stop holding on to this stereotype and instilling it on your daughters. African American hair is beautiful.

    Bad Hair = Damaged Hair & Good Hair = Healthy Hair

• Pills and greases help grow hair

  • False. There are a lot of vitamins for your hair along with so-called "miracle grow" greases. None of these products make your hair grow. Grease will actually clog the pores on your scalp and inhibit the absorption of moisture because it contains petroleum or mineral oil. Vitamins on the other hand are great for your health, but they do not promote hair growth.

• "Hair Food" grease is food for your hair

  • False. Hair is dead so how can it eat? "Hair food" grease is nothing more than just grease. It does not promote hair growth and it doesn't feed hair. If your hair was alive it would hurt for you to cut it.

• Braids make your hair grow

  • False. Braids will not make your hair grow, but they can give your hair a break from daily styling, however, if they are too tight they can cause severe damage to your hair.

• Black Hair grows slower than Caucasian, Asian, and Hispanic Hair

  • Our hair growth rate really depends on our genetics, but all hair including African American hair grows on an average of 1/2 inch per month.

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