sillygurl18
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Five Myths About African American Hair
by OurHair Staff
I'll never have hair to my waist, right? Should my hair be silky to be healthy? Is African American hair rough and tough? Read on to banish the five most common myths about African American hair.
Myth 1 - African American hair looks wooly so it must feel rough and hard.
False - Our hair can be some of the softest, fluffiest stuff you've ever squeezed (more on squeezing later). While our hair in its natural state appears tough and wiry due to our thin and highly coiled hair strands, it has a soft, cushiony, cottony feel. On a couple of occasions when I was feeling solicitous towards someone being curious about my hair and allowed them to touch it, the look on their faces was well worth the price of admission. The hesitant look moves from doubt to wonderment at the light and airy feel of a twist or bit of afro puff. The resultant oohs and ahhs sound embarrasingly orgasmic when overheard by passersby. More than once a touchee has invited total strangers that stop to watch the event become touchers. Needless to say, I've learned to duck and worm my way out of such impromtu invites.
Myth 2 - Unless they straighten it, all African Americans have hair that is big, poofy, wooly in texture.
False - The people of the Diaspora's natural hair textures can range from bone straight to kinky coils the size of watch springs. Obviously this is due to the racial melting pot provided by our genetic pool. And while it may seem as though the union of a straight and coily hair texture would produce a child with wavy hair, more often than not, this is not the case. Hair that has curls, coils, turn and loops is the dominant hair texture throughout the world.
Myth 3 - Our hair can handle rough treatment
False with alarm bells - Our hair is the most fragile hair in the world because of its ribbony texure which yields it unique beauty.
Each time a hair makes a turn to form a curl or coil, the point at which the bend begins is a potentially weak spot. Rough combing, chemical and heat abuse as well as stressful styles can shred our hair to pieces in a matter of months. We've all seen the sister with a beautiful head of hair change one thing about her routine to have the latest style and three months later be practically bald.
Our hair demands gentle handling to ensure its health and longevity.
Myth 4 - African American hair can only grow so long
False, but with conditions.
While it seems true that the majority of black women do not attain the hair lengths as seen by other races of women, the fact is we can and do. However, the nature of our hair and some current care methods prevent that from being obvious.
First and foremost how long your hair can or will grow is determined genetically. For many of you this means your hair will never be long enough to sit on. But, this does not mean you hair cannot grow; it only means that your hair will only reach a certain length no matter how you care for it. This rule applies to everyone including those who typically have longer hair than the women of the Diaspora.
Second, all hair growth is determined by how well you care for it. The better the care, the better the potential for growth (within your genetic confines of course). And care is determined by two things- manipulation and protection. Less manipulation and more protection means that your hair will reach its genetically predetermined length whether that is to your shoulders or your knees.
Everyone has an Aunt Katie or Grandma Genny that kept her hair in a long braid twirled around her head. And we all know the common excuse of why her hair was that long, but the truth probably had more to do with its care than her bloodline. Most likely she did not manipulate it daily, she kept it in a protective style and she used a wash method that retained her natural scalp oils. Also, her diet was most likely higher in omega fatty acids (grandma loved sardines), iron and vegetables; all of which can contribute to a healthier head of hair.
African American hair can also appear visually shorter due to the coils and turns in each strand.
Near the second year point of my natural journey, I posted a photo of my progress on the Fotki photo sharing website. I'd styled my hair while wet, which was the easiest way to comb it, and snapped a photo from the back. Within hours of posting that photo, I had many less than nice comments in my album asking why my hair was so long all of a sudden. Shocked, I answered each comment wondering what was so sudden about nearly two years of hair growth.
It turned out that because I'd only posted photos of my hair in a pony puff or after it had dried, they were seeing the most misunderstood aspect of natural hair - shrinkage.
While my hair when dry and in full coil, so to speak, appeared to be 3" inches long, when wet with the weight of water on it or when pulled taunt, the strands were over 6" long.
So while many of us may grow hair that is over 24" long, it may never look more than "8 long when left to bob in mid-hair, umm, air, in its naturally kinky, coily state.
Myth 5 - For hair to be healthy, it should shine, have body and feel like silk.
Page 3 of 3
Need I say it? False, wrong, dead wrong! While some textures of African American hair can shine, when it is the highly coiled version, it will have sheen as opposed to a shine.
What is sheen? It is that sparkly, light catching prism of colors you see on feathers. It captures the light and sends back a mosaic that dances. What's responsible for that sheen is our coils and the flat, ribbon like shape they come in.
The next time you're in the gift wrapping department of a store, take a look at the spray type bows. Grab a dark one in navy blue or black if they have it and turn it in the light. You'll notice how light dances across each turn of the ribbon all at once. That's how the beauty of our hair works.
As for body, well, I dare anyone to compare the body of an afro with a straight hair style. There is no contest. An afro can stay suspended, well, for days if nothing mashes it down. The damper it is outside, the higher and lighter it will rise while straight hair will go limp and hang. Now that's body!
Generally speaking, when in its natural state and of a highly coiled texture, our hair isn't silky. Even relaxed hair will never have the feel of silk the way it is meant in advertisements and as understood by uninitiated fingers. So how do you judge our hair health from feel? You don't, you use your ears instead.
Squeeze a few strands of hair between your fingers. Did it rustle like crispy tissue paper or whisper like cloth? Well, if you heard rustling and tumbleweed blew by, then girlfriend, it is time for some TLC and moisture 101. Our hair naturally tends to be dry, and dryness is best heard, not felt.
While there are many more myths surrounding our hair, the few I've listed are the most widely asked about in the Voices forum. And as time goes on, I am sure I will get many more, but for now, keep these in mind and use them in your fight against misinformation and ignorance.
by OurHair Staff
I'll never have hair to my waist, right? Should my hair be silky to be healthy? Is African American hair rough and tough? Read on to banish the five most common myths about African American hair.
Myth 1 - African American hair looks wooly so it must feel rough and hard.
False - Our hair can be some of the softest, fluffiest stuff you've ever squeezed (more on squeezing later). While our hair in its natural state appears tough and wiry due to our thin and highly coiled hair strands, it has a soft, cushiony, cottony feel. On a couple of occasions when I was feeling solicitous towards someone being curious about my hair and allowed them to touch it, the look on their faces was well worth the price of admission. The hesitant look moves from doubt to wonderment at the light and airy feel of a twist or bit of afro puff. The resultant oohs and ahhs sound embarrasingly orgasmic when overheard by passersby. More than once a touchee has invited total strangers that stop to watch the event become touchers. Needless to say, I've learned to duck and worm my way out of such impromtu invites.
Myth 2 - Unless they straighten it, all African Americans have hair that is big, poofy, wooly in texture.
False - The people of the Diaspora's natural hair textures can range from bone straight to kinky coils the size of watch springs. Obviously this is due to the racial melting pot provided by our genetic pool. And while it may seem as though the union of a straight and coily hair texture would produce a child with wavy hair, more often than not, this is not the case. Hair that has curls, coils, turn and loops is the dominant hair texture throughout the world.
Myth 3 - Our hair can handle rough treatment
False with alarm bells - Our hair is the most fragile hair in the world because of its ribbony texure which yields it unique beauty.
Each time a hair makes a turn to form a curl or coil, the point at which the bend begins is a potentially weak spot. Rough combing, chemical and heat abuse as well as stressful styles can shred our hair to pieces in a matter of months. We've all seen the sister with a beautiful head of hair change one thing about her routine to have the latest style and three months later be practically bald.
Our hair demands gentle handling to ensure its health and longevity.
Myth 4 - African American hair can only grow so long
False, but with conditions.
While it seems true that the majority of black women do not attain the hair lengths as seen by other races of women, the fact is we can and do. However, the nature of our hair and some current care methods prevent that from being obvious.
First and foremost how long your hair can or will grow is determined genetically. For many of you this means your hair will never be long enough to sit on. But, this does not mean you hair cannot grow; it only means that your hair will only reach a certain length no matter how you care for it. This rule applies to everyone including those who typically have longer hair than the women of the Diaspora.
Second, all hair growth is determined by how well you care for it. The better the care, the better the potential for growth (within your genetic confines of course). And care is determined by two things- manipulation and protection. Less manipulation and more protection means that your hair will reach its genetically predetermined length whether that is to your shoulders or your knees.
Everyone has an Aunt Katie or Grandma Genny that kept her hair in a long braid twirled around her head. And we all know the common excuse of why her hair was that long, but the truth probably had more to do with its care than her bloodline. Most likely she did not manipulate it daily, she kept it in a protective style and she used a wash method that retained her natural scalp oils. Also, her diet was most likely higher in omega fatty acids (grandma loved sardines), iron and vegetables; all of which can contribute to a healthier head of hair.
African American hair can also appear visually shorter due to the coils and turns in each strand.
Near the second year point of my natural journey, I posted a photo of my progress on the Fotki photo sharing website. I'd styled my hair while wet, which was the easiest way to comb it, and snapped a photo from the back. Within hours of posting that photo, I had many less than nice comments in my album asking why my hair was so long all of a sudden. Shocked, I answered each comment wondering what was so sudden about nearly two years of hair growth.
It turned out that because I'd only posted photos of my hair in a pony puff or after it had dried, they were seeing the most misunderstood aspect of natural hair - shrinkage.
While my hair when dry and in full coil, so to speak, appeared to be 3" inches long, when wet with the weight of water on it or when pulled taunt, the strands were over 6" long.
So while many of us may grow hair that is over 24" long, it may never look more than "8 long when left to bob in mid-hair, umm, air, in its naturally kinky, coily state.
Myth 5 - For hair to be healthy, it should shine, have body and feel like silk.
Page 3 of 3
Need I say it? False, wrong, dead wrong! While some textures of African American hair can shine, when it is the highly coiled version, it will have sheen as opposed to a shine.
What is sheen? It is that sparkly, light catching prism of colors you see on feathers. It captures the light and sends back a mosaic that dances. What's responsible for that sheen is our coils and the flat, ribbon like shape they come in.
The next time you're in the gift wrapping department of a store, take a look at the spray type bows. Grab a dark one in navy blue or black if they have it and turn it in the light. You'll notice how light dances across each turn of the ribbon all at once. That's how the beauty of our hair works.
As for body, well, I dare anyone to compare the body of an afro with a straight hair style. There is no contest. An afro can stay suspended, well, for days if nothing mashes it down. The damper it is outside, the higher and lighter it will rise while straight hair will go limp and hang. Now that's body!
Generally speaking, when in its natural state and of a highly coiled texture, our hair isn't silky. Even relaxed hair will never have the feel of silk the way it is meant in advertisements and as understood by uninitiated fingers. So how do you judge our hair health from feel? You don't, you use your ears instead.
Squeeze a few strands of hair between your fingers. Did it rustle like crispy tissue paper or whisper like cloth? Well, if you heard rustling and tumbleweed blew by, then girlfriend, it is time for some TLC and moisture 101. Our hair naturally tends to be dry, and dryness is best heard, not felt.
While there are many more myths surrounding our hair, the few I've listed are the most widely asked about in the Voices forum. And as time goes on, I am sure I will get many more, but for now, keep these in mind and use them in your fight against misinformation and ignorance.
