Incredibly Stupid Black Hair Myths

[kmn1980]

WTF!!
I'm a survivor of psoriasis/dandruff. I used to suffer from something bad.. my hair still grew ( because hair is ALWAYS growing) but my scalp would stay irritated.

What's odd is that the fastest growing heads I know (mother and husband) both have a more-than-mild dandruff issue.

 

[BEAUTYU2U]

I was told by a friend that came to visit...THIS conversation
Native: You must not be from around here
OOT friend: No. How did you know
Native: Our hair doesn't grow here. See they changed our water and now our hair won't grow

True story

I think once or twice a week is the norm. I say people from India, if their hair is very long can go without a week of washing. When your hair is super thick and uber long then 11-14 days may be okay. I can usually tell if a black person hair is dirty just by the way it looks.

That makes sense cause if the hair is super thick or long, it takes longer to dry.

I told a friend that I washed my hair 1/wk and she was like, "Well, you can do that. Regular black girls don't wash their hair that often because water is bad for the hair." So I'm like ..."Okay, what do you mean by "regular black?" And she says, "You're not regular black. Aren't you from the West Indies?"

I kindly directed her to LHCF, but she's still a nonbeliever. ::smh:: She contends that all the long-haired girls are either wearing weave or they're mixed.

Lmao @ regular black. We're all regular black. How can you be an irregular race? I heard a classmate - who was newly dreaded - raving about Taalid Waajid (sp?) products. I thought to myself "She must be a Niko's cousin!" and then she proceeded to tell me that water was bad for our hair .... um, isn't our body made up of 70 or 75% of water?

 

[yardgirl]

On Saturday after my stylist's assistant neutralised my hair, she put Humecto in it and popped on the steam cap. I told her I wanted to go under the dryer for 10 minutes and she said no and asked me if I wanted to steam out the relaxer. I promptly told her that you cannot steam out a relaxer, it's a permanent process. Not a peep out of her after that.

 

[BEAUTYU2U]

On Saturday after my stylist's assistant neutralised my hair, she put Humecto in it and popped on the steam cap. I told her I wanted to go under the dryer for 10 minutes and she said no and asked me if I wanted to steam out the relaxer. I promptly told her that you cannot steam out a relaxer, it's a permanent process. Not a peep out of her after that.

If your hair is already wet with water ..... follow me on this one

 

[SvelteVelvet]

100 strokes of a comb or brush everyday will grow your hair.
Counting braids was bad luck.
Two people doing your hair at the same time is bad luck.
Greasing the scalp helps grow hair. I believed this for a while, in fact I recall the improvement of my hair when I would remember to grease my scalp. It always felt thicker and healthier after.

 

[Barbara]

There is a popular myth that African American hair will not grow. That's why it’s prevalent to see beauty supply stores in African American neighborhoods saturated with floor to ceiling, wall to wall hair weaves, extensions, wigs, etc., especially in beauty supply stores owned by Asians. The majority of their customers are African Americans, so what else are people suppose to believe?

The Asians that I work with and the ones in my beauty salon know that some of us don't need to add hair to our head to make it long. They are astonished to see our hair gradually grow to bra clasp or waist length. They know we aren't mixed with anything.

Years ago my stylist said: "The majority of African American women think they know how to take care of their hair, but they don't. That's because they were never taught properly."

Some are just hair obsessed, and they feel that growing hair out to significant lengths is a mystery. Most African American women don't have long hair, and they find it hard to believe if a woman has long hair, then she has to be mixed with something.

 

[ChristmasCarol]

I went to a family cookout Sunday, and after I congratulated my cousin for getting her cosmetology license, she proceeds to tell me that she can "help" my daughter's and I with our hair. Mind you, she has 4 daughters, none of whom have hair longer than ear length - not because of BCs, either. She said she can "grow some hair" (not her own, or her daughter's apparently). So, I asked her why she doesn't grow out her own daughter's hair, and she told me "we don't have that kind of hair". I just gave her the side-eye and tried to change the subject.

But she wouldn't let me. She told me that her hair looks just like one of my daughters, and that's the reason why she wears wigs to cover it up, cuz she can't "be goin' around looking like that" (pointing at my daughter).I guess she was insinuating that I should have straightened my DD's hair before coming to the cookout. It was somewhat insulting, but I have the last laugh, knowing that my baby has long, beautiful, natural hair. I wanted to ask her why she couldn't grow her hair out, if it was just like my daughters'?

I had to get up and move away from her. The nonsense she was spewing made me think of this thread. God only knows what advice she'll give her clients.

 

[MsLizziA]

I was told by a friend that came to visit...THIS conversation
Native: You must not be from around here
OOT friend: No. How did you know
Native: Our hair doesn't grow here. See they changed our water and now our hair won't grow

True story

I told a friend that I washed my hair 1/wk and she was like, "Well, you can do that. Regular black girls don't wash their hair that often because water is bad for the hair." So I'm like ..."Okay, what do you mean by "regular black?" And she says, "You're not regular black. Aren't you from the West Indies?"

I kindly directed her to LHCF, but she's still a nonbeliever. ::smh:: She contends that all the long-haired girls are either wearing weave or they're mixed.

Im so tired of this damn statement....

I went to a family cookout Sunday, and after I congratulated my cousin for getting her cosmetology license, she proceeds to tell me that she can "help" my daughter's and I with our hair. Mind you, she has 4 daughters, none of whom have hair longer than ear length - not because of BCs, either. She said she can "grow some hair" (not her own, or her daughter's apparently). So, I asked her why she doesn't grow out her own daughter's hair, and she told me "we don't have that kind of hair". I just gave her the side-eye and tried to change the subject.

But she wouldn't let me. She told me that her hair looks just like one of my daughters, and that's the reason why she wears wigs to cover it up, cuz she can't "be goin' around looking like that" (pointing at my daughter).I guess she was insinuating that I should have straightened my DD's hair before coming to the cookout. It was somewhat insulting, but I have the last laugh, knowing that my baby has long, beautiful, natural hair. I wanted to ask her why she couldn't grow her hair out, if it was just like my daughters'?

excuse me?! girl i woulda went off on the hen. You don't say nothing like that about somebody child!
I had to get up and move away from her. The nonsense she was spewing made me think of this thread. God only knows what advice she'll give her clients.

 

[qchelle]

So I was just talking to a co-worker/friend at work...

Preface: we were talking about her being at the beach this weekend. She had gotten her hair relaxed just a week ago. I looked at the front of her hair and it's still wavy (it was like this before she got the touch-up too, I remember). So I questioned her about it just to see what she said. I knew why: she was obviously texlaxed (not on purpose it seems...so just under processed by accident lol)...but I just wanted to hear what she had to say. I'm glad I asked lol and this convo happened:

Me: why is your hair still wavy...didn't you just get a touch-up?
Her: Well, you see, I have good, Indian hair...from my great-grandfather
Me: Ohhhh...*confused look lol*
Her: ...*looks at me like I'm stupid lol* yea, if you had Indian hair or white people hair, your hair would still be wavy when it got wet...Indian hair doesn't get bone straight with a relaxer.
Me:.....but only the front part looks wavy...the rest of it looks straight (it looked exactly like it looked before she got the touch-up with her good-haired new growth in front )
Her: you see *explains to me like I'm stupid*, only the bottom part underneath gets straight...the top part stays wavy. If you had Indain hair, yours would do that too.
Me thinking:
Me: I seeeeee....just curious, but how long does your stylist leave the relaxer on for?
Her: just about 2 minutes after she smoothes it, why?
Me: Ohhhhh, no reason, just wondering...

So accordin to her, type 3 hair (and 'white people hair' ) , on anybody, will never, ever get straight all over when relaxed.

I didn't even TRY to explain anything to her about a texlax/underprocess/coarse strands...I was just excited that I had something to contribute to this thread lol.

ETA: then she told me that she was going to the hairdressers AGAIN this friday! She just went last friday! So I asked her why (lol)

Her: because I need it washed, deep conditoned, and flat ironed
Me: why don't you just do that yourself? *in my pleasant voice*
Her: why would I do that?!
Me:....cuz its free....
Her: oh, its only $65
Me:.......ohhhh, ok

 

[toyas08]

• Hair breaks because you have a nerve problem
• My hair is thick nothing will hurt it
• Gel grew my hair
• I have growing dandruff

 

[Mareeღ]

• Hair breaks because you have a nerve problem
• My hair is thick nothing will hurt it
• Gel grew my hair
• I have growing dandruff

Hair loss can be related to nerves and stress . . .

 

[wish4length]

Hair loss can be related to nerves and stress . . .

But breakage is something different

 

[8HoursFromHome]

washing too often will strip the hair of its natural oils
white folks products are not for "our" hair
the concept of "growing dandruff'...wth?
all mixed folks have good hair
the whole good hair bad hair thing i see beautiful type 4 hair all day everyday in nyc, its a hair type that is misunderstood and often not properly cared for

Thank you for this!! All of my family has straight hair and I grew up with a serious complex! Me and my older sister have literally fought about this!!

 

[SingBrina]

Not to wash your hair too much or you will get dandruff

 

[Natirelle]

A relaxer/perm is a chemical that will always stay in your hair.
(thanks mom )

 

[Mizz Diamonds]

I told a friend that I washed my hair 1/wk and she was like, "Well, you can do that. Regular black girls don't wash their hair that often because water is bad for the hair." So I'm like ..."Okay, what do you mean by "regular black?" And she says, "You're not regular black. Aren't you from the West Indies?"

I kindly directed her to LHCF, but she's still a nonbeliever. ::smh:: She contends that all the long-haired girls are either wearing weave or they're mixed.

Omg "regular black"? didn't know that Afro Carribbeans were irregular blacks.

 

[Natirelle]

When you trim your own ends you stunt your growth, but when you go to a stylist and they trim your ends you see noticable growth !

 

[azuquita_morena]

My mom just said this to me yesterday. I was like yea, ok mom! She has been stating this forever, meanwhile I've never seen her hair grow past shoulder length.

-if your head itch that mean your hair growing..... show me the studies on that!!!! No seriously show me!!!

 

[lucky8502]

I was told that hair follicles have nerves in them which is the reason why combing hair is so painful and that the most nerve sensitive area of the body are hair ends which is why combing makes hair grow

 

[VirtuousBeauty]

If you try to do your own hair (such as braid, trim, style etc) and you are not "trained" or don't have the "knack" for it, it will fall out.

Split ends cause you to have thicker hair.

Keeping your hair down at all times will cause you to grow hair faster because of the constant "weight".

Cutting your hair during a full moon makes it grow in healthier, fuller, faster or longer (some people still believe this but I dont....)

Dandruff is like fertilizer for hair.

Dandruff is caused by a dry scalp

Split ends can be repaired by special conditioners

@ Bolded: Wait you mean it's not? lol. I've been told before that I had dry scalp and have been believing it was what caused my flakes this whole time. Interesting. Though I haven't had that problem now that I've started my hair journey as i've changed how I deal with my hair. I never even noticed.

 

[kizzylonghair]

My EX EX EX stylist years ago said

That she MUST leave the relaxer on my head until i could no longer take the burning, and if I got scabs or chemical burns on my scalp that was a sign that the perm took well

Then i would I walk out with my helmet hair (all stuck to my head due to overprocessing) and think i looked cute
If i killed my scalp like that what did it do to my hair

 

[Chevelure618]

There was a thread like this before, but I'll play now.

1. Dirty hair makes the relaxer take better.
2. Trimming your ends helps your hair grow.
3. Its ok to grease your scalp with vaseline
4. There is a such thing as a "good grade of hair"...well I guess mine gets an F ;-)
5. You should burn your shed/broken hairs
6. Two pair of hands in the head is bad luck

I happen to agree with this one, particularly if one pair is doing a weave check and the other is a SHS..

 

[*Knotty_By_Nature*]

My favorite was hearing my granny tell my sister not to cut my nephew's hair until he was one because he would never learn to talk if it was cut too early. We just looked at her and waited for her to laugh at the joke she just made....she didn't. She was serious.

Extra extra tight braids, ponytails, and buns will make your hair grow because the tension will make the hair come out the scalp faster. erplexed

 

[mzsophisticated26]

These are the ones I heard
-dirt makes hair grow
- white people conditioners will make your hair fall out
- have a pregnant woman grease your scalp to make it grow
- if pregnant woman does your hair it will fall out
- 2 people in your head will make your hair fall out
- gel grows hair
- washing your hair too much will make your relaxer wash out

 

[soldierforhair]

My mom just said this to me yesterday. I was like yea, ok mom! She has been stating this forever, meanwhile I've never seen her hair grow past shoulder length.

I like that head band where can i get it from?

 

[Misshairdiva]

*Black people can't grow hair (I believed this until I found LHCF)
*Black people can't get lice(I believed this also until I just read a few post)
*Kiddie relaxers are "milder" for your hair. (is this the reason I couldn't get my hair to grow past SL?
*My mom saw me do wash n go's and told me "all that washing will make your hair fall out"

 

[fivetimestwo]

[/B]

I happen to agree with this one, particularly if one pair is doing a weave check and the other is a SHS..

I literally LOL'd at that

My favorite myth is that certain stylists have "growing hands" as if they have some magical hands that other people lack that'll make someone's hair grow.

 

[soldierforhair]

Girl, I have growing dandruff.

Never really understood when I would get dandruff my moms would sit me down and start scratching it up as if this was really doing something. I had the worst case of dandruff before taking hair care in my own hands. Now I don't see it at all. I think the best cure for dandruff is frequent washing of hair.

 

[MsLizziA]

I literally LOL'd at that

My favorite myth is that certain stylists have "growing hands" as if they have some magical hands that other people lack that'll make someone's hair grow.

excuse me? Growing hands? Wtf does that mean?

 

[My Friend]

excuse me? Growing hands? Wtf does that mean?

Lizzia the stylist that had "growing hands" stayed booked You had to sit all day in the shop until it was your turn, 4-8 hours Most of the time people came to see the magical hands in the summer

I think it was the normal summer burst of hair, Vitamin D (from the sun), in the summer you are less stressed (I think. Feel good hormones), eating a lot of Bar B Q (protein), more activity, more moisture, etc.