Incredibly Stupid Black Hair Myths

These are funny and sad at the same time but as someone already stated thank goodness there's a wealth of correct information here on the forum. Now here's my myth- Static electricity fly-aways (most visible in the winter) meant your hair was growing and was a good sign:look:. How sad that I believed this as a child and did not realize my hair was parched and in need of a serious DC. That combined with artificial heat, yarn hair accessories, wool sweaters, and cotton turtle necks made sure my once MBL childhood hair broke off a little more each winter:nono:.
 
AimWard said:
- Getting a Jheri Curl will make your hair grow
- Those curls that pop when your hair is wet are nothing more than water waves
- Only mixed people have curly hair
- washing hair every day is only for white people
- the only way to make "black people's" hair manageable is by straightening it
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AimWard :lachen::lachen::lachen::lachen:
 
Shula said:
Okay, ladies. Hold on to your TWAs, mini-fros, big fros, protective styles, weaves, wigs, whatever. I have a doozy:

I was told that black people could never, ever catch LICE because lice don't like greasy/kinky hair and can't thrive in it. Now me having a sort of medical background and a house more sterile than a brand new hospital's operating room believed this mess until we had a play date at a play ground with friends and several unknown, infested children. My oldest dd starts scratching and itching for WEEKS. I'm thinking maybe her scalp is too dry as we live in a hot climate most of the year. Wash, condition, oil scalp, see nothing. This goes on for weeks until we were at Sunday services and she literally could not sit still. Take her into the bathroom, undo her bun and HUGE black insects crawling out of her hair. I am silently screaming, scoop her and her two sisters up, call the hubby like she was in cardiac arrest and went on the hunt for something to kill these things. It took us about a month to a month and half to rid all 3 BLACK girls, who supposedly cannot get lice, rid of lice. I was so ashamed and embarrassed we just quarantined the family and washed and disinfected the whole house repeatedly for weeks and their hair several times per day. To this day, I cannot believe I was soooo ignorant. I thought lice liked "unhygenic" people which did not fit our description. Worse part was telling my MIL that and the myth and the stunned silence on the other end of the phone. I'm considered very bright but I could literally hear her thinking ( YOU IDIOTIC MORON!!!), lol. I was so upset, I actually had to go on anti-anxiety medication. Today's lice are similar to roaches. Hard to get rid of or kill. I was about to just shave everybody BALD because I was so grossed out at the lice and my stupidity. People may be prejudiced but lice aren't. lol:lachen:
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I was told the exact opposite. I was told that black people can never get lice because we had greasy scalps which help attracted dirt (which was a good thing) and that lice didn't like dirty scalps because it was hard to crawl around with their feet getting stuck in the grease. I was also told the lice couldn't see around the kinks too...:lol:
 
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
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That one makes at least some sense to me. I mean, if the water got really hard suddenly, that could cause hair breakage. :ohwell:
 
theLovelyStyle said:
I was told the exact opposite. I was told that black people can never get lice because we had greasy scalps which help attracted dirt (which was a good thing) and that lice didn't like dirty scalps because it was hard to crawl around with their feet getting stuck in the grease. I was also told the lice couldn't see around the kinks too...:lol:
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I was told it was because most of us pressed our hair and the hot comb burned those suckers (this was the '80s).
 
divachyk said:
I've heard all that you all have posted...I'm from the dirty south. Guess we believe some of everything here. lol.

1. Having a man play in your hair makes it grow.
2. Pregnant lady whose carrying a girl makes it fall out (this is a different spin on what was already posted about pregnant ladies).

I'm sure there is more but I haven't thought of them.

Let me play devil's advocate and hope this doesn't hijack the thread....I'm a newbie and often wonder if some of the stuff I read on LHCF about growing hair has any truth because I've been led to believe for years that hair growth is genetic. Fact/Myth?
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frizzy said:
I'll bite. I would say that it 100% depends on genetics, and at the same time, the hair has to be cared for properly so that it can reach it's full potential. That's all that's happening with the long haired ladies around here, proper hair care.

Length and texture is determined by genetics.
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That's true
Adding...hair texture or type has nothing to do with how long it can grow if it's cared for properly length is determined by family lines so you can have 1 person from each of the hairtypes and all of them can have WL but only 2 of them have the knee length gene. Given a chance most people can have long hair shrinkage included once some people stretch out their hair it's like WHOA!!!
 
There is an element of truth/fact in SOME of these myths.....you just have to work out what the meaning behind them is.
 
... A modern-day myth (among some) seems to be that it's impossible to have long, strong, healthy, and *gasp* :shocked: RELAXED hair.

Another myth (among some) is that it easier to care for relaxed black hair. If your goal is long & healthy hair... It's a lot of work whether you're relaxed or natural. The regimen may be a little different & your hair may have slightly different needs, but it's still a lot of work. I was natural for 8 years & now I'm texlaxed. Sure, my hair is more manageable than before at times... But I stretch my relaxers 4 months... So the trade off of almost constantly having to gently care for 2 different hair textures at once more than makes up for it.


Sent from my iPhone 4 using LHCF
 
I have a friend staying with me these days and yesterday we were talking about hair and she said that white peoples' hair products do not work for our hair. I told her to look at the ingredients rather than the marketing, but she wasn't convinced.

She uses greasy products for her broken off chin length see through hair because she want some "sheen". She said she doesn't care about her hair as long as it looks presentable (and believe me her definition of presentable hair is that same see through dry broken off hair combed out,no rollers no flat iron, nothing)

It hurts my heart to see her hair because I really love her, but I also realize that no matter how much hair advice you give,if they are not interested there is nothing I can do.
 
SmileyNY said:
... A modern-day myth (among some) seems to be that it's impossible to have long, strong, healthy, and *gasp* :shocked: RELAXED hair.

Another myth (among some) is that it easier to care for relaxed black hair. If your goal is long & healthy hair... It's a lot of work whether you're relaxed or natural. The regimen may be a little different & your hair may have slightly different needs, but it's still a lot of work. I was natural for 8 years & now I'm texlaxed. Sure, my hair is more manageable than before at times... But I stretch my relaxers 4 months... So the trade off of almost constantly having to gently care for 2 different hair textures at once more than makes up for it.


Sent from my iPhone 4 using LHCF
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I agree. Neither( natural or relaxed) is easier to maintain over the other. They both have their own difficulties and maintenance requirements.
 
dyh080 said:
Not only washing your hair but also getting your feet wet(ie. taking a shower, bathing) while on your period will kill you. Also, walking outside barefoot.
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I've heard of people that don't bathe while on their period.... : / Not sure what the rationale behind that is....
 
I was going to say the same thing. I'm from Louisiana and my step always burned her hair that came out on the comb or brush
 
-That dirty unwashed hair will grow like crazy
-That something bad will happen if you wash your hair when your period is on
-Your hair will fall out if you do not grease your scalp
-Black hair doesn't grow long unless your're mixed
-Only a beautician should wash and take care of black hair
Growing out a jheri curl will cause your hair to fall out
. dyeing your hair will make it grey sooner
 
Lawd Ham Mer C .....

I would like to think the rationale behind not bathing or washing anything during your period was used as a protective mechanism for women. Maybe the stench was used to keep men away during your menstruation. JMHThought.
 
Applying a relaxer for a short period of time on your NEWBORN will change the texture of their hair ... permanently. :look:
 
BEAUTYU2U said:
Applying a relaxer for a short period of time on your NEWBORN will change the texture of their hair ... permanently. :look:
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This is the most horrible thing/myth I have ever heard. A newborn? Gtfoh! A relaxer on a newborn? Some newborns don't even have hair you'd be burning their scalp off.
 
levette said:
-That dirty unwashed hair will grow like crazy
-That something bad will happen if you wash your hair when your period is on
-Your hair will fall out if you do not grease your scalp
-Black hair doesn't grow long unless your're mixed
-Only a beautician should wash and take care of black hair
Growing out a jheri curl will cause your hair to fall out
. dyeing your hair will make it grey sooner
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I'm a firm believer in the bolded part. I don't think hair will necessarily grey sooner but the grey will show up in the predominately colored hair before the non-colored hair more uniformly. The only experience I have to draw upon is when my mother used to dye the front of her hair a honey blond color. Maybe it's because she bleached her hair idk, but that hair was all grey when the hair she didn't color was still black.:perplexed
 
BEAUTYU2U said:
Applying a relaxer for a short period of time on your NEWBORN will change the texture of their hair ... permanently. :look:
Click to expand...
I can't believe that people are so hard up for their kids to not have nappy hair that anyone would actually consider this. Geez...
 
kibbles318 said:
I've heard of people that don't bathe while on their period.... : / Not sure what the rationale behind that is....
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My Friend said:
Lawd Ham Mer C .....

I would like to think the rationale behind not bathing or washing anything during your period was used as a protective mechanism for women. Maybe the stench was used to keep men away during your menstruation. JMHThought.
Click to expand...

I figured it was from when families had to share bathwater...
But I might be totally wrong
 
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