Debunking Natural Hair Myths
Hi friends! So I think we all know by now that the “rules” seem to change literally all the time. At this point the rules should just be do what works for your hair! If you keep up with my YouTube videos you probably already know what vibes I’ve been on lately. Here is everything I’ve learned about what works and what doesn’t for me. Let me know in the comments what works for you!
COwash vs shampoo
The “curly girl method” really had us out here not washing our hair?! Madness. I spent the first 2+ years of my natural hair journey without using ANY shampoo. It wasn’t until I started using them that I realized how bad my hair and scalp needed it! Now I shampoo regularly (with sulfate-free shampoos without SLS or SLES) every wash and my curls and scalp have literally never been better.
Let’s set the record straight. YES — you should be shampooing your hair strands, not just your scalp!
An effective shampoo regime is the most important step in your wash day routine, it prepares the hair to accept moisture. Build-up on the hair cuticle can block out moisture which is why incorporating a clarifying shampoo into your wash day rotation can be a game changer for ensuring your hair gets a good reset every couple of weeks.
Oils and butters
Speaking of the “curly girl method”, lets talk about the “LCO”, “LOC” methods and more specifically, how oils can make or break your hair health. When you apply an oil on top of a leave-in conditioner, moisturizer, or styler, you are creating a barrier over the hair cuticle that makes it difficult for any water in the hair to evaporate or escape the shaft. This barrier also makes it difficult for water (or hydration) to penetrate the strand. This is why it’s important to use products that are water-based and moisturizing before using an oil, so all that water is retained in the strand.
That being said, it is important to note that using oil to seal in moisture also means it can be difficult for our hair to accept any more moisture after the oil is applied, whether that is with the “LOC” method where using a cream after an oil may be less effective for allowing your hair to receive the full moisturizing benefits of the cream, or when re-moisturizing your hair in between wash days.
What you want to steer clear of is RAW oils and butters — for example, natural shea butter or raw coconut oil. Raw means single ingredient, or a combination of ingredients you mix together at home. Do what works for you, but if you notice your hair is perpetually dry or you have a lot of build up, you may consider switching to a more lightweight, formulated hair serum or leaving out oils and butters altogether.
My recommendation: Simple is BETTER. Less is more!
I made the decision to simplify my regimen after my hair stylist mentioned how much build-up I had in my hair. Best decision ever. On top of the improvements in my hair’s health, it cuts down on time spent on my hair and makes wash days less of a chore. After a year of completely simplifying my entire hair regimen down to a 3 product wash and go I fell in love with a gel only wash and go. Here’s what I noticed:
Doesn’t weight my curls down
Wash n go’s last WAY longer (5-7 days)
Hair is healthier and happier
Easier to refresh because there’s no build up
Scalp is so much happier
Perfect balance of curl definition and volume this way too!
Not all heat is bad heat
Not all heat is made equal! I personally diffuse every wash (just until my hair stops dripping) with my dyson supersonic hair dryer and haven’t had any issues. A diffuser is a must IMO.
Depending on how long it takes for your hair to dry, airdrying could actually be bad for your overall hair health. The structural integrity of hair weakens when wet, as cuticles naturally lift up when damp, making the hair more elastic, vulnerable, and prone to breakage. So if your hair takes 12 hours to air dry … your hair remains in a weakened and vulnerable state for this extended period of time.
Aside from hair health, diffusing can also reduce frizz, resulting in a more lasting wash and go.
Deep Conditioning
This is an important one so listen up there is such this as over conditioning your hair. This ties in to my point about our hair’s vulnerability when wet. Going to bed with a hair mask in can often mean that our hair stays wet for hours on end. As you now know, when our hair is wet it is more elastic and prone to breakage. In addition sleeping with wet hair can lead to a host of problems for the scalp: unwanted bacteria, fungal infections, skin irritation, itchiness, dryness, redness, and dandruff.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! — Now of course, it can feel amazing to indulge in a hair mask every now and then. However, in reality, the purpose of hair masks is to solve a problem, so if your hair is healthy, you don’t need to break the bank to deep condition every single wash day. Regular conditioner will do.
Now, let’s clear up this confusion once and for all … if you ARE deep conditioning, you do not need to use a regular conditioner prior to deep conditioning. If you would like to condition before deep conditioning, that is totally your prerogative, but you could save a cute couple of coins by skipping this unnecessary step.
“Protective styling”
Can you spell traction alopecia? Traction alopecia is hair loss that’s caused by repeatedly pulling on your hair. You can develop this condition if you often wear your hair in a tight ponytail, bun, or braids, or even remove wigs incorrectly. Not all protective styles are as protective as you might think, but opting for a lower tension style and giving your hair a break in between styles can minimize the consequences. If you have a sensitive scalp like me, avoiding super long and heavy styles may be the way to go.
A protective style can keep your hair safe from:
Physical manipulation from daily styling, combing, detangling, stretching, updos, or just touching your hair in general
Chemicals, color treatments, or high heat
Environmental pollutants in the air
Excessive moisture from swimming or sweat
Environmental/climate factors such as dry air, cold air, frost, wind, snow, etc.
Everyone craves a switch up every once in a while, so when doing a protective style it’s important to care for your hair to ensure it doesn’t do more harm than good. Here are some tips:
Keep your hair moisturized!
Keep your hair clean. Dirt, grease, and product will build up whether or not your hair is in a protective style, so wash it regularly.
Don’t leave the style in too long. This will eventually lead to hair damage, tangling, and hair loss.
Let your hair breath — take breaks in between protective styles.
Last but certainly not least… Hair typing is cancelled!
Hair typing was created to determine a person's proximity to whiteness based on their texture. From the 'hair gauge,' created by a Nazi scientist to determine Namibians' proximity to whiteness based on their hair texture, to the Apartheid Pencil Test which stated that if individuals could hold a pencil in their hair while shaking their hair, they could not be classified as white, hair typing has a jaded history. Although it was repackaged to us by Andre Walker who introduced the modern-day hair typing system, it remains a useless and divisive marketing tool.