Part One
Ask any natural, and they are likely to tell you that one of their top 5 goals for this year is to grow healthy hair. It’s not always techniques or products that are stopping us short of realizing our hair goals. It can also be the result of misguided belief in what our natural hair is truly capable of. Let’s get into part one of the natural hair myths that surround growth.
“Natural hair just grows slow”…
Everyone’s hair grows on average ½ inch per month. There are several factors that may alter this statistic but ethnicity isn’t one of them. People of all ethnicities and hair types can experience slow hair growth. It can be the cause of genetics, medication, medical conditions or other factors beyond their control.
One of the reasons I think the natural hair community tends to believe this myth is because our hair strand curls when growing and may give the hair the appearance of thickness or volume, growing more up and out. It can give the illusion that no growth has taken place as it would for straighter hair types.
What I’ve found, is that the problem really isn’t the rate in which our hair grows. It’s the challenge of length retention.
“The dirtier your hair the faster it grows”…
There’s someone out there who I know will disagree with me on this. In all fairness, I do believe there are some individuals out there who experience more growth when they wash their hair less frequently. Please understand it isn’t the dirt that is making your hair grow. It’s a combination of, a lack of manipulation and the natural oils that remain on the hair that helps keep the hair moisturized.
If you’ve read my natural hair story, you know I personally have to wash my hair weekly to avoid build up. Sticking with this regimen keeps my hair and scalp happy, moisturized, and balanced.
If you are still not sure if weekly washing is necessary, it’s ok to do a little experimenting. The next time you wash your hair, pay attention to your hair and scalp after the first week. If you have product build up, itchiness or other signs that can be resolved with washing, then washing once per week may be best. If not, wait a few days and take note at what point you do need to wash. It may take some trial and error.
“Trimming your hair makes it grow faster”…
The act of trimming by itself does not stimulate hair grow. It’s purpose is to get rid of damaged hair ends and prevent them from affecting the healthier portions of the hair. When done properly, it allows you to retain healthy growth and prevent your length from plateauing because of breakage.
“ Greasing your scalp is good for moisturizing your scalp”…
My childhood was filled with me sitting on a small worn stool, parted hair and a container of hair grease. My mom would gingerly place the cool grease on, what seemed like, ever square inch of my scalp. What we didn’t know then was that now there were so many healthy oil options for the scalp. I absolutely advocate for oiling the scalp when needed.
What I want to point out is that oil is a sealant. There are oils that can penetrate easier than others, but the function is the same. To seal. The question then becomes, when you apply it, are you sealing moisture in or out? To seal moisture in you must make sure you are using water-based moisturizers first. Then once your oil of choice is applied it will act as a protective coating and lock in moisture.
“Braided protected styles help hair grow”…
Any protective style, when properly installed and maintained does what it does best. Protects. It protects from manipulation, losing moisture and can act as a barrier for environmental elements (depending on the style). This myth is another misconception between a method aiding in length retention and one that stimulates growth.
If length retention is your goal, protective and low manipulation styles are recommended, however stimulating growth on the follicular level has not been proven with this styling method.
Part 2 of this post, I’ll be discussing scientific-based methods of stimulating hair growth. Let’s replace these myths with methods that get you results!
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