As natural hair becomes more and more common so do myths about afro hair. Sadly, some of the myths have been here for generations thus making them difficult to disregard as untruths.
While not all opinions about afro hair are completely untrue, we look at some of the common myths you might not be aware are false:
Trimming grows your hair
Trimming hair has nothing to do with how fast or how slow your hair grows as hair is dead. Whatever happens at the tips of your hair has minimal effect on how your hair grows from the scalp. According to healthline.com, on average, hair on one’s head grows about 6 inches yearly regardless of whether it is trimmed or not. While trimming might not have any effect on how fast or slow your hair grows, it does, however, come in handy when you need to remove knots and split ends so as to maintain healthier strands.
Braids are the best protective hairstyles
First off, any style that has the ends of your hair tucked away is protective. To protect your afro hair underneath your braids, you should ensure that;
You keep the braids on the bigger side Wash and redo the edges often Always keep your hair and scalp moisturized Never have your braids on for more than 8 weeks When plaiting, ask your stylist not to pull hair too tightly
You don’t need to wash your hair often
You actually need to wash your hair often. Rarely washed hair ends up with product build-up which leaves your hair prone to dryness as the build-up hinders other products from entering the hair shaft.
Not washing your hair also results in a dirty scalp with blocked pores and hair follicles resulting in poor quality hair growth. It is advisable that you properly wash your hair at least once every week to ensure that you have a clean scalp and to rid your hair of product buildup.
Afro is difficult to manage
No hair is hard to manage. The issue is failing to find and work with exactly what the hair needs and the products that best meet these needs. Once you identfy the texture of your hair, it becomes easier to care for it by maybe keeping a simple straightforward routine and having a few products that boost hair moisture to keep your afro healthy.
Tip: Fit your hair regime into your lifestyle and never style or wash your hair when you are tired or when stressed or in a hurry.
Afro is weak
Your afro hair isn’t weak or brittle, it is only more vulnerable to damage since every kink and curl is a point where a breakage can occur. Moisture is key to healthy afro hair. Therefore, you need to focus on keeping hair moisturized by using moisturizers since the natural sebum from scalp cannot readily glide down afro strands leaving the ends dry and brittle.
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