Curly Hair myths

Too often i am asked questions about my hair, from friends who have straight Caucasian hair. Sometimes, i am left baffled by the myths that they believe about our hair type. Here are a few of the "myths" i have been asked about or came across on the internet, and my thoughts on them. 
Please remember i am not a professional, these are just my thoughts on these myths and comments. 

Curly hair myth #1: You can't brush curly hair (and how it should be done)
How many times have your been asked "so can you brush your hair?" "do you brush your hair?" Or even had someone try to run their fingers through your hair!
Everyone is very divided on the topic of if, and how, to brush curly hair. Some people opt to not use combs and brushes as they can be harsh on hair, while others do. Of course curly hair can be brushed! It's all about when to do it. 
I have gone into "black" hair salons in the past, and while i am sat down to wait, the stylist has handed me a comb and asked me to brush out my hair. At the time i was just on the beginning of my journey and knew little about my hair, but i did know that brushing dry hair is a no for curly hair! The embarrassment of sitting there with my hair brushed out, was nothing compared to how i felt handing the comb over full of hair which had been ripped out due to breakage. It was more than any wash day i had ever had. Brushing/combing hair when it is dry is so damaging! Dry hair is brittle, and all you are doing is ripping and snapping as you go. 
At the same time, i have had people tell me not brush hair when it is wet. That hair wet, is weaker, and it will break more easily. I can tell you now that brushing my hair wet fall out, v brushing my hair dry fall out, there is a hell of difference! The only time you will find me with a comb in my hair, is wash day while my hair is soaked in product and wet! There are many reasons for this:
1. I don't want to pull out the curls i have just created
2. I don't want to rip my hair out
3. There are better ways to de-tangle hair that are more gentle, such as finger combing! 
When using a comb in your hair, opt for a wide tooth comb. 

Curly hair myth #2: Curly hair doesn't grow
This is a huge myth, but one that i do find myself thinking about a lot. Where some of my friends with straight hair, seem to have to cut it all the time because it appears to grow so fast, why doesn't mine? It has been years since i got mine cut, and yet it doesn't look like it has grown that much, not when dry anyway. The thing with curly hair is it has a lot of shrinkage. With curls shrinking up, it can be harder to see the growth. With wet hair, you can see this a lot more. The other thing to remember with curly hair is that it grows different to straight hair. Our hair grows up and out, before it grows down. Think of the volume of your hair, vs the volume of your straight haired friends. If you pull on your curls, you can stretch them down, and you'll be amazed how long you hair actually is. The healthier your hair is as well, the more shrinkage you will have, and your hair is actually growing faster than you realise. The over all health of your hair, is what determines growth, which is why regular trims removing dead ends, can help this. 

In the curly hair community you see girls with hair of all different lengths and volumes, some with incredible length! 

Both Chloe and Cherelle are perfect examples of long, healthy curly hair. 

Curly hair myth #3: You shouldn't use shampoo on your hair
The comments i am going to get about this one. 
First off, everyone's hair is different, what works for one person, may not be the same for others. 
Should you use shampoo on your hair? YES. If you follow me you know how i feel about shampoo. I don't like it. But to not to not shampoo your hair at all? I disagree with completely! YES you can use co-washes, which i will always use instead of shampoo weekly, but at some point, you are going to need to shampoo your hair. The build up on your scalp, is not going to be completely gone with just a co-wash or conditioner. I would recommend using a good shampoo at least once a month and follow up with a deep conditioner after wards, just to help with any dryness caused. When choosing a shampoo, make sure to go for ones which are sulphate free, as these re going to be better for your hair and help keep it from being brittle. My favourite shampoo to use is LUS Curls. 

Curly hair myth #4: You have to wet your hair daily in order to style it
I see this one the most. From girls completely washing their hair daily, or sticking their head over the bath and soaking it every single day. If you need to do this, you need to look at your routine and tweak it. 
Yes, a little water on your hair is going to help, but to say wet it daily?: no. 
Wetting your hair everyday can do more damage than good, and it's going to change the overall outcome of your hair. Hygral Fatigue, lack of volume, and more breakage, are very real downsides to wetting your hair daily. If you have a good wash & go routine, where the products are moisturising enough to your hair, then you should not need to wet your hair every single day! 
I have water in my routine of course, but if you have seen my videos, i don't add this in until day 3-5, and always in the form of a spray bottle, rather than to soak my hair. Invest in a good fine mist spray bottle like the one i use from osocurly. Add a little conditioner or leave-in to this, and only dampen your hair in areas that need it. Check out my video with my 5 top tips to get your wash & go to last! 

Curly hair myth #5: You don't need to wash curly hair
While planning out this post and talking with a fellow curly haired friend, she mentioned being asked about if she washes her hair and then being told, "i thought you couldn't get Afro hair wet." 
WOW. Ok firstly, of course we wash our hair! How do you expect that bouncy volume, those defined curls, to exist on a dirty head. Secondly, the matter of getting Afro hair wet, applies to getting it wet after styling! Do not come near me with a bucket of water after my hair has been styled nicely! 
Everyone's hair is different, in terms of how often to wash etc. I can go 7-10 days without washing mine, some people was it every 3 days or less. It all comes down to the following things:
1. How thick, dense and curly your hair is
2. How often you apply/how much you apply product
3. How healthy your hair is
Hair that is thicker and denser, will be able to go longer between wash days in comparison to finer hair. If you are apply product to your hair everyday, you will have more build up hence washing it more often. And if your hair is damaged, it will require more treatments and dry out quicker. 
It's not that our hair doesn't need to be washed, it's that it doesn't need to be washed as often, or the same way. 

Bonus myth: Conditioner is optional
This one had me speechless! Where it isn't something i have heard personally, when i went online to research curly hair myths to discuss for this article, it was on every single list! If you are a curly girl reading this, i can imagine you are just as confused as i am, that this is a thing. 
Curly hair needs the opposite to this! CONDITION, CONDITION, CONDITION! Rinse out conditioners, leave-in conditioners, deep conditioners, our hair needs this! I dread to think of the state of our hair if we used shampoo alone, or as above, didn't use anything! The conditioner is where the moisture is going to come from, this is where the softness our hair has comes from. It's what is going to make it easy to manage and soft enough to get a comb or out fingers through! Honestly if you don't use conditioner: start again! 

Can you think of any more curly hair myths that i have missed? Comment below and let's debunk a few more!