What are some of the most surprising myths or questions you’ve encountered?
Oh wow, there are so many! Where do I start!? Lol. Before going natural I use to wear weaves all the time! Once natural, I went through a stage of being so annoyed seeing people rocking curly weaves while I was struggling to grow my ‘fro to those same lengths. I know, its crazy but I did go through that stage and now understand how silly and selfish that was of me. Now that I’ve moved passed that train of thought I find myself getting annoyed by those who still think that way. Does that make sense? I rock weaves or wigs now whenever I need a break from doing my hair or to just protect my hair to try to retain length. I have some that get so annoyed when I tuck my hair away, especially if I rock a long, straight textured wig! My gosh! I’m admitting I use to feel the same way, I got over it and I really wish everyone else would too! We all need a break sometimes and rocking a weave, wig, or straight does not mean you have left the fight to show society that natural beauty is acceptable!
Hair growth in general is a myth in the natural hair community in my opinion! There are some who love to keep their hair short and in tapered styles but a majority of the community want to grow long, thick, healthy hair! I was scrolling through Instagram one day and came across one of my fav natural hair stylists, Jennifer Rose! She keeps it real! And she started a topic about hair growth and retaining length. It was very interesting and she made me realize there is a myth the black people’s hair does not grow like other ethnicities. That is a huge MYTH! I want people to understand that our hair grows at the same rate, approximately 6 inches a year. Those who do not think their hair grows that fast need to understand that retaining that length is what is playing tricks on you! You have to work hard to retain the length to see the 6 inches a year! That is why a healthy hair care regimen, diet, exercise, and drinking plenty of water is so important! And your regimen does not have to be complicated! Sticking the basics works! As long as you wash, condition, deep condition, moisturize, and style your hair properly you should be ok!
Another myth that I have started seeing a lot lately, is that most naturals want a curly texture! That is so far from the truth! I have to admit when I first went natural I did crave for a curly hair type! Its a rookie mistake! Lol. But that was apart of my “newly natural stage” and not having a lot of knowledge about my journey. I got over that so quickly! And I think most naturals go through that stage. But seasoned naturals know that you have to organically fall in love with your own unique texture. I’m sure we all get over that stage. A lot of naturals, whether they have a type 3 hair type like Taren or not, like to rock a fierce fro! Taren loves her ‘fro! I love my ‘fro! Curls are not that important! I think a majority of the natural hair community is beyond curls and more focused on hair healthy and retaining length! I wish this myth can be put to rest so there is not a forced divide in the natural hair community! There are so many textures- curly to the kinkiest, and they are all accepted! Be proud of your texture and show it off so we can showcase to the world how proud we are of all textures! I’ve made this a core focus on my facebook page, www.facebook.com/etcblogmag! I posts lots of pictures with all hair types rocking a fierce ‘fro to remind my curlfriends, it is beautiful!
