You must get a touch up every 4-6 (6 is pushing it) weeks or it’s bad for your hair
I made sure to get a relaxer every four weeks religiously. It was set in my calendar and once I started seeing more than just a few beginning signs of new growth the pressure was on my mom to make it disappear.
Waiting six weeks was a cardinal sin that I was afraid would leave me without hair. In hindsight in my days of hair ignorance, my main irrational fear of just ending up bald for not following these mythical hair practices when in reality my hair was breaking anyway.
You have to cut your hair every time you get a touch-up.
In addition to monthly relaxers I also needed a monthly trim. Sometimes I had split ends and other times I probably didn’t, but I wouldn’t know because it hadn’t dawned on me that perhaps that was the reasoning behind trimming my hair.
It was just part of the relaxer ritual. Needless to say I wasn’t retaining that much length because I basically chopped off what I grew every month.
Braids and weaves make your hair grow.
This isn’t a full blown myth so much as it is a practice that many people do not understand the why behind it.
Before I understood the concept of protective styles I knew that I could gain a steady one to two inches of new growth by getting my hair braided for a couple of months.
All of my friends agreed that it “made your hair grow” and it was always exciting to see the new growth come as the braids got farther away from the scalp.
If I knew then what I know now I would have washed and moisturized my scalp as well but alas, those were the days that getting my hair braided also meant it would basically stay untouched for months until I removed the braids.
That thought now saddens me because I know how unhealthy it was for my hair.
In all actuality most of these hair myths were bad for my hair in one way or another. Looking back at them now is a fun way to get some laughs and gauge how far I’ve come though.
What are some hair myths you believed before your HHJ?
Kyerra Dexter says
Straight hair meant a beauty that i was incapable of reaching unless i burned my scalp with products or heat.
Panje Nambao says
Treated hair was the ultimate and most efficient way to attain waist length…
Valerie Hills says
That black women couldnt grow our hair past our shoulders
Rosetta QueenLyrix Coleman-Howard says
That black hair couldn’t grow long
Sandra Bah Sandra Bah says
That before relaxing your hair, your scalp and hair need to be dirty lool..it’s prevent burning
Ebonié Azore says
LOL I heard that too
E Sherrel Lewis says
Water was bad, straight hair was prettier.
Alyssa Ali Philip-Rose says
Yes E Sherrel Lewis, water was evil lol.
L Denise Patterson says
I know someone who used to believe in ,”growing dirt.”
Shafer Lewis says
I relax my hair every 3 months and it grows well but seems to be dry all the time.
What can I do to stop the dry hair?
Esther Konsolo Mwansa says
scalp yo hair with the products u have aleast 2 to 3 tyms a week
Janika LaNelle James says
Keep it moisturized. Works well for relaxed and natural hair.
Shafer Lewis says
What’s a good lotion for hair? I’m using motions now
Sunni Dae says
i love design essentials nutriment rx but organic stimulants makes a good carrot moisturizer
Aisha Pearson says
Water is bad.
Laquelle Higgs says
Dirt grows yur hair……
Stacy-Ann Shreeves says
Water is bad.. The more dirtier your hair, the more your hair grows.. You don’t wash your hair as often when you have braids or weave.. Perm your hair frequently
Sheryl Lowe says
I try to give my hair a break from relaxer every 6 months or so I relax my re growth every 6-7 weeks … But every time I try to use a protective style the itching is really bad ..I feel like my scalps on fire .. It a circle I go in I’d love to grow the relaxer out completely but coz of that reason I always go back
Sheryl Lowe says
Oh and yes hair needed to be dirty before relaxer
Prince Maxwell Ansong says
btful pic
Heather Hubbard says
That growing longer hair was impossible. Found out it was a myth once I took prenatal pills lol. That and my sisters all have mid to lower back length.
Connie Hale says
You must get your hair trimmed each time you get a relaxer or your hair won’t grow long.
Shafer Lewis says
Not with hair gress right
Shafer Lewis says
Connie Hale so trim after I relax
Anaïs Seoyoung Bambara says
With at water was a black woman’s enemy.
Belinda Gamu Mhike says
I swore by grease.
Kathryn Wolfe says
I believed that it would be too hard to go natural. It’s actually the same. Wrapping my stubborn hair is just as time consuming as putting it in a couple of braids to protect it through the night.
Raecene Malone says
Can I relax my hair once per year and keep it healthy?
Diana Wilson says
Yes! Look up YouTube videos about stretching relaxers and healthy relaxed hair journeys. Lots of info!
Raecene Malone says
Thanks Diana
Lozette Clemons says
Relaxed hair was cleaner titan
Lozette Clemons says
Relaxed hair was cleaner than natural hair and dread locs were dirty. I learned that was a huge lie in middle school and the craziest thing believed. Plus if your hair wasn’t relaxed it would fall out. Even thoo had a bad relaxer that took my hair out to the scalp and still got relaxers after that because ofbad advice.
Manyalleng MrsKissogram Letsie says
OMG the dirty itchy hair before a relaxer. How i used to toture my scalp, no wonder i had hail size dandruff flakes. I actually believed i was born with a scalp that was more dandruff prone when i wasn’t washing it or oiling properly.
Lisa Gill Hamilton says
Don’t put water on your hair if its not “good hair” (3C to 1A hair type). From experience, ALL hair is good hair and water is the best moisturizer to prevent my 4B hair breakage!!!! Love my hair!
Rochelle Manuel says
That water was the devil and if I wet are washed my hair to often I would need a relaxer sooner.
Ashleigh Nelson says
Shafer,
Are you moisturizing and sealing? How about deep conditioning? If you’re doing all of these things it could be that your hair is super porous meaning it doesn’t hold onto moisture well. Some things that combat this are Roux Porosity Control or Apple Cider Vinegar Rinses. This article might be helpful: https://blackhairinformation.com/growth/deep-conditioning/the-porosity-test-how-to-find-out-your-porosity-status-and-what-to-do-about-it/
Ja'Torien Jones says
@ Shafer Lewis me & my mother both used Olive Oil brand hair lotion on our relaxed hair. It makes hair very soft, shiny & manegable even when we “needed” a perm. Anyways I haven’t tried it on my newly natural hair yet.
Tia Wilder says
Black women are supposed to wash their hair once a month.
Karleen Brownsuga says
Hair should be shampoo as often as it is soil.
Gabrielle Roberts says
Moisture comes from oil.
Gladiola Ricola says
Love this. Common misconceptions I didn’t realize until way after the fact