If you haven’t already brushed up on the basics of hair I highly recommend checking it out, or referencing it if you’ve got questions as you read along. Don’t miss out on the rest of the hair myths series. I’ve addressed a lot of hair myths in my years behind the chair and starting my own website has given me a great opportunity to really address those in detail for you!
You can watch this video for a brief rundown of the text, skipping ahead to 0:40 to skip the intro.
The very first thing I want to address is the plain and simple fact that hair is hair. It can have widely varying textures, density, and curl pattern; but it’s still hair. It doesn’t matter what color the hair is or what color the person it’s attached to is. Skin color and hair texture are evolutionary reactions based on where you developed in proximity to the equator. Thick hair with a tight curl pattern helps to protect your scalp from the sun, and naturally dark skin helps to regulate and limit the effects of your exposure to the sun. Lighter skin is beneficial further away from the equator because with less sunlight readily available your body needs to get as much Vitamin D as it can. It’s all science based and you can read more about skin and hair evolution by clicking on the word you want to learn more about.
Towels making your hair frizzy:
There’s definitely some truth to this one. If you think of the outer layer of your hair (the cuticle) like shingles on the roof of a house, rubbing them vigorously can cause them to stick out all over the place and have a fuzzy frizzy appearance, whereas using your towel to gently wring your hair out moving down from roots to ends, you’ll create more of a smoothing motion which can give a smoother finished appearance. My professional recommendation for someone with hair that tends to frizz is to switch to microfiber towels or old t-shirts and use the wringing method rather than the shake like crazy method.
Eating crusts to make hair curly:
This one is pretty much a straight up no. Based on my experience with baking bread at home, the crust doesn’t have anything extra in it than the bread does, and while there can be extra vitamins added they won’t change the curl pattern of your hair. Things that can affect your curl pattern are big hormonal changes and some medications. It wouldn’t be unexpected to see changes in the hair after puberty, during pregnancy or menopause, if there’s a medical condition involving a hormone related part of your body, or after something like chemo.
Training your hair:
I hear a lot of things about training your hair. To an extent it can be done, but it isn’t a hard and fast rule. The number one thing to keep in mind while trying to “train” your hair is the direction your hair grows in. If you have a significant swirl somewhere, no amount of trying to make it behave differently is really going to work. Products will help, but if you’re trying to work against your hair you’re probably not going to have great success. Your hair has pretty much already decided who they are as a person and you’re limited in how you can get it to behave. Once your hair hits a certain length, a natural part is going to make itself known. Most of “training” your hair is getting used to a new style and how to work with it alongside the way your hair naturally grows.
Do you have questions or concerns that you want to see me address? Leave a comment or reach out on social media! You can always book a consultation to ask me questions in person!