Many of us black women go to our hair stylist faithfully just as you may attend church on sundays. We grow close to our stylists and form a bond that is hard to break. What we need to understand is there is still a level of sales involved in the hair care industry, and knowing whats real from the fake is just the start.
READ: Setting The Top Hair Myths Straight
1. Trimming your hair doesn’t make it grow! In fact, let’s really think long and hard about this – when you cut string, it doesn’t get longer, it gets….SHORTER! Your hair is a dead follicle. Cutting your mane doesn’t make it grow it, it just keeps your ends looking healthy. Hair growth comes from within. Take care of your body and your hair will grow. The average rate of hair growth is 1/2 inch per month. No number of regular/irregular salon visits will reinforce that. If you are on a hair-growth mission, your best bet is to follow the “search and destroy” method. This means you go through your hair and only cut the strands of hair that are damaged and split. Trimming your hair regularly could be counterproductive.
READ: Monistat…For Hair Growth?!
2. Plucking out your gray hairs do not make more grow back! This is an old wives tale that has been passed down for generations. There is no scientific basis for this. Also, don’t get talked into setting up a regular hair coloring process just to combat a few gray hairs.
3. Home coloring isn’t the plague! The only difference between you and a hair stylist is knowledge and practice. If you are up for learning healthy techniques and trying things out for yourself, then why not save your money? The products sold in the store these days are made with quality ingredients. With enough practice, your results will probably be just as good as sitting in the chair, for a fraction of the price. But again, you need to know what you’re doing, so make sure you research proper hair coloring techniques, talk to stylists for their top do’s and don’ts, and do strand-tests before coloring all your hair.
READ: Healthy Hair Scarf 101
4. Your hair doesn’t adapt to the products you use. There is zero evidence that your hair care regimen should change every 6 months. You hair doesn’t become immune to the products you use regularly. What changes every 6 months are the products on the shelves. If your stylist is pushing products, just remember this is part of their job. It’s how they make their money. Purchase what works for you. If you are a product junkie and just like to try new things, then go ahead, but don’t feel guilted into making an unnecessary purchase.
5. Purchasing high-end hair care products at the grocery store is ok! There is a rumor that has spread like wildfire. Apparently, purchasing the big name salon products such as Paul Mitchell at the grocery store is a no-go. They may tell you things like it’s watered down, or contaminated, or sold illegally by companies that are in no way connected to the actual manufacturer. This is completely false. The prices are lower because the distributors are selling the products in bulk. If you find your favorite $30 product on the shelves at your local mart for $15, go ahead and buy it! You just got a deal!
READ: Homegrown Hair Remedies
6. If your hair is already healthy, you don’t need any specialized treatments. Hair that is perfectly normal and in good condition doesn’t need to be coddled. If your stylist is trying to convince you to let them do a pricey treatment on your tresses, chances are it’s unnecessary. Now, if you have damaged, color, or chemically treated hair, then maybe it’s something to consider. Just remember that home remedies actually do work as well (i.e. olive, avocado, and coconut oils), and they be more than half of the cost of a pricier salon treatment.
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