8 truths about natural hair no one understands

The world of black hair care has a language all its own. It’s seldom talked about in-depth or truly understood in the mainstream. But to truly understand black hair care — natural or otherwise — it’s important to get up to speed with some of the major terms and tools of the trade.

Relaxers are often called perms, but don’t confuse them with the type of perm that curls straight hair — this one does the opposite. A relaxer is a chemical lotion that’s applied to extremely curly, coiled hair to make it lay straight. Though these products are less harsh than they used to be, they can still do some damage to both your scalp and your hair.

Another term you’ll hear often (especially in this article), is going natural. To be or go natural is a somewhat less concrete idea. In general, being natural means you don’t use any chemical to change the texture or natural curl pattern of your hair. So that means no relaxers to straighten hair, no permanents to curl naturally straight hair, and no texturizers to loosen up tight curls. However, there are some that believe coloring your hair with dyes is not natural, either.

The big chop isn’t mandatory for a successful transition. Personally, the idea of chopping off my hair caused so much anxiety, I pushed off going natural for three years. And when I did finally take the plunge, I avoided the big chop like the plague.

Instead I opted for protective hairstyles that I wore consistently for a year, cutting off the relaxed ends every month, until I was ready to show my natural hair. Protective styles are as they sound — hairstyles that protect hair from abrasive actions we normally put our hair through. Protective styles range from wearing wigs and full head weaves with the natural hair tucked away, to wearing box braids or twists.

The reason women in transition should consider protective hairstyles is because it decreases tangling, shedding, and breakage. It also limits the odds of engaging in bad habits like repeated combing, over-styling hair, heat-damaging hair, or over-washing hair. However, protective styles aren’t maintenance-free. It’s recommended to allow hair to breathe, don’t let too much lint and dirt build up, and don’t neglect to moisturize the hair and scalp.

It’s easy to think wearing your hair in its natural state would be the most cost-effective hair care plan ever, but you’d be wrong.

Natural hair care products are pricey in comparison to the general hair care products one might buy to maintain relaxed hair. When I relaxed my hair, I had a bi-monthly hair care budget of $50 — $35 every eight weeks for a relaxer at a salon and the remainder went to shampoo (which lasted me about six months) and headbands (I’m obsessed with headbands). Now that I have dreadlocks, I’ve lost count of how much I spend every month on hair care — I treat myself to a salon trip once a year, which costs between $100 and $200 depending on the what I get done.

I’m not alone in this hair care budget battle. In an opinion piece for Ebony magazine, one writer lists the hefty price for self-maintenance products — a 16 oz jar of Miss Jessie’s Buttercream moisturizer is $58, a 1 oz dropper of Jane Carter Scalp Nourishing Serum is $14, and a 32 oz bottle of Dr. Bronner’s almond pure-castile liquid soap (which I use for shampoo) costs $17.99 — I go through a bottle every couple of months.

There are a lot of reasons why those products are so expensive, but often it boils down to the ingredients. These products tend to have natural ingredients that nourish the hair without a bunch of dangerous chemicals, and they do have their benefits. Once you’ve applied a shea and cocoa butters loc butter that provides the hold you need, while simultaneously deep conditioning your hair without causing nasty build up, you’ll never go back to that $4 locking gel that smells and feels like Elmer’s glue.

Kinky hair is naturally drier and less oily than straighter hair, so dandruff can be a problem. Dandruff is the remains of dead cells from the scalp. Though it tends to build up in areas where hair grows, dandruff actually has nothing to do with hair. It is most often caused by a fungus on the scalp. People with darker skin tend to suffer from dandruff and other skin shedding conditions more often than those with lighter skin.

Because of the combination of skin conditions and less hair oil, it is recommended that black people use sulfate-free shampoos that do not strip the natural oils from the scalp. For those with itchy, dry scalp due to eczema, sulfur and tar-based shampoos are the best options. Over-the-counter dandruff shampoos, like Selsun Blue or Head and Shoulders are not recommended, as they may inflame existing skin conditions.