Brief intro
I am here to burst the hair bubble of lies we all were served growing up. My earliest hair memories date back to 1998, when my mum thought it best to straighten my coils with relaxers. It was the best decision she could have made at the time considering the very little knowledge of 4c hair manageability available.
I hold no grudges lol! My mum is the most amazing mother ever, she is so selfless in her giving and loves to a fault! She most definitely took this action out of love.
Why she made this decision isn’t far-fetched, relaxers were the previous stars of black hair care culture. Our coils were once considered nappy and unmanageable!
Fancy that fam, a few foreign hairstylists actually labelled 4c hair impossible to manage. I get it though, it is human nature to condemn things that are poorly understood.
We would now come to discover many years later that 4c hair is just as manageable as any other hair type, with the right products and with a wealth of knowledge.
I know that a number of 4c queens struggle badly with manageability and some have even given up, please don’t my darling! TSJ is here to motivate you, we can do this together. Forward ever, back ward never baby girl.
4c HAIR MYTHS
If you ask me, I would tell you that our creator is never wrong. He made us so beautifully, and he knew just the right hair type to bless us with. 4c hair is versatile, 4c hair is unique! Don’t let anyone sell garbage to you about your hair type and texture.
Here are some of the myths our grand folks passed on to our parents who in turn passed them to us. Permit me to say they were all quite frankly brain washed into an erroneous perception of our natural God given crown! Brace yourselves for them myths guys!
- Black folks are cursed with Bad hair genes
- 4c hair never grows
- Natural hair must be relaxed to look kempt
- Relaxers are the best bet for manageability of 4c hair
- Keeping 4c hair comes with a truck load of pain when combing
- Not relaxing your hair makes you prone to dreads
- 4c Hair must not be worn to important interviews, else you would be seen as an unserious candidate
- Cute hair styles are not feasible with 4c hair
- 4c hair shrinkage is one of the bad hair curses we inherited, and there is a need to reverse this shrinkage with relaxers
- Rocking natural hair gives you a local, dirty look
Honestly, some of these hair myths are comments I have heard from my fellow African queens, and it is heart breaking to say the least!
Let’s debunk these silly myths
- This is a bloody lie fam! While some genetic attributes to hair are stronger in some lineage, Illd say that no single black lineage is cursed with bad hair genes.
- Our hair does grow! All that is needed for the coils to thrive is some patience and tender, Loving care.
- Yes, Natural hair is kinky, and doesn’t slip easily, this gives it the supposed rough look the unbelievers speak of. With a good wash and the right styling products however, 4c hair would come out gorgeous and impeccable.
- How most people have concluded that a chemical product is the only solution for 4c manageability is alarming. Like guys! I get it, keeping your coils is no walk in the park but there are ways around managing and enjoying them asides relaxers. Detanglers, a good leave in conditioner and water spritzed in a container make all the difference! It is the combing of your coils while dry and matted that cause the major horrors.
- Just as in the previous point, pain can be avoided for good when you realize the workings of a good detangler, leave in conditioner and water. Your hair would be as smooth as butter and easier to work through. Also, always remember to comb from the tips to the roots and never otherwise.
- This particular point was hilarious when I heard the ignorant advice. Keeping your natural hair does not correspond to dreads, rather it is an informed choice that can be made.
- This is very derogatory and discriminating! How can another human tell me that the hair I was blessed with naturally makes me look unserious? As long as it is well taken care of and neatly packed, no one has the right to make such a ridiculous comment!
- 4c hair is more versatile than can be imagined. In its coiled and stretched forms, beautiful hairstyles can most definitely emanate, my darling!
- Shrinkage is a sign of good hair health, never think otherwise please. Learn to love and embrace the versatility it gives.
- Is this even sensible talk? when I heard someone mention how Natural hair gives a dirty and local look, I almost lost it internally. 4c hair gives none of those vibes, so its time to change the narrative for the unbelievers to see my darlings.
I would love to know other 4c hair myths you have come across besties. Let’s always make conscious efforts to debunk them, and show unbelievers just how beautiful God made our crown.
