Myths and fake info about afro and curly hair

Welcome to class!

Today I want to talk to you about an issue that is very close to my heart because it concerns a phenomenon that greatly influences the ability to properly take care of one's curly or afro hair: misinformation.

As a popularizer and digital creator, I spend a lot of time online and often come across incorrect or otherwise incomplete statements. Not infrequently these are reported to me during consultations by people who had taken them as correct and who had built an (obviously not effective) routine around them.

After having collected a list of them, I decided to bring them back here, above all to explain why they are incorrect or incomplete.

I already state that this will be an "open" article that I will update with what I hear or read in the future.

Afro hair doesn't grow

VERY FALSE. In the absence of scalp dysfunctions, the hair fiber ALWAYS GROWS. We should think rather in terms of the ability to keep the length intact or not, which is what gives us the perception of growth.

In simpler terms: as a result of growth, the stroke of the stem lengthens, but more often than not it breaks.

It follows that among the most important things to do to "grow hair" is to help the hair fiber maintain its length , which will increase as it emerges from the hair bulb.

Apply the products to wet or even dripping hair

NEVER. Whether they are masks or conditioners, moisturizing leave-ins or stylers, a hair still busy "throwing out" will not be able to bring in and absorb what has been applied, which will slip away together with the amount of water that the hair is still trying to eliminate .

In the shower, after each rinse and before each subsequent application, take care to wring out the hair by pressing gently and without twisting (proceeding in sections). This will free up space to absorb the upcoming product.

Remember, however, that it is precisely the moistened state of the hair that facilitates the penetration of the products, especially those without rinsing, so a spray of water should always be done at the beginning of the procedure.

Oils and butters hydrate

The statement is NOT CORRECT because it attributes to these agents an action that they do not carry out but which they support. Apply natural oils and butters "dry" and your fiber, unable to absorb them adequately, will be weighed down and stiffened and therefore much more likely to break.

Oils and butters are fundamental protagonists for hydration not because they provide it, but because they seal it. When I talk about sealing I mean creating a natural hydrophobic film around the stem which prevents water molecules from passing out.

Sealing in hydration and closing cuticles (indicators of porosity ) are not the same thing, but the combination of the two actions in succession is what we should aim for in our routine.

Moisturizing leave-in is not essential

ABSOLUTELY FALSE. Given that the moment in which we bring more hydration to our hair and make sure that it seals well is wash day (washing + final leave-in treatments), the leave-in hydrating product (which must then be sealed) is the essential replenisher because the hair arrives at the next wash having lost as few hydrating and emollient agents as possible.

It can have different consistencies from spray to creamy and I believe that if applied as the first product the texture should be very light so that it can best act as a trailblazer for other nourishing, sealing or styling products. In fact, its softening action allows for hair-friendly manipulation and helps the cuticles to open when subsequent products enter. In short, without it you're going nowhere except towards disaster.

In my opinion, the most valid procedure for hydration refreshment is the LOC method which is based on the sequence LIQUID (hydrating agent) – OIL (hydration sealing agent) – CREAM (hydrating and nourishing reinforcing agent).

There is a version much loved by those with low porosity and/or fine hair, the LCO , which includes the sequence LIQUID (hydrating agent) – CREAM (hydrating and nourishing reinforcing agent) – OIL (hydration sealing agent).

Depending on whether the hair is curly or afro, its porosity and its texture, the products can change in type, consistency and main ingredients but not their properties and the first step must always be the hydrating one (L).

Here you will find more information on the topic.

Co-wash should not be used on afro hair

FALSE, indeed in some circumstances he must be among the main actors of the routine.

In general, many factors influence the choice of products to use that would be too long to list, but I would like to underline that the same one can be placed in hair routines with different types and characteristics, obviously with ad hoc methods and times of use.

An example? In the specific case of Afro hair, co-wash is a product which, in case of need for frequent intermediate washes between one complete wash time and another, allows you to act delicately without excessively dehydrating the hair fiber and depriving the scalp.

Start taking note of these things in the meantime, updates will come!

See you soon,

TO.