Natural misconceptions....

[that_1_grrrl]

So much caught me by surprise:
I thought I would have a straight fro when instead I have coils.

I thought I would be a natural who straightens often, when in fact it's too much work and I can never get my ends straight.

I never thought I had the type of hair that can be styled without straightening (didn't know about twistouts, braidouts).

I didn't know anything about knots.

I didn't think I would get compliments on my natural hair.

I was surprised that dh really loves my natural hair as he had never seen it before.

I didn't know natural hair can be soft.

I didn't know that I was going to have the hand in the hair disease. I guess I'm still amazed by my natural hair.

I didn't know my fine hair can "look" thick in its natural state although it's still fine hair.

I didn't know I was going to be a triangle head. My hair is very fine and soft at the root and gets thicker towards the ends...flat on top, bigger at the bottom.

YES! I love the things amazing things natural hair can do. I love how I can pretty much mimic any other hair texture, and I don't even need heat to do it! I'm waiting for my hair to grow to a decent length (full SL?), so I can play around with it. I plan to give myself a "Mimic The Hairstyle Challenge" where I find a texture I like and try to find out what products I can use to achieve without heat! LOL, I love my hair.

 

[Evolving78]

i thought that all i could do is wear my hair straight. i didn't really know about different natural hairstyles until 2000. that was the reason i wouldn't go natural because i thought i would have to press it out all of the time. i know my hair can't hold a press very long. it is very easy for me to care for my natural hair, since i don't have issues trying to wear it straight all of the time.

 

[Lynnerie]

I had no idea I would love my hair so much. I never thought I would let go of my relaxed length.

I had no idea I would have so much confidence and feel so beautiful and sexy with a TWA.

I didn't know I would have curls. I thought you had to be mixed to have curls.

I thought products would be easy to find. Not at the store. You'll find better products in your kitchen.

I get compliments from a lot of folks but some people ask me why I cut my pretty hair off.

I didnt know that I would get called Afrocentric.

I didn't know I would be wetting it everyday. Natural hair feeds my co-washing addiction.

I didnt know I'd be more hair obsessed. I constantly stare at hair even more especially if I see unhealthy relaxed hair. I wonder what that person would look like if they had healthy natural hair.

 

[that_1_grrrl]

Oh yeah, there's another one: I thought that I would just stay natural long enough to reach my hair goals, then relax again. Now, I couldn't imagine letting a relaxer go near my head again.

 

[LaidBak]

I'm not natural but wished I could be for a long time. My misconception was that I was going to have straight wash and go hair, totally free of responsibility. When I started using growth aids I thought I got it in my head that I was going to transition and do it quickly. Yay! But then I started reading about how natural hair knots and tangles, and will dread up if not combed daily. I am not a 3 hair type. I have really small spirals (coils, curls, whatever you call 'em) so I think that would happen to me too. So I put my natural wishes away for good.

 

[spoogeywoogey]

I thought I wouldn't be considered attractive with my hair natural
I thought I couldn't do a wash and go.... I knew it could be done just didn't know how to

 

[that_1_grrrl]

I'm not natural but wished I could be for a long time. My misconception was that I was going to have straight wash and go hair, totally free of responsibility. When I started using growth aids I thought I got it in my head that I was going to transition and do it quickly. Yay! But then I started reading about how natural hair knots and tangles, and will dread up if not combed daily. I am not a 3 hair type. I have really small spirals (coils, curls, whatever you call 'em) so I think that would happen to me too. So I put my natural wishes away for good.

I don't comb my hair at all, and it hasn't dread up.

 

[Hairsofab]

I don't comb my hair at all, and it hasn't dread up.

Yeah I stopped combing/brushing my natural hair too and it doesn't dread. I guess that is another misconception, that you have to comb your hair. My hair does better with finger combing.

 

[Carrie A]

I thought I would not have coils. I thought my hair would look more like a picked out afro like during my pre-relaxed elementary school days. I didn't realize that I probably had heat damaged hair from years of pressing. My hair looks basically like the pictures of me when I was two and three and I'm over 35. Same hair just thicker. Who'd of thunk?

 

[oooop2]

Since I wore a BC for 8yrs, I really didn't think much about my natural hair. But once I started growing it out, I often found myself getting annoyed that my hair was no longer effortless. I didn't realize that my hair would tangle so easily.

 

[msa]

I'm not natural but wished I could be for a long time. My misconception was that I was going to have straight wash and go hair, totally free of responsibility. When I started using growth aids I thought I got it in my head that I was going to transition and do it quickly. Yay! But then I started reading about how natural hair knots and tangles, and will dread up if not combed daily. I am not a 3 hair type. I have really small spirals (coils, curls, whatever you call 'em) so I think that would happen to me too. So I put my natural wishes away for good.

1. My hair only gets knots when I let it shrink up completely (going from wet to dry). As long as I dry my hair in a stretched style (twists, bantu knots, etc) I don't get knots of tangles.

2. I only comb my hair when it's wet in order to detangle. I have had natural hair my whole life and it has not dreaded up yet. Even when I wore a wash and go everyday I didn't have to comb it, just saturate it with water and that was enough to keep the coils from tangling. The only time my hair ever got close to matting is when I'd let it shrink up and then sleep on it with no scarf or anything.


I've been natural my whole life but I never thought I had coils/curls in my head. I always thought my hair was just a mass of undefined cotton. Turns out that when my hair is as moisturized as it can possibly be, I have lots of coils, curls, and waves.

 

[ToyToy]

I thought it would be easier to take care of. (It's not)
I thought it would grow really fast.
I thought I wouldn't shy away from the rain anymore (I still do - hate the shrinkage).
I also thought I have thick hair that has just been thinned out by over-processing. As it turns out, I have thin strands but lots of it.
I didn't think I would last a year, but I've been natural for almost three years now .

 

[AtlantaJJ]

I was excited about WNG's but that's not happening for me... Not if I want to retain length...and I do...

 

[NappturalWomyn]

I had no misconceptions of how hard, easy, simple, complicated caring for my natural hair would be. I knew it would be a learning process. The one misconception was that I didn't think I would look good without a perm. WRONG!

 

[TrustMeLove]

I had no idea my dh would dislike my hair so much.

I had no idea my relaxed friends would love it so much.

Are you serious? Ohh my goodness. If I could switch hair w/ someone it would be you. Maybe I should send you a couple pics of my hair and your DH can really see how good he has it. No disrespect to your DH, but he so doesn't get it. Your hair is so BOMB! He doesn't realize that he is living in a house with a woman with blessed hair.

Hopefully the new year, brings him new feelings regarding beautiful hair.

 

[Likeyouneverseenme]

Without this board, I would never have gone natural much less do a BC. I thought I had a lot of confidence when I was relaxed, but now, it's a more settled feeling of "I am secure within myself" something so deep I never felt even with my cutest relaxed style, lol.

Couldn't agree with you more. And people notice. I have never had so many guys trying to holler as when I unleash the fro.

 

[BostonMaria]

Couldn't agree with you more. And people notice. I have never had so many guys trying to holler as when I unleash the fro.

MissNorway, your hair is FIERCE!

I never thought that something as simple as a curly ponytail would bring me so much joy Sometimes I'll walk out of the house and think damn it has to be a crime to have such perdy nappy hair

 

[Sugarhoneyicetea]

I had no idea you could still be versatile with natural hair. I was shocked when I got on the board and saw naturals hair pics vary from roller sets to twists to puffs to curly. I also never knew what my "real" hair type was since I've been relaxed so long so I never knew my natural hair was coiled, tight curls. I actually had a debate with my (white) manager at Sally Beauty when I worked there in college because she tried to school me that black hair is naturally curly. I argued her up and down it wasn't because my hair didn't curl. Well 9 months post relaxer...I was wrong

 

[Caramel Jewel]

I thought the hair on my head would be like the other two areas with hair on my body, the curls are c3...but no..I'm 4a