5 Beauty Myths That Black Women Believe
From Coco + Creme — While there is no doubt that black women are forward-thinking trendsetters, there’s a plethora of misconceptions in our community about what it takes to maintain our beauty. We’ve gone into myth-buster mode and giving you the true information you need to maintain your pretty and your sanity.
1. Black don’t crack.
While it’s seems as though brown skin is resilient to age lines and wrinkles, this is largely in part to proper skincare. Having skin that can stand the tests of time takes more then good genes. It’s true that dark skin produces melanin which helps prevent aging due to ultraviolet light (UVL) and melanin also provides a natural SPF of about 14, but the minimum requirement for dark skin is SPF 30. There are new developments in sunscreen that contain minerals, antioxidants and plant extracts which can all enhance skin’s aesthetics.
2. The tighter the style, the better.
I shutter every time I see a woman with a head full of super-tight braids or twists. For some reason there’s this false standard set that the tighter the style, the longer it will last and the better it will look. A hairstyle that’s too tight could contribute to severe hair loss and scarring. Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA) is a type of permanent scarring hair loss which is seen primarily in African American/ Caribbean women who may have a family history of hair loss. Most of the affected have had hair relaxers for many years or report having very tight extensions with “add-in” hair that puts additional weight on the already stretched and weighed down hair follicle and a scarring and permanent alopecia may ensue.
3. Black women’s hair grows slower than women from other races.
The rate of growth for black women’s hair is no less than their counterparts. On average every person’s hair grows at least 1/2 inch per month, which is about 6 month per year. Yes, it’s true that you can experience more or less growth depending on how you take care of your hair, but growth doesn’t discriminate based on skin color.
My roommate scoffed at me for washing my hair every week or so.
WHAT NOW, ROOMMATE, WHAT NOW?
it will dry your hair out honey..washing it too much..smh.
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I wash my hair multiple times a week (because I work out and want my hair to smell fresh) and my hair is growing fine. I also have dreads. I’m pretty sure only relaxed hair suffers from too much washing (I have experienced this in the past as well).
black hair probably does grow just slow as hell incomparison to every one else
I agree with number 3 being a myth. My hair grows super fast.
My hair grows fast, too. I used to have a hard time retaining length when I had a relaxer, flat ironing, or wearing those ugly wigs, but my this year, my hair is on the verge of being the longest it has ever been. I also notice that since I eat healthy, my hair and skin are happier.
It depends on the person. I have two daughters (same father so same DNA) and I do all I can to maintain our healthy manes, but my oldest has different hair than me and my youngest notice I stated different not good hair. The oldest hair is thick but more relaxed curls (neither have had chemical treatment) and has always been longer growing beyond her shoulders. I encourage them to learn and love their natural hair personality now and in the future they can weave it up, relax etc.
i would like to see some sort of credit, especially for number 1. our skin does prevent us from developing the lines and wrinkles everyone else gets. my grandma is in her 80s and she doesn’t have lines all in her skin. she didn’t take care of her skin all that much, especially in later years. that is all melanin. the inference is that blacks take better care of their skin than others, so we look better with age. i don’t buy this.
also, i don’t think you can mention anything about blacks using sunscreen without mentioning that many of us are deficient in vitamin d, which has been linked to cancer and other disease.
i do not use sunscreen. i run and bike (outdoors) but i still was vitamin d deficient when i took a test. i also live in southern cali – an area so-called experts say black folks should be able to soak up their vitamin d, lessening their chance for deficiency.
I went to the doctor yesterday for a routine check up and was told that I have a vitamin D deficiency. My doctor prescribed a vitamin D supplement for me. I take a multi-vitamin with iron but I had no idea how important vitamin D is to our health. Also, my doctor said that Americans in general are deficient in vitamin D due mostly to our diet.