1. Natural hair is dirty
If someone has locs/dreds or even an afro, somehow there is this assumption that they don't ever wash their hair. There are people from every culture, no matter their hair type that don't wash their hair or keep a regular hair care routine going, but that certainly does not apply to everyone. A lot of the misconception comes from the fact that many naturals do not wash their hair every day, but do so only once or twice a week. That largely has to do with the porosity of the hair. Natural hair, despite it's thickness, tends to be very weak. Constantly washing and styling can severely damage your hair in ways it may not for those with other strands. It can also really dry out the scalp and rob it of natural oils.
2. It's cool to touch someone's hair without permission
I'm sorry but who is cool with this idea of a bunch of randoms dipping into their scalp at will? Do you know how many people don't wash their hands after using the bathroom, or just scratched themselves, or had their fingers in their mouths or were just eating and now without asking, they want to jam their fingers into your hair. That's gross and a violation of someone's personal space. If I want to hug, kiss, hand shake, or touch someone else in any way who is an absolute perfect stranger, you ask first. Period.
3. It takes forever to grow out
Even naturals themselves believe this one. Let me use the car example. If we set two cars out in a race, and one has a straight track all the way to the finish line which they can easily see, and the other has a mountainous curvy terrain with many twists and turns for the same distance, who do you think is going to get their first? The straight track. A strand of straight hair grows up out of the scalp and relatively straight down. A strand of curly or kinky hair goes up and out and makes spirals and winds round itself and goes to the side in comparison on it's descent downwards added to the fact that it is tightly coiled rather than straight, which is why it always looks like someone with straight hair grows out their hair so much faster than that of someone with curly/kinky hair. It is therefore usually shocking when someone with curly hair straightens it or simply pulls straight a strand of their hair because it's like wow, didn't know it was that long, but it's been that long all along.
4. You can't do anything with natural hair
Wha...say what? Let me count the ways...curl it, twist it, braid it, weave it, wig it, fro it, puff it, straighten it (without chemicals), color it, tuck it, pin it, cut it, and on and on. You can actually do tons of stuff and create tons of styles with it.
5. We believe other races can't have natural hair
Every time there is a post where someone says, "natural hair," there are always those comments of why do you get to call it that, but not my hair which is natural. Natural hair is hair growing out of your head without the aid of any chemicals added to it. POC in particular tend to distinguish within their own community because there are people who chemically straighten/relax their hair and those who are natural and don't. Products for the two tend to differ quite a bit as are the methods of hair care. There is no racial conspiracy about it. Since other races don't tend to use chemicals on their hair b/c the hair is already straight, there really isn't much of a distinction needed as those with curly hair who are not POC, tend to call themselves, "those with curly hair," as opposed to "natural hair." But if you want to stand there all day long and say you have natural hair, do that. It literally doesn't matter either way. Okay. Cool?
6. Natural hair means you're a crunchy granola all natural hippie type
Like everyone keeps saying, but no one actually believes, it's just hair. You can work in a corporate office and have natural hair. It's not a lifestyle, it doesn't determine who you get to love or who loves you. It doesn't make you a better or worse person. It doesn't pay your bills. It's just hair. And oddly enough, people who have natural hair were born with their hair natural. You can't really determine who and what someone is at birth can you...can you?!? No, the answer is no, you can't.
7. They believe everyone else should be natural too
This is another one in the natural hair community as well. I had my hair relaxed for a billion years before I "went natural." I'd be oh, only the biggest hypocrite if I suddenly started pointing at every person who had relaxed hair and telling them they were awful people and should follow what I'm doing. It's your hair, you do whatever the hell you want to do with your own hair on your own body, k, thanks!
8. No one hires people with natural hair
There are always people who aren't going to hire you for superficial things like hair, or not so superficial like your race, but on the flip side, there are so many more people who actually give a f--- about hiring quality individuals who can do the job. I style my hair, I take care of it, it's hecka cute, and I went on job interviews and have worked at so many places where people don't even bat an eyelash, so trying to convince someone this is true for every place, corporate or not, is largely misleading.
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