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As a little Black girl I spent countless hour with my head bent in cramped positions as a hot come was pulled through my hair to make it straight and shiny. Sometimes by my mother, sometimes at the beauty shop but the smell of burning hair and the fear of seared flesh were constant companions.

My mother tried to get my hair to grow longer but with little success.

The logic of how the treatment of my hair was actually causing more damage escaped her. When asked the beautician what to do, and nothing changed.

My hair is now rather long. Through the years I watched and listened to the suggestions other women made to each other and found that myths and superstition passed around but no real sound techniques for creating beauty that mimicked a European model, when it came to hair.

These myths all had one common flaw. They perpetuate the idea that what you do once the hair grows out of the scalp can cause growth.

1) Cutting hair makes it grow.

I have heard ALL beauticians use this lie. The fact is cutting will make the hair look better and thicker because the ends are all about the same length. This is grooming and visual affect, not growth. Having the ends about the same length helps the comb move through the ends without snagging which slows breakage. If you slow breakage the hear will remain longer but it doesn't grow any faster!

If you you are growing your hair out it is necessary to keep the ends as free from splits and snags as possible to allow the hair to remain attached to your scalp. When someone starts to trim your hair be sure to have a mirror to watch what they are doing or check the floor where your cut hair is falling. A trimming should take off no more than 1/16 inch. Do not let the stylist try to create a "style". Do not allow the stylist to "even the ends up" as they will cut off more hair than necessary for a trim.

2) Oiling the hair and scalp will make the hair grow.

Heavy pomades on the scalp will create a barrier that prevents air from from circulating and attract dirt and grime. This not a healthy stat of affairs for skin anywhere on the body. The ends of longer black hair will get dry though.

Using Jojoba oils at the ends can take care of this problem nicely, and massaging a small amount on freshly straightened hair will soothe a scalp that has been dried out by the processing. Jojoba oil is close to the oils the body produces naturally. Avoid petroleum based oils as they are too heavy.

3) Braiding makes the

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